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. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools...... Romans 1:21-22
The following article is an exposition of several key passages in the epistle of the apostle Paul to the Christians that were in Rome during his time. It deals with what happens when people forsake the knowledge of God. They become fools. Their minds become so darkened, so far removed from reality, that though they may be well educated and even professors and scientists at some of the most prestigious centers for education around the world, they nevertheless are fools. Here I am thinking of brilliant men according to the standard of the world i.e. Stephen Hawking, Daniel Dennett, and Richard Dawkins, just to name a few.
The apostle Paul presents a clear analysis of the process by which one arrives at this state. First, the deliberate and willful suppression of truth. This is done intentionally, not once for all, but rather, that which was done once becomes part and parcel of the one doing the suppressing. It becomes habitual, natural, common. After this, failure to honor God and to give God praise. Such a disposition naturally leads to one failing to honor God and to give Him the praise due Him. By them that welcome and embrace truth, honor and glory are seen as those things which rightly and naturally belong to God and Him alone. Them that deny it and willfully attempt to suppress it, will naturally live in such a way as reflects their desires to suppress the truth. They will give glory and honor and praise to this thing or that, but cannot give it to God because to do so would be to acknowledge the truth instead of suppress it. Thus, they become futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Just as the rain falls from the clouds when the vapor within the cloud cools, so do the minds and hearts of men fall when they are made hard and cold by rejecting the warm light of God. They become futile in their thinking. They indeed can think, as the rest of men can, but their thinking is of such a nature as that it is rendered futile and worthless. The tires on a race car are slick and cold and hard and virtually useless until they are heated up and made soft by friction. Only when the tires are hot, can they perform as they were designed to perform. If they are cold, the car may indeed be driven and the tires of some small use, but they will never be what they were made to be unless they are hot. Such people, Paul says, claimed to be wise, but in reality, became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Now they have become so hard and calloused in their hearts and minds that they actually really think they are wise. They say things like, "something can come from nothing, didn't ya know?" or, "I don't believe that I exist..." and then they go on and on about what they like or don't like, what they do or do not do, how they see this thing or that, all the while using the word "I". Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. The apostle Paul here finishes the thought by calling us to look at the effects produced by willful suppression of the truth. They receive the fruit of their labor. They are given over to the lusts of their hearts to impurity. Strong passion and strong desire overtake such a one and they are inundated as in a flood. They burn with passion which can never be quenched. With every vile and indecent act, the desire and passion grows. They use their bodies, their members, their hands, their eyes, their tongue, their genitalia, and any other thing capable of producing base pleasures in an attempt to satisfy this burning, which if left unrestrained and unquenched, leads inevitably to them being consumed. They willfully exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship this thing or that thing so long as it is not God. By worship, Paul signifies the deliberate and intentional act of esteeming, honoring, placing hope and trust in, and giving glory to a particular thing. Here the debased man worships his appetite, his sensual lusts and desires, he worships other men, he worships himself, he worships knowledge, he worships money, power, prestige, position, influence, and any other thing under the sun other than the Son, by whom all things were made and in whom they exist.
The following article is an exposition of several key passages in the epistle of the apostle Paul to the Christians that were in Rome during his time. It deals with what happens when people forsake the knowledge of God. They become fools. Their minds become so darkened, so far removed from reality, that though they may be well educated and even professors and scientists at some of the most prestigious centers for education around the world, they nevertheless are fools. Here I am thinking of brilliant men according to the standard of the world i.e. Stephen Hawking, Daniel Dennett, and Richard Dawkins, just to name a few.
The apostle Paul presents a clear analysis of the process by which one arrives at this state. First, the deliberate and willful suppression of truth. This is done intentionally, not once for all, but rather, that which was done once becomes part and parcel of the one doing the suppressing. It becomes habitual, natural, common. After this, failure to honor God and to give God praise. Such a disposition naturally leads to one failing to honor God and to give Him the praise due Him. By them that welcome and embrace truth, honor and glory are seen as those things which rightly and naturally belong to God and Him alone. Them that deny it and willfully attempt to suppress it, will naturally live in such a way as reflects their desires to suppress the truth. They will give glory and honor and praise to this thing or that, but cannot give it to God because to do so would be to acknowledge the truth instead of suppress it. Thus, they become futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Just as the rain falls from the clouds when the vapor within the cloud cools, so do the minds and hearts of men fall when they are made hard and cold by rejecting the warm light of God. They become futile in their thinking. They indeed can think, as the rest of men can, but their thinking is of such a nature as that it is rendered futile and worthless. The tires on a race car are slick and cold and hard and virtually useless until they are heated up and made soft by friction. Only when the tires are hot, can they perform as they were designed to perform. If they are cold, the car may indeed be driven and the tires of some small use, but they will never be what they were made to be unless they are hot. Such people, Paul says, claimed to be wise, but in reality, became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Now they have become so hard and calloused in their hearts and minds that they actually really think they are wise. They say things like, "something can come from nothing, didn't ya know?" or, "I don't believe that I exist..." and then they go on and on about what they like or don't like, what they do or do not do, how they see this thing or that, all the while using the word "I". Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. The apostle Paul here finishes the thought by calling us to look at the effects produced by willful suppression of the truth. They receive the fruit of their labor. They are given over to the lusts of their hearts to impurity. Strong passion and strong desire overtake such a one and they are inundated as in a flood. They burn with passion which can never be quenched. With every vile and indecent act, the desire and passion grows. They use their bodies, their members, their hands, their eyes, their tongue, their genitalia, and any other thing capable of producing base pleasures in an attempt to satisfy this burning, which if left unrestrained and unquenched, leads inevitably to them being consumed. They willfully exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship this thing or that thing so long as it is not God. By worship, Paul signifies the deliberate and intentional act of esteeming, honoring, placing hope and trust in, and giving glory to a particular thing. Here the debased man worships his appetite, his sensual lusts and desires, he worships other men, he worships himself, he worships knowledge, he worships money, power, prestige, position, influence, and any other thing under the sun other than the Son, by whom all things were made and in whom they exist.
