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skyttyl
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V21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
V22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
V23. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
To explain these verses, I’ll use an example: How many times have you heard someone say something along the lines of “How can God be a just god and still allow so much suffering to happen on the Earth?” The first thing you should notice is they’ve acknowledged God; His existence, but they’re not glorifying God; instead they’re taking the wrongs of this world and making it God’s personal fault, so they’re not thankful, but are becoming vain in their imaginations; because if God is just, then no suffering should exist, right? Wrong. Because we sinned in the Garden of Eden, we no longer were God’s children and suffering entered into the world of Men because we came to know only suffering by rejecting the goodness of God. Because of these vain imaginations, their heard became darkened because they believed their vain question more than the truth, and if someone believes the question and doesn’t accept the answer, how can they get closure in the form of an answer? They can’t. Therefore, they keep posing a question that has already been answered, and as such, they profess themselves to be wise because the question sounds witty enough, but they are actually foolish because the answer has been given and they won’t accept it. To put verse 23 into focus with this example, the person who posed this question “how can God be just, when….” Starts to believe that God isn’t just, but are more like them than He is like a just God because the answer still escapes them, so therefore, He isn’t just; he’s just as fallible as we are. Do you see how one might acknowledge the Godhead at one time, but became unthankful for the things in their lives like food, clothing, a job, a family, etc. and started to turn God into a nothing rather than acknowledging Him as God? Simply by believing in a question or vain thought, but not accepting the answer or the truth, we turn God into a corruptible thing like us or another animal. (Think the Greek gods, with all their “messing with humanity” and “family feuds” and such.)V24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
Because men wanted to do this to God and excuse their own lusts as “nature” by God’s design, God gave them up to those lusts and let them dishonor themselves between themselves. For example, the person in the previous example, so frustrated with questions and no answers, believing God to be truly unjust or hypocritical, turns to doing as they please and forgetting about their conscience. God will prick their conscience the first few times to bring them back to reality, but after a while, God gives up and lets them have their lusts solely because they want it more than God.
V25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
This is the same as we’ve discussed earlier, but it also touches on Idol worship; which is one of the lusts God gave them up to.
V26. For this cause, God gave them up to vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
V27. And likewise also, the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence for their error which was meet.
These two are talking specifically about homosexual relations; another lust of the flesh. The Greeks specifically had a lot of bisexual relationships in their culture, which is why you can pull a lot of parallels from these scriptures and the stories of Ancient Greece; Paul is thinking about them for explanation. Because these people made God’s truth a lie, (God is not just) and started to worship and serve creations and not the Creator, (Idol worship, atheism, anything that focuses your thoughts on the world and the stars and animals of all kinds rather than on God) God turned them over even to their filthiest lusts/affections. The women had lesbian tendencies and their men burned in their lust for homosexual partners. “And receiving in themselves that recompence for their error which was meet” means They received the reward for their misdeeds in themselves, such as STD’s, gangrene, physical ailments and over-stretching of orifices, broken relationships and no family foundations, etc, which was just or correct for them to receive. For anyone who’s wondering about the “Born this way” argument, remember it’s just like the example we saw above; (“If God means for man and woman only to be together, then why do I feel attracted to the same gender as myself?” The answer is because you have sin in your flesh as we all do. It must be wrestled against and resisted if you love God. If you can’t accept that answer, then you will wind up turning to vain imaginings, refusing to believe God’s word as truth and finally, following after your fleshly lusts.)
V28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
Reprobate means “Godless,” so they were given up to a godless mind to do those things which aren’t proper. Have you ever noticed that when you want to do something sinful, it’s very hard to do it when you know God is there? Usually, you find yourself taking your mind off God in order to commit your sin, don’t you? Well, when you fall deep into sin, you don’t want to remember that there is a God, so you literally convince yourself that there really isn’t one, and God gives you up to that lie because you want it more than you want Him. Let it never be said that God doesn’t give you what you want.V29. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
V30. Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
V31. Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
V32. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Here’s a good list of the lusts that one can “convince” themselves into committing if they want them more than God: unrighteousness simply means not right-standing with God. We’ll get into this one in more depth later. Fornication is unmarried sex. According to Webster’s, it meant sex with someone whom you aren’t married to, and adultery meant sex with someone who you aren’t married to while being married to someone else. Fair warning however, both are great sins, so don’t do either. Covetousness means wanting what others have. For instance, my neighbor has a cherry red 59 Chevy with all the trimmings and I want his car; not just another car like his, I want HIS car. I am now coveting. Maliciousness; malice means doing things just to be mean/ evil. This can range from giving that guy you don’t like all the crappy jobs to ethnic cleansing. Either way, if you do anything maliciously, you’re doing wrong. Full of envy: “I wish my hair looked like so-and-so’s.” Debate: You can only debate one thing so much and hear the answer so many times till you have to realize that debating further does absolutely no good, but to muddy the issue further and make the truth of no effect. Therefore, debate isn’t always the best answer, but like any child trying to get their way, they’ll look for any loophole or gray area which will allow them to do whatever it is they’re trying to do and forget about the truth. Malignity isn’t doing evil to others, but wishing evil to others; equally just as bad. Whisperers means gossipers. Backbiters; the same as a backstabber. Haters of God: when you get to this level of sin, you usually hate God because he says what you’re doing is wrong, and even the reminder of Him lets you know deep down inside, you know it’s wrong too. Inventors of evil things: that can be anything that encourages a sinful action. Pornography would be a good example, but so also would be torture equipment or idols. Without understanding is because they have questions, but won’t accept the answers/ the truth. Covenantbreakers are anyone who breaks their word; be it in the form of breaking a contract with a country/company, or just simply not showing up to help a person move when you said you would. Without natural affection: When you fall for certain sins, you tend to start to feel “blah” inside; like you have no joy or anger or sorrow- just nothing. No emotions whatsoever. This is without natural affection. Implacable is unable to be appeased or satisfied with any arrangement. “There is just no pleasing you, is there?” Who, knowing the judgment of God… not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.: How many people have heard the song “I’m on the Highway to Hell?” That’s a very good example of this particular piece of scripture. Another is how much media attention anyone who does something taboo or improper gets. Either way, they know they’re going to Hell because of their unbelief and they delight in that knowledge and delight in the company of those who are also going to Hell for their unbelief.
That’s the end of this chapter; however I’m going to end with the first verse of Chapter 2 because it's very important to keep in mind:
Ch2. V1. Therefore, thou art inexcusable, o man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
V22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
V23. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
To explain these verses, I’ll use an example: How many times have you heard someone say something along the lines of “How can God be a just god and still allow so much suffering to happen on the Earth?” The first thing you should notice is they’ve acknowledged God; His existence, but they’re not glorifying God; instead they’re taking the wrongs of this world and making it God’s personal fault, so they’re not thankful, but are becoming vain in their imaginations; because if God is just, then no suffering should exist, right? Wrong. Because we sinned in the Garden of Eden, we no longer were God’s children and suffering entered into the world of Men because we came to know only suffering by rejecting the goodness of God. Because of these vain imaginations, their heard became darkened because they believed their vain question more than the truth, and if someone believes the question and doesn’t accept the answer, how can they get closure in the form of an answer? They can’t. Therefore, they keep posing a question that has already been answered, and as such, they profess themselves to be wise because the question sounds witty enough, but they are actually foolish because the answer has been given and they won’t accept it. To put verse 23 into focus with this example, the person who posed this question “how can God be just, when….” Starts to believe that God isn’t just, but are more like them than He is like a just God because the answer still escapes them, so therefore, He isn’t just; he’s just as fallible as we are. Do you see how one might acknowledge the Godhead at one time, but became unthankful for the things in their lives like food, clothing, a job, a family, etc. and started to turn God into a nothing rather than acknowledging Him as God? Simply by believing in a question or vain thought, but not accepting the answer or the truth, we turn God into a corruptible thing like us or another animal. (Think the Greek gods, with all their “messing with humanity” and “family feuds” and such.)V24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
Because men wanted to do this to God and excuse their own lusts as “nature” by God’s design, God gave them up to those lusts and let them dishonor themselves between themselves. For example, the person in the previous example, so frustrated with questions and no answers, believing God to be truly unjust or hypocritical, turns to doing as they please and forgetting about their conscience. God will prick their conscience the first few times to bring them back to reality, but after a while, God gives up and lets them have their lusts solely because they want it more than God.
V25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
This is the same as we’ve discussed earlier, but it also touches on Idol worship; which is one of the lusts God gave them up to.
V26. For this cause, God gave them up to vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
V27. And likewise also, the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence for their error which was meet.
These two are talking specifically about homosexual relations; another lust of the flesh. The Greeks specifically had a lot of bisexual relationships in their culture, which is why you can pull a lot of parallels from these scriptures and the stories of Ancient Greece; Paul is thinking about them for explanation. Because these people made God’s truth a lie, (God is not just) and started to worship and serve creations and not the Creator, (Idol worship, atheism, anything that focuses your thoughts on the world and the stars and animals of all kinds rather than on God) God turned them over even to their filthiest lusts/affections. The women had lesbian tendencies and their men burned in their lust for homosexual partners. “And receiving in themselves that recompence for their error which was meet” means They received the reward for their misdeeds in themselves, such as STD’s, gangrene, physical ailments and over-stretching of orifices, broken relationships and no family foundations, etc, which was just or correct for them to receive. For anyone who’s wondering about the “Born this way” argument, remember it’s just like the example we saw above; (“If God means for man and woman only to be together, then why do I feel attracted to the same gender as myself?” The answer is because you have sin in your flesh as we all do. It must be wrestled against and resisted if you love God. If you can’t accept that answer, then you will wind up turning to vain imaginings, refusing to believe God’s word as truth and finally, following after your fleshly lusts.)
V28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
Reprobate means “Godless,” so they were given up to a godless mind to do those things which aren’t proper. Have you ever noticed that when you want to do something sinful, it’s very hard to do it when you know God is there? Usually, you find yourself taking your mind off God in order to commit your sin, don’t you? Well, when you fall deep into sin, you don’t want to remember that there is a God, so you literally convince yourself that there really isn’t one, and God gives you up to that lie because you want it more than you want Him. Let it never be said that God doesn’t give you what you want.V29. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
V30. Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
V31. Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
V32. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Here’s a good list of the lusts that one can “convince” themselves into committing if they want them more than God: unrighteousness simply means not right-standing with God. We’ll get into this one in more depth later. Fornication is unmarried sex. According to Webster’s, it meant sex with someone whom you aren’t married to, and adultery meant sex with someone who you aren’t married to while being married to someone else. Fair warning however, both are great sins, so don’t do either. Covetousness means wanting what others have. For instance, my neighbor has a cherry red 59 Chevy with all the trimmings and I want his car; not just another car like his, I want HIS car. I am now coveting. Maliciousness; malice means doing things just to be mean/ evil. This can range from giving that guy you don’t like all the crappy jobs to ethnic cleansing. Either way, if you do anything maliciously, you’re doing wrong. Full of envy: “I wish my hair looked like so-and-so’s.” Debate: You can only debate one thing so much and hear the answer so many times till you have to realize that debating further does absolutely no good, but to muddy the issue further and make the truth of no effect. Therefore, debate isn’t always the best answer, but like any child trying to get their way, they’ll look for any loophole or gray area which will allow them to do whatever it is they’re trying to do and forget about the truth. Malignity isn’t doing evil to others, but wishing evil to others; equally just as bad. Whisperers means gossipers. Backbiters; the same as a backstabber. Haters of God: when you get to this level of sin, you usually hate God because he says what you’re doing is wrong, and even the reminder of Him lets you know deep down inside, you know it’s wrong too. Inventors of evil things: that can be anything that encourages a sinful action. Pornography would be a good example, but so also would be torture equipment or idols. Without understanding is because they have questions, but won’t accept the answers/ the truth. Covenantbreakers are anyone who breaks their word; be it in the form of breaking a contract with a country/company, or just simply not showing up to help a person move when you said you would. Without natural affection: When you fall for certain sins, you tend to start to feel “blah” inside; like you have no joy or anger or sorrow- just nothing. No emotions whatsoever. This is without natural affection. Implacable is unable to be appeased or satisfied with any arrangement. “There is just no pleasing you, is there?” Who, knowing the judgment of God… not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.: How many people have heard the song “I’m on the Highway to Hell?” That’s a very good example of this particular piece of scripture. Another is how much media attention anyone who does something taboo or improper gets. Either way, they know they’re going to Hell because of their unbelief and they delight in that knowledge and delight in the company of those who are also going to Hell for their unbelief.
That’s the end of this chapter; however I’m going to end with the first verse of Chapter 2 because it's very important to keep in mind:
Ch2. V1. Therefore, thou art inexcusable, o man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.