GRACE AND GLORY - PART FIVE

UNHOLY

Romans 1:18–25 (ESV)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:18-25 (TPT)

For God in heaven unveils his holy anger breaking forth against every form of sin, both toward ungodliness that lives in hearts and evil actions. For the wickedness of humanity deliberately smothers the truth and keeps people from acknowledging the truth about God. In reality, the truth of God is known instinctively, for God has embedded this knowledge inside every human heart. Opposition to truth cannot be excused on the basis of ignorance, because from the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God’s nature have been made visible, such as his eternal power and transcendence. He has made his wonderful attributes easily perceived, for seeing the visible makes us understand the invisible. So then, this leaves everyone without excuse. Throughout human history the fingerprints of God were upon them, yet they refused to honor him as God or even be thankful for his kindness. Instead, they entertained corrupt and foolish thoughts about what God was like. This left them with nothing but misguided hearts, steeped in moral darkness. Although claiming to be wise, they were in fact shallow fools. For only a fool would trade the unfading splendor of the immortal God to worship the fading image of other humans, idols made to look like people, animals, birds, and even creeping reptiles! This is why God lifted off his restraining hand and let them have full expression of their sinful and shameful desires. They were given over to moral depravity, dishonoring their bodies by sexual perversion among themselves—all because they traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and served the things God made rather than the God who made all things—glory and praises to him forever and ever! Amen!

VERSE EIGHTEEN

God’s anger is revealed (apokalyptō) as the opponent of punishment for those who have chosen a lifestyle that rejects God and right standing with him.

This choice is to deliberately hide the truth about God from their own hearts and from others.

Living in opposition to God’s love, His will, His ways, and His Word does not keep the truth from existing; it simply obscures it and lives intentionally at odds with it.

VERSE NINETEEN

We are all born with an innate desire to know God, the Creator. A part of our God-created human consciousness is an awareness that there is something bigger than us that made us.

God is not hiding Himself from us.

Psalm 19:1 (ESV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

He makes Himself known plainly (phaneros), meaning He is intentionally demonstrating the fact that He is God.

VERSE TWENTY

While you can’t see God, you can see the evidence of His existence all around you.

The world has spent centuries trying to explain away what is obvious if you are willing to lay down your need to understand everything.

The pride of humanity has led us away from God by denying that the whole earth is a demonstration of His power and glory.

This, according to the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, leaves anyone who denies His power and divinity to be without excuse (anapologētos). This legal term is the equivalent of pleading “no contest” to an indictment in court.

VERSE TWENTY-ONE

The “they” referenced here are the “them” from the previous two verses, identified in verse eighteen as the ungodly and unrighteous men who are suppressing the truth.

They knew (ginōskō) God, meaning they had knowledge of Him. Despite this, they chose not to honor Him or give thanks to Him.

Because they ignored Him willfully, they became mataioō in their thinking. Their thinking become worthless and vain. They took their eyes off of Him and looked only to themselves.

The result of this was their hearts becoming darkened and foolish. Misguided and steeped in moral darkness. When you choose to ignore God, you put yourself in a place of darkness.

VERSE TWENTY-TWO

They became foolish in spite of their claims to knowledge.

What the said about themselves was inaccurate. The truth was based not on what they thought or said, but on who God is and has always been.

VERSE TWENTY-THREE

Idolatry is simply the foolish exchange of God’s eternal glory for a counterfeit glory.

Putting anyone or anything in the place of God is the result of foolishness.

God’s glory has no beginning or end. It has no human equivalent. It cannot be reproduced without Him.

It’s not just creating an image of gold or bronze to worship that constitutes idolatry. Anything put in the place of God other than Him is a choice to exchange God’s eternal glory with fool’s gold.

VERSE TWENTY-FOUR

When you choose to put something else in God’s place, you reap the consequences of it. Saying God “gave them up” is equivalent to saying that God turned them into the authorities to pay for the crimes they committed. He removed His hand and allowed them to see the results of lust and impurity.

He’s talking specifically about sexual sin here, which is a form of idolatry. It’s the worship of your own pleasure. Dishonoring your own body by choosing to prioritize satisfaction over sanctification is choosing to forego the eternal glory of God for the temporary pleasure of your flesh.

VERSE TWENTY-FIVE

You can choose to honor God or you can choose to please yourself.

You can worship the Creator of the creation. The Creator is blessed forever. The creation is fading.

Anything in the wrong place in your priorities is an idol and an exchange of truth for a lie.