In Romans 1 the apostle Paul wrote about a society (the Romans) who didn’t like to think about God. They “suppressed the truth” (18), “they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful” (21), they “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” (23), they “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (25). Paul summarized their attitude by writing, “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge” (28). He made it clear to his readers that because they acted this way, God “gave them over” to the debasement they preferred (28).
This has happened many times throughout history. It happened in Israel. Hosea recorded God as saying, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (4:6). I dare say that this is a large cultural problem in our day as well.
In our society God is largely forgotten (especially as we live our day to day life) or remade into a God that conforms more to the way we want Him to be. We want God to tolerate sin. We want Him to agree with our politics. We want Him to have the same modern conventions that characterize our societal norms.
Consider that the context of Paul’s words is the sin of homosexuality. Men dishonoring their bodies “among themselves”, “leaving the natural use of the woman” burning “in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful” (24,27). The women also, “For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature” (26). What God has referred to as debased and unnatural our culture trumpets as normal, and a matter of “Pride.” Consider Paul’s words in verse 28, “And even as they did not liketo retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting” (28). This did not only include homosexuality, but “all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful” (Romans 1:29-31).
The problem today is the same as the Romans of the first century. We just don’t like to think about God, not as He reveals Himself to be in His word! But remember the “righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of [spiritual] death” (32)!
