Sermon Tone Analysis

Sunday June 24, 2007

Romans: Romans 1:25a-The Human Race Exchanged Truth of God for the Lie

Lesson # 30

Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 1:18.

This morning we will continue with our study of the second major section in the book of Romans, which appears in Romans 1:18-3:20 and deals with the universal need of the righteousness of God.

This passage is divided into three major sections: (1) The unrighteousness of the Gentiles (1:18-32).

(2) The unrighteousness of the Jews (2:1-3:8).

(3) The universal unrighteousness of men (3:9-20).

We are currently engaged in a study of Romans 1:18-32, which is divided into two sections: (1) The basis for Gentile guilt (1:18-23).

(2) The results of Gentile guilt (1:24-32).

This past Wednesday, we completed our study of the first section that appears in Romans 1:18-23, which deals with the basis for Gentile guilt before a holy God and on Thursday we began a study of Romans 1:24-32, in which Paul presents the results of Gentile guilt.

Thursday, we studied Romans 1:24 in which Paul writes that God abandoned the human race to immoral degeneracy as a result of rejecting His revelation of Himself in creation.

This morning we will study Romans 1:25a, in which Paul writes that God gave the human race over to immoral degeneracy who were of such evil character that they exchanged the truth of God for the lie.

Romans 1:18-19, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”

Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Romans 1:21, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Romans 1:22-23, “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

Romans 1:24, “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.”

Romans 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen.”

The first word in the Greek text of Romans 1:25 is the nominative masculine plural form of the qualitative relative pronoun hostis (o^sti$) (hos-tis).

As qualitative relative pronoun, hostis emphasizes the character or nature of a person or persons.

Therefore, in Romans 1:25, hostis emphasizes the evil character of the human race in relation to a holy God since Romans 1:25 and 26 teaches that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator.

Therefore, the translation of Romans 1:25 should not begin with the English word “for” but rather should be translated “who indeed by virtue of their evil character.”

“They exchanged” is the 3rd person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb metallasso (metallavssw) (met-al-las-so), which is composed of the preposition meta (metav), “with” and the verb allasso (a)llavssw), “to change, alter.”

The verb metallasso is an intensive compound and means, “to exchange” one thing for another and so in Romans 1:25, the verb indicates that the human race “exchanged” the truth of God for a lie.

“The truth” is composed of the accusative feminine singular definite article ten (thVn), “the” and the accusative (direct object) feminine singular form of the noun aletheia (a)lhvqeia) (al-ay-thi-a), “truth.”

“Of God” is composed of the genitive masculine singular (anaphoric) definite article tou (tou~) and the genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (qeov$), which refers to the Trinity who are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

“The truth” does “not” refer to the Word of God, the gospel since all men have not been exposed to it but rather it refers to the truth of God as manifested in God through creation, whose complex design demands a Creator according to Romans 1:19-20.

God reveals Himself to man in three ways: (1) By nature or creation (Psalm 19:1-6; Rom.

1:19-20).

(2) The Living Word, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:18; 1 Tim.

3:16; 1 Cor.

1:24; Heb.

1:1-3).

(3) The Written Word (2 Timothy 3:16).

The fact that members of the human race suppress the truth of God implies that they have knowledge of this truth and this truth manifested in the soul of man according to Romans 1:19 and through creation according to Romans 1:20.

The reason why men suppress the truth of God and fail to acknowledge their accountability to Him and govern their lives by God’s truth is that they seek to live independently of God like their father the devil (See Isaiah 14:12-14; John 8:44).

“The truth” is not only the truth concerning God but also God’s truth concerning everything, including the human race, which is that they are creatures of God and can only find true fulfillment and happiness in worshipping and obediently serving God who is their Creator.

Psalm 31:5, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is the truth of God since He is the Word of God incarnate.

John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The believer’s sanctification is accomplished by means of truth.

John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

We are to let the Word of Christ, which is truth, richly dwell in our souls.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

We are to therefore to diligently study the Word of truth to enrich our fellowship with the Lord and our worship of Him.

2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

Truth will set us free from sin.

John 8:31, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”

We are to love each other according to the Word of truth.

1 John 3:18, “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

We are to worship the Father by means of truth.

John 4:23-27, “But an hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers, will worship the Father spiritually, yes, by means of truth.

In fact, the Father intensely desires such worshippers of Himself.

God, as to His nature, is spirit and those worshipping Him must worship spiritually, yes, by means of truth.”

Romans 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen.”

“For” is the preposition en (e)n), which is a marker of means indicating that “the lie” was the “means by which” the human race exchanged the worship and service of the true God or the truth of God as revealed through creation.

“A lie” is composed of the dative neuter singular definite article to (tw~|) and the dative neuter singular form of the noun pseudos (yeu~do$) (soo-dos) and should be translated “the lie” since the definite article that comes before the noun pseudos is “well known” to the reader.

“The lie” originates with Satan (John 8:44) who contends that man is his own god and that he should worship and serve himself and not the Creator.

John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

“The lie” contends that the creature can exist independently of God, the Creator, as self-sufficient, self-directing and self-fulfilling.

This was “the lie” Satan used in the Garden of Eden to lead the woman into sinning against God.

Genesis 3:5, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan has always wanted the worship that belongs to God only (Isaiah 14:12-15; Matthew 4:8-10) and through idolatry, he receives this worship (1 Corinthians 10:19-21).

Deuteronomy 32:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:20 teach that the worship of idols is connected to the worship of demons since the sacrificing to idols is in reality sacrificing to demons who promote the worship of idols.

Deuteronomy 32:17, “They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread.”

1 Corinthians 10:20, “No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.”

Idolatry originally meant the worship of idols, or the worship of false gods by means of idols, but came to mean among the Old Testament Hebrews any worship of false gods, whether by images or otherwise or the worship of the Lord through visible symbols (Hos 8:5-6; 10:5).

Idolatry is not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion, which belongs to God alone, but also is putting anything ahead of your relationship with God and which would prevent you from doing His will (1 Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

The Lord prohibited idolatry in Israel.

Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Ultimately in the New Testament idolatry came to mean, not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion which belonged to God alone, but the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will (1 Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

1 John 5:21, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

The idol is a lie in the sense that it portrays to be what it is not and it leads others astray from the truth.

“The lie” expresses itself in idolatry and man’s self-deification.