Trading Glory for Garbage: Romans 1:18-32

Romans 1:18–32 — “When God Gives Us Up” Week 2 – The Gospel of God’s Righteousness Series

The Bad News Before the Good News

If you’ve got your Bible, open it to Romans 1:18.

Last week we heard Paul say: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” That’s the good news — the power of the gospel.

But today, Paul turns the page to the bad news — the reason we need the gospel.

He begins not with God’s love, but with God’s wrath. That’s not because Paul is harsh or negative — it’s because he knows that until you understand what you’re saved from, you’ll never fully understand what you’re saved to.

Our generation has a hard time with wrath. We like the idea of God as love, but not God as judge. But a God who never gets angry at evil is not loving — He’s indifferent.

R.C. Sproul said:

“The most violent expression of God’s wrath and justice is seen in the cross. If you want to see how God feels about sin, look at what He did to His Son.” (The Holiness of God)

Romans 1:18–32 shows us a world that has turned away from God — and what happens when God lets humanity have what it wants.

Historical and Contextual Background

Rome was the moral capital of the ancient world — rich, educated, powerful, and proud. But it was also collapsing inward.

Historians describe the Roman Empire as a world of decadence: immorality, slavery, violence, greed, and sexual confusion. Emperors engaged in incest, temples practiced prostitution, and entertainment centered on blood.

Paul writes this to a church planted in the middle of that culture — a church made up of Jews and Gentiles trying to figure out how to live in holiness when surrounded by idolatry.

This passage (1:18–32) begins a long section (1:18–3:20) showing that all humanity — pagan, moral, and religious — stands under sin.

Notice something linguistic here: in verse 17 Paul says, “The righteousness of God is revealed” (Greek: apokalyptetai). Then in verse 18, “The wrath of God is revealed.” Same verb. In other words: the gospel reveals God’s righteousness to save, and human rebellion reveals God’s righteousness to judge.

Main Point

Humanity’s rejection of God leads to God’s righteous wrath — but His wrath exposes our need for His grace.

Humanity Suppresses the Truth (vv. 18–23)

Verse 18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

That word wrath (Greek: orgē) doesn’t mean explosive rage. It’s God’s settled, holy opposition to sin — His consistent, righteous anger against everything that destroys what is good.

God’s wrath is “revealed” now — not only future judgment, but present reality. Every time God lets humanity reap the results of its rebellion, His justice is being revealed.

Paul says the problem isn’t that people don’t have enough evidence for God. Verse 19: “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” Creation testifies to His existence. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Every sunset, every heartbeat, every snowflake preaches His power.

But what do we do? Verse 21 says, “Although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him.”The word for “honor” (doxazō) means to give weight. We treat God as weightless — irrelevant.

And that’s the heart of sin. We trade truth for lies. We worship creation instead of the Creator. We bow to things that can never save us.

Historical insight: In Rome, idol worship filled every street. Temples to Zeus, Artemis, and Aphrodite dominated city life. People carried pocket idols for business success or fertility.

But Paul’s not just describing ancient idolatry — he’s exposing modern idolatry.

Illustration: In Brampton, our idols are just more polished. Career, comfort, romance, family, reputation — these are the things people trust for meaning. They’re good things that become god things, and that’s when they destroy us.

John Stott said:

“The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for man.” (The Message of Romans, p. 74)

This has always been the human story.

Israel built a golden calf at Sinai (Exodus 32:1–6).

The prophets cried out against hearts that worshiped idols instead of the living God (Jeremiah 2:11–13).

The heart of humanity hasn’t changed — only the shapes of our idols.

God Gives Them Up (vv. 24–27)

Three times Paul says, “God gave them up.” Verse 24, verse 26, verse 28.

This phrase (paredōken autous ho Theos) means God “handed them over.” This is divine judgment — but not through lightning or earthquakes. It’s judgment through abandonment.

God says, “If you insist on rejecting Me, I’ll let you have what you want.”

John Murray wrote:

“The wrath of God is revealed when He abandons people to the consequences of their sin. It is the most dreadful form of divine judgment.” (Epistle to the Romans, Vol. 1, p. 40)

Verse 24 says: “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.” The word lusts (epithymiai) literally means over-desires — when good things become ultimate things.

Sin is not just doing bad things; it’s worshiping the wrong thing.

Then verses 26–27 turn to sexual immorality. Paul mentions same-sex relations as evidence of humanity’s rejection of God’s design. But his point is broader: when we exchange the Creator for creation, everything gets distorted — even our understanding of our own bodies.

Douglas Moo notes:

“Paul’s concern is not simply with sexual behavior, but with humanity’s fundamental rejection of the Creator’s order.” (NICNT Romans, p. 108)

God Gave Them Up to Dishonorable Passions” (Romans 1:26–27)

Let’s look carefully at what Paul actually says in verses 26–27: “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

Paul’s language here is deliberate. He describes both women and men “exchanging” (metēllaxan) natural relations for unnatural ones. That word “exchange” echoes earlier in the passage — humanity “exchanged the glory of God for images” (v. 23), and “exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (v. 25). So Paul’s not isolating one sin — he’s giving an example of how sin corrupts the created order. This is what happens when worship goes wrong: the vertical exchange (worshiping creation instead of the Creator) leads to horizontal disorder in relationships, sexuality, and society.

🔍 Hermeneutical and Linguistic Analysis • The phrase “contrary to nature” translates para physin — literally, “against the intended design.” In Greco-Roman literature, physis (“nature”) referred not just to social convention but to the inherent order of creation.

• Paul uses this term elsewhere in Romans 11:24 to describe Gentiles being grafted “contrary to nature” into Israel’s olive tree — meaning it goes against the normal pattern of creation.

• So in Romans 1, Paul isn’t appealing to culture or custom — he’s appealing to creation order itself (cf. Genesis 1:26–28). Douglas Moo writes: “Paul condemns same-sex behavior not because it violates social norms, but because it violates the order of creation as revealed in the male–female complementarity established by God.” (NICNT Romans, p. 110) John Murray adds: “The apostle’s indictment is not arbitrary but grounded in the very constitution of human nature as created by God.” (Epistle to the Romans, Vol. 1, p. 43) So the issue here is not preference but pattern — God’s pattern for human flourishing. Paul’s concern isn’t that people have same-sex attraction, but that the human heart, apart from grace, seeks autonomy — the right to define love and truth apart from God’s design. This “exchange” is symbolic of humanity’s broader rebellion.

Pastoral Application: Compassion and Clarity Now, hear me clearly — this is not about singling out or shaming anyone. Paul’s list in Romans 1 includes every one of us. Greed, gossip, envy, arrogance — we’re all there. But as a church, we must not avoid what Scripture says. We cannot call “love” what God calls sin, nor can we call “hate” what God calls truth. Truth without love becomes cruelty. Love without truth becomes compromise.

But truth in love is the gospel way. And the truth is this: God’s design for sexuality — one man, one woman, covenant marriage — is not oppressive; it’s redemptive. It mirrors the covenant relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:31–32). When Paul speaks against same-sex activity, he’s not condemning desire itself, but showing how every desire must be brought under Christ’s lordship. Heterosexual lust, pornography, adultery, and same-sex action all flow from the same root — a heart seeking satisfaction apart from God. So we don’t stand above anyone. We stand with everyone in need of grace.

In a city like Brampton — diverse, inclusive, and pluralistic — we must hold conviction and compassion together. • Conviction means we teach the truth of Scripture even when it’s unpopular.

• Compassion means we love people, not just positions. We walk with those wrestling with sexual sin or confusion, not as judges but as fellow sinners redeemed by grace.

If you’re here today struggling with same-sex attraction, hear this: your temptation does not define you — Christ does. The gospel doesn’t promise instant change of feelings, but it promises new identity, new power, and new hope.

And to the rest of the church: the way we talk, post, and live must show the world that holiness and mercy are not enemies. The same gospel that saves liars and thieves saves those entangled in sexual sin — including us. Remember, the opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality — it’s holiness. Christ didn’t die to make you straight; He died to make you His.

This isn’t about superiority or condemnation — it’s diagnosis. We are all part of this brokenness. Whether sexual sin, greed, anger, or pride, all sin is an exchange — replacing God’s truth with our lie.

OT connection: This echoes Genesis 19 (Sodom), but Paul’s focus is not one city — it’s all creation in rebellion. Humanity’s fall is universal.

Application: We often think God’s judgment looks like fire falling from heaven. But according to Paul, judgment looks like God saying, “Fine, have it your way.” That’s what we see today — a society that calls evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” ).

Freedom without God is not freedom — it’s slavery.

Sin’s Corruption in the Mind, Church, and Family (vv. 28–32)

Verse 28: “Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind.” The word debased (adokimos) means “rejected after testing” — like metal that fails the quality check. A mind cut off from God can’t discern right from wrong.

Paul then gives a list of 21 sins — envy, murder, gossip, arrogance, disobedience, heartlessness. It’s a full moral collapse.

Tom Schreiner explains:

“Sin is not merely the result of poor moral reasoning; it is the fruit of rejecting the knowledge of God.” (Romans, BECNT, p. 97)

And verse 32 sums it up: “Though they know God’s decree, they not only do these things but give approval to those who practice them.”

This is the frightening end of rebellion — celebrating sin and silencing truth.

But here’s what we must see: Paul’s not just talking about them. He’s talking about us. The same sin that ruins culture can ruin the church if we’re not watchful.

How Sin Creeps Into the Church and Families

Sin doesn’t storm the gates of the church — it slips in quietly. Through pride. Through gossip. Through unforgiveness. Through self-righteousness. Through apathy.

Unrighteousness doesn’t always look like chaos. Sometimes it looks like Christians showing up every Sunday with cold hearts.

It looks like parents too busy to pray with their kids. It looks like bitterness between believers that goes unconfessed. It looks like a church that sings about grace but lives in division.

And Paul would say: this too is an exchange. It’s trading gospel joy for comfort. It’s choosing control over surrender.

The same thing happened to Israel. God gave them the law, but their hearts remained hard. They saw His glory, yet built a golden calf (Exodus 32). They were chosen to bless the nations but imitated them instead (Jeremiah 2:11–13).

Under the Old Covenant, sin was restrained by external laws and sacrifices. But under the New Covenant, God changes us from within.

“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:26–27)

Now, because of Jesus, we don’t just try harder — we’re made new. Our hearts of stone are replaced with hearts of flesh. Our shame is exchanged for righteousness. Our division is healed through His blood.

John Stott warned:

“Before we accuse the secular world of exchanging the truth for a lie, we must face the possibility that the church has done the same — exchanging grace for performance, and fellowship for pride.” (Romans, p. 80)

If we don’t confront sin early — in our homes, in our marriages, in our church — it will divide what God has united.

But the gospel confronts sin not to condemn, but to restore. The Spirit convicts not to humiliate, but to heal.

Gospel Resolution

Romans 1 ends heavy because sin is heavy. Humanity has traded the truth for lies, and God has let us walk our chosen path.

But the gospel says: God did not leave us there.

Where we exchanged God for idols, God exchanged His Son for sinners. Where God “gave them up,” He “gave up” His Son at the cross (Romans 8:32). The wrath we deserved was poured on Jesus.

That’s why Paul starts this section with wrath — so that when we see grace, it hits us like lightning.

John Stott said:

“Before we can see the cross as something done for us, we must see it as something done by us.” (The Cross of Christ)

Conclusion

So what do we do with this?

We humble ourselves. We repent of our idols. We rejoice that the gospel rescues us from wrath and restores us to worship.

Because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that heals your marriage, breaks your addiction, reconciles our church, and saves this city.

Church of the City, sin divides — but grace unites. The old covenant showed us that rules can’t fix the heart. The new covenant shows us that Jesus can.

So let’s be a family that lives differently in Brampton — a people who don’t hide truth but hold it with grace; a people who live unashamed of the gospel, because we know it is the power of God for salvation.

Gospel Invitation

Maybe today you feel far from God — trapped by your own choices or ashamed of what’s crept into your heart. Hear this: the same God who gives people up in judgment also gives Himself up in mercy.

Jesus took the wrath you deserve so that you can receive the righteousness you could never earn. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Don’t run. Don’t hide. Come home. Because the God who gave them up now calls you in.