Romans 1:28-31 - The Reprobate Mind - Losing the Freedom Not to Sin.
Romans 1:28-31 (NLT) Since they thought it
foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to
their foolish thinking and let them do things that
should never be done. Their lives became full of
every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy,
murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior,
and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of
God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent
new ways of sinning, and they disobey their
parents. They refuse to understand, break their
promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.
Romans 1:28-31 (WE) They did not want to
know God. So he left them to their wrong thoughts
and to do things that are not right. They were
very bad. They did every kind of wrong thing.
They were greedy. They hated people. They were
very jealous. They killed many people. They
fought. They fooled people. They told lies about
people. They carried stories from one person to
another. They said wrong things about people. They
hated God. They did not respect people. They were
proud. They talked big. They even thought of new
wrong things to do. They did not obey their
parents. They were foolish. They did not do what they
said they would do. They did not love people.
They were not kind.
INTRODUCTION
Men know God from creation and conscience
(vv. 19-20) but refuse to honor Him as God. They
live for the creature, not the Creator, and make
themselves into gods (v. 25; Gen. 3:4-5). So, God gave
them up (vv. 24, 26, 28) and let them suffer the
consequences. The greatest judgment God can inflict on us
is to let us have our own way. [Chapter by
Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
COMMENTARY
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he
had two tablets that contained the Ten
Commandments. The first four commandments have to do with
our relationship with God, and the next six
commandments have to do with our relationship with
people.
Unrighteousness is the result of sinning
against each other, and ungodliness is the result of
sinning against God. And when youre out of
fellowship with God, you will have conflict with
others, too.
If you want to run from God, He wont
stop you from exercising your free will. The
prodigal son went to his father and basically said
(loosely paraphrased), Dad, Im sick of waiting
for you to die. I want my inheritance now. So
give it to me.
We would have understood if the father
had said, No, son, I love you too much. You
will make bad decisions and hurt yourself. I
wont give it to you. But that isnt what
happened. The father gave his son what he asked for.
The boy skipped out of town with his
inheritance, and then he blew it all. He messed up his
life. And he regretted it, of course. But his
father allowed him to exercise his free will.
Be careful what you ask for, because you
might get it.
The Bible describes what happens when you
push God out of your life: Since they thought
it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned
them to their foolish thinking and let them do
things that should never be done. Their lives
became full of every kind of wickedness, sin,
greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception,
malicious behavior, and gossip (Romans 1:28"29
NLT).
God will allow you to pursue what you
want to pursue and do what you want to do. But be
careful. Because when you reject God, ruin follows.
[Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
QUESTION
How could a loving God send someone to
hell when that person never heard the Good News
of Jesus? In fact, says Paul, in creation God
has revealed himself plainly to all people.
Also, everyone has an inner sense of what God
requires. All people are wired for a personal
relationship with God, and if they seek him they will
find him. No one will go to hell simply because
he or she missed out. God watches over every
individual, knowing the number of hairs on every head.
He reveals himself and touches lives, but
people must choose to respond appropriately to
whatever understanding they have.
God could have kept humans in ignorance
about himself, but he chose to reveal himself in
nature, through the Scriptures, and in Jesus Christ.
Those who've been given greater revelation have a
greater responsibility to respond to it, but no one
has been left completely in the dark. Because
God has made certain facts about himself plain,
people will someday have to give an account before
God of why they chose to ignore his existence
and his character. [The One Year Bible for New
Believers]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Romans 1 records how God will give people
over to the sins they refuse to give up, so that
those sins take over their lives and eventually
destroy them. Three times Paul uses this or a
related phrase (see also vv. 26, 28). [Life
Principles SB By Charles Stanley re vs. 24]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2007/20070122-0942.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Saved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc
8th of 28 Our Holy Father:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY
9th of 28 Gifts of Service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA
10th of 28 The Holy Spirit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in89XVs4cGo
11th of 28 The Law of God:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Q601HjogI
12th of 28 The Sabbath:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakgnKoTzZI
13th of 28 The Church:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFw2XsTW-w
14th of 28 The Gift of Prophecy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiO2VC09NPI
15th of 28 Stewardship:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z_lNLAataw
16th of 28 Marriage and the Family:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EybxvMQ0K7E
Live ongoing series in progress.
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs