The Depraved Mind of the Pagan Gentile
1: 28-32
The depraved mind of the pagan Gentile DIG: In what sense has God given them up? How does one become reprobate? What are the “worthless ways of thinking?” Is this list of sins exhaustive? The twenty-four sins are listed as a unit. Can any of them be seen in a positive light, apart from the rest? What is especially wicked in leading others into sinful acts? What kind of society does this make?
REFLECT: In what areas of your life do your sinful desires tend to interfere with living a righteous life? How does this passage encourage you to live by faith? If you recently trusted Messiah, what lessons in living by faith have you learned? If you’ve been a believer for a while, what disciplines have you learned about keeping your faith lively?
The extent of the sinfulness of mankind is in full display, like a pig in its filth.
When mankind began to feel the tragic consequences of his sins, you would think he would repent and seek God, but unfortunately, just the opposite was true. In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up, literally, God handed them over, to worthless (Greek: adokimos, meaning depraved) ways of thinking; so that they do improper things (1:28). Like Pharaoh, they become reprobate. As God’s representative, Moshe kept coming to Pharaoh to persuade him to bend his knee to the will of Ha’Shem, and let the Jews go to worship their God in the wilderness. Time and time again, Moses came to the king of Egypt. But time and time again he refused. Finally, sadly, ADONAI accepted the will of Pharaoh, and handed him over for destruction. YHVH will do His best to woo a person to receive Him as LORD and Master. But there comes a point of no return, which only a gracious and loving God can determine. Once that point is reached, God has given them up to their own sinful wishes and desires.
The downward slide gathers speed. Here is the Bible’s most comprehensive list of the evils people invent for themselves. Read Romans Chapter 1 again, and you’ll notice that between verses 26 and 31, Paul lists twenty-four sins. This list is not exhaustive, but it is representative of the virtual endless number of vices with which the pagan Gentile is filled. As is typical of such lists, this one exhibits no rigid logical arrangement, since rhetorical concerns play a role in the ordering of the list. Nor is it possible to give each term in the last a meaning distinct from every other term – some are virtually synonymous, and a considerable degree of overlap in meaning occurs.
Homosexuality is mentioned first (1:26). Some homosexual apologists suggest that homosexuality is only a sin if it doesn’t come naturally to you. But I doubt any pro-homosexual apologist would apply the same thinking to sins two through twenty-four! But why not? Since they’re all lumped together in the same passage, wouldn’t logic require it? Given the proper motivation, are there loving ways to be filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice? This is moral absurdity!42
In addition, Paul describes mankind as being filled (Greek: pepleromenous, is a perfect participle speaking of a past completed action with continuing results) with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice; stuffed with jealousy, murder, quarrelling, dishonesty and ill-will; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God; they are insolent, arrogant and boastful; they plan evil schemes; they disobey their parents; they are brainless, faithless, heartless and ruthless (1:29-31).
Done intentionally, with full knowledge, and not out of ignorance. They know well enough God’s righteous decree that people who do such things deserve to die (to see link click Al – The Evidence Against the Pagan Gentile), which has been the same since the days of Adam and Eve until now. In most societies of the world, even in those considered uncivilized, most of the sins Paul lists here are held to be crimes. People inherently know that such things such as greed, jealousy, murder, dishonesty, arrogance, slander, and disobedience are wrong.
Then the absolute pit of wickedness is reached when Paul declares that when those who are themselves involved in such evils, but they applaud others who do the same, thus forming a godless society opposing everything ADONAI wants from his beloved creation . . . humanity (1:32). To justify one’s own sin is wicked enough, but to approve and encourage others to sin is immeasurably worse. Even the best of societies has had those within them who were blatantly wicked and ruthless. But a society that openly condones and defends such evils as sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, and the rest has reached the deepest level of corruption. Sexually promiscuous celebrities are glamorized and the rights of homosexuals are ardently defended. These acts of sin are in direct contradiction to the revealed will of YHVH.43
Whether we are new in our faith or have trusted Messiah for years, all of us struggle with the tendency to fall back on our righteousness, our “track record” or ability to do and be good, rather than placing our hope in Him. Really understanding that Yeshua wants our complete trust is an ongoing process. Putting faith in Yeshua is a starting point, but it isn’t the end of it. Each day is a fresh opportunity to acknowledge and experience living by Messiah’s righteousness.
Father, forgive us for being witnesses of Your majesty and yet living as though You do not exist. Forgive us, Lord, when we put more hope in the things of this earth than in the incredible promises of Your heaven. Have mercy on our hardened hearts. Transform us into Your likeness.44
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