For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions…
God is much better than people at recognizing the free will of others. We as humans look at others and treat them one way or another depending on if they are or are not doing things how we think they should be done. We think that they must believe as we do, or they are lesser. We measure the standards and behaviors of others against our own and label others as close-minded, antiquated, flippant, uncaring, evil, stupid, mean, etc.
God allows people to do what they please. God did not stop Adam and Eve from choosing satan as their source of truth over God. God did not stop Adam and Eve from eating the fruit that led to their death and separation from Him. God did not stop Adam and Eve from attempting to cover themselves. He set before them choices with associated consequences, and then He allowed them to choose.
God provides this opportunity to all people. He allows all of us to choose, and all of us are lesser than Him. His belief and perspective exists as the measuring rod for all of humanity. When comparing our own desires and thoughts to His, only how He thinks things should be done matters. Only God sees all, knows all, and made all. He is the only possible source of real truth.
Herein lies the problem: we all, like Adam and Eve, choose something other than God as source. Said another way, we allow an idol to sit where only God should sit: on the altar of our heart. Compelled by desire, and resisting restraint, we choose a god that allows our desires to come to full fruition.
In this choice of idolatry, the one true God sees that we reject His knowledge and allows us to be overcome by our dishonorable passions.*
Much debate surrounds Romans 1:24-32. People attempt to use various points of Greek and Jewish culture and language to justify or deny certain ways of living.* Invariably, someone is wrong. The one who is never wrong is God. The majority of modern interpreters of Paul agree that the plain language of Romans 1:26-27 qualifies homosexual practice as a sin.* Beside this behavior, however, sits unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossip, slanderer, hate of God, insolence, haughtiness, boasting, invention of evil, disobedience to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. How many of these behaviors does our culture encourage? Which of these does our culture qualify or condemn? How many of us have engaged in any one of these? I know that several on this list at some time have sadly found place in my soul.
In Romans 1, Paul is not debating what is or is not sin, he is explaining that all of these sinful behaviors establish that we are all sinners.*
Regardless of what we think or have experienced in these areas, our susceptibility to any of them is linked to the answer to this question: who is your God?
When we allow the pursuit of comfort, happiness, ease, or pleasure to lead our decision-making processes, we have allowed an idol to creep into our heart.
Whom will we serve? Are we willing to die to ourselves (Galatians 2:20), refuse to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), and allow God to transform us (2 Corinthians 3:18)? Do we allow Him to tell us who we are despite what we are told or might think or feel?
God won’t stop us from living how we want to live, but He will give us over to it.* And that is a scary prospect to me. Lord, help me.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to ask Him if you have an idol on the throne of your heart. Perhaps today God wants you to give up everything in your life for Him. Maybe today God wants you to acknowledge Him in all of your ways or allow Him to shape your desires. Perhaps God wants you to give up some area of control in your life.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
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*Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 48-58). InterVarsity Press; Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 86-100). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press; Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 98-117). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos; Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (pp. 61-67).