Romans 1.26a-God Gave the Human Race Over to Disgraceful Perversities for Rejecting Him
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday June 27, 2007
Romans: Romans 1:26a-God Gave the Human Race Over to Disgraceful Perversities for Rejecting Him
Lesson # 32
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 1:18.
This evening 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).
Last 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.
Last Thursday, we studied Romans 1:24 in which Paul writes that God gave the human race over to immoral degeneracy as a result of rejecting His revelation of Himself in creation.
On Sunday morning we studied 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.
Last evening we noted Romans 1:25b, in which Paul writes that the human race was of such evil character that not only did they exchange the truth of God for the lie but they also worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.
This evening we will study Romans 1:26a, in which Paul writes that because the human race exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than Him as their Creator, God gave the human race over to disgraceful perversities, which he identifies in Romans 1:26b-27 as lesbianism and homosexuality.
Now, let’s read Romans 1:18-27 and then this evening we will concentrate on Romans 1:26a.
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.”
Romans 1:26, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.”
Romans 1:27, “and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”
Now, let’s study Romans 1:26 in detail.
Romans 1:26, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.”
“For this reason” is composed of the preposition dia (diaV) and the accusative neuter singular form of the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos (ou!!to$), which is touto (touto).
The preposition dia with the accusative form of houtos functions as a marker of cause and denotes the “reason” why God gave the human race over to degrading passions, i.e. sexual perversions.
The immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos means, “this” and is anaphoric referring to the “preceding” statement in Romans 1:25, which states that the human race exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase dia touto means “because of this” and indicates that the reason why God gave the human race over to degrading passions was that they exchanged the truth of God for the lie and not only this but they worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.
In context, “God” refers to the Trinity functioning in their role as the Supreme Court of Heaven since the verb paradidomi, “gave them over” is used in a judicial sense.
“Gave them over” is the 3rd person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb paradidomi (paradivdwmi) (para-did-omee), which is used in a judicial sense and means, “to give into the hands of another, to give over into one’s power or use.”
“Them” is the accusative (direct object) masculine plural form of the personal pronoun autos (au)tov$), which refers to its antecedent in Romans 1:18, namely, the plural form of noun anthropos, “mankind.”
Supreme Court of Heaven, the Trinity gave the human race over to degrading passions because they exchanged the truth of God for the lie and not only this but they worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.
If you recall, Paul used this word in Romans 1:24.
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.”
God gave the human race over to impurity because even though they possessed an objective knowledge of God by observing creation, they did not worship Him or give him thanks.
The “impurity” that Paul is referring to is explained as the degrading of the human body through immoral degeneracy or sexual immorality, which is further defined by Paul in Romans 1:26-27 as homosexual behavior.
In Romans 1:26, Paul teaches that because the human race exchanged the truth of God for the lie and not only this but worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, God gave them over to degrading passions.
Since men chose to reject God’s revelation of Himself in creation and refused to be accountable to Him and rebelled against Him, God could do nothing else but give them over to the power and control of the sin nature, which they preferred to God.
This principle of God giving man over to reap the fruits of his rebellion and disobedience will be manifested during the tribulation period when God will give the unbeliever over to a deluding influence so as to be deceived by antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”
However, we must understand that God still loves the human race and is concerned with it since He gave them over to the power of sin and its consequences in order that they might learn the futility of a life that is in rejection of truth and that they might learn to hate it (See Isaiah 19:22).
Romans 1:26, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.”
“To degrading passions” is composed of the preposition eis (ei)$), “to” and the accusative (of reference, respect) neuter plural form of the noun pathos (pavqo$) (path-os), “passions,” which is followed by the genitive feminine singular form of the noun atimia (a)timiva) (at-tee-mee-ah), “degrading.”
Marvin R. Vincent commenting on the noun pathos gives us insight into this word, he writes, “As distinguished from epithumia, ‘lusts,’ in Romans 1:24, pathos, ‘passions,’ is the narrower and more intense word. Epithumia is the larger word, including the whole world of active lusts and desires, while the meaning of pathos is passive, being the diseased condition out of which the lusts spring. Epithumia are ‘evil longings,’ pathos, ‘ungovernable affections.’ Thus, it appears that the divine punishment was the more severe, in that they were given over to a “condition,” and not merely to an evil desire. (Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Our English word “perversities” reflects the meaning of the Greek noun pathos since the English noun “perversion” refers to “any various means of attaining sexual gratification that are widely regarded as abnormal, especially when practiced habitually and in preference to normal heterosexual intercourse” (Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary).
The noun “perversity” is the state of or quality of being perverse according to Webster’s and so therefore, in Romans 1:26, the plural form of the noun pathos is used in a negative sense and means, “perversities.”
In Colossians 3:5, Paul commands the Colossian believers to put to death sexual lust, which is accomplished accepting by faith that they have been crucified with Christ and have died with Christ through the baptism of the Spirit (Compare Romans 6).
Colossians 3:1, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”
Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:3, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:4, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Colossians 3:5, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust (pathos), evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
In 1 Thessalonians 4:5, Paul teaches the Thessalonians the will of God for them is that the experience sanctification by abstaining from sexual immorality and one of these forms of sexual immoralities he identifies as pathos, “sexual perversities.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion (pathos), like the Gentiles who do not know God.”
Romans 1:26, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.”
In Romans 1:26, the noun pathos is followed by the genitive form of the noun atimia, “degrading.”
The noun atimia is composed of the alpha prefix and the noun time (timhv), “honor, respect” and so therefore, it means, “dishonored, disrespected.”
The genitive substantive atimia functions as an “attributive genitive” meaning that it specifies an attribute or innate quality of the head substantive pathos, “perversities.”
It is similar to a simple adjective in its semantic force, though more emphatic since it expresses quality like an adjective indeed, but with more sharpness and distinctness.
Therefore, we should translate the noun atimia with the English adjective “disgraceful” since the word “disgrace” refers to “the state of being in dishonor, ignominy; shame” (Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary)
The adjective “disgraceful” means, “bringing or deserving disgrace; shameful; dishonorable, disreputable” (Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary).
Therefore, the attributive genitive atimia emphasizes the quality of these “perversities” (pathos) with sharpness and distinctness, namely, that they are “disgraceful.”
The preposition eis is a marker of result indicating that the human race engaged in disgraceful perversities as a result of God abandoning them for exchanging the truth of God for the lie and worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.
In Romans 1:26b and 27, Paul identifies these “disgraceful perversities” as lesbianism and homosexuality.
Romans 1:26, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.”
Romans 1:27, “and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”