Romans
Chapter One
Lesson 21
Review:
- In
vs.23 it is the glory of the incorruptible God that was exchanged.
- here its the truth of God, the
reality of God in His self-revelation through creation for not "a
lie" but "the lie"
Having
rejected the truth of God, they have concluded that there is someone, or
something other than God who is worthy of worship!
There
will be a time in the future where man is going to demonstrate that man has
still not progressed beyond falling for the big lie!
- The
result of the exchange: idolatry!
and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the Creator,
- After contemplating the abysmal failure and betrayal of
man, and contrasting that with the faithfulness of God. Paul bursts forth with praise for the
Creator!
who is blessed
forever. Amen.
- In saying that the Creator, "is blessed forever"
Paul is making it clear that even though God may be unacknowledged by the many,
the majority of His creation; His glory still remains and will always!!
Question;
what do people get the most uptight over; what they have done or what they have
not done?? Usually it is over what is
done!
Look
back at vs:21
What is the sin here? One of commission or omission??
The
belief in evolution is a reenactment of the first sin of all mankind, the
rejection of the God of creation!
1:26-27
The Consequence of rejection of truth
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions;
- Here we have specifics as to the form of dishonoring their
bodies!
- It is with this phrase that we observe a deepening of the
divine abandonment; that is greater consequences for their rejection of God.
In v.24 the
equivalent phrase is "in the lusts of their hearts"
- evpiqumi,a = lusts; it is always something
that can be curbed
- pa,qoj = speaks of that which overcomes all restraints;
- the force of this phrase carries through for both women and
men; through v.27
- What is in view here is that the pa,qoj, the passions controlling those whom Paul is speaking about
caused them to put an incorrect estimate upon the sacredness, dignity and
purity of the physical body and thus to use it in a way which dishonors it.
*** Notice that it
is not just the acts involved that are sin but also the passions which lead to
them are dishonoring.
"for their women exchanged the natural function for
that which is unnatural,"
-
Have clearly contrasted what is the normal/natural vs. what is unnatural/abnormal;
- Sexual desire and passion is normal and is to find their
expression legitimately within marriage;
- What is in view of course is homosexuality and its clearly
designated as unnatural; outside of
God's created order!
- Its almost as if Paul is saying that the conditions are so
depraved, so degenerated that even the women who are usually the last to be
affected by the decay of morals are involved in sexual inversion, what is
unnatural, what is outside the created order.
Paul
continues the thought in vs: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
Then
Paul summarizes in the last phrase: and
receiving in their own persons the due penalty of
their error.
lit: to receive one's due in themselves the due penalty of their error
Due
penalty of their error; avntimisqi,a requital; retribution; to receive what is
one's due; it involves justice, getting
exactly what one deserves
Does
this due penalty, the consequences refer to the shameful indecent sexual
activity??
Or
does it reach back to the error of what they did with the knowledge of God?
But I
think that the main emphasis here as to the due penalty for their error
is buying into the "the lie" the consequence itself of suppressing
the truth; the
link is with idolatry, a substitute for God's design.