Posted December 13, 2017 by Charles Miller Romans Study

The Judgment of God

Romans 1:24–32 — “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 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.

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 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 of their error which was meet.

“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; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 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.”

Notice in this passage, as a continuation of the last, begins with “wherefore”. This is a cause and effect term. God gave them up to uncleanness, etc., because they, mankind, us, in our history, we turned our backs on God. As mankind turns away from the fear of the Lord, society degrades; and what we see here is a judicial degradation. God “gave them up … gave them up … gave them over” to all of the gross sin we see in the world. Man wanted his way, apart from God, and without fear of the Lord. In judgment, God let him have it.

We see this now in our world at large too. This is not just history. Even now, mankind as a whole does not fear God. Some may have the fear of a “god”, but the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not glorified as God. In my nation, “scandals”, involving those who through the lust of their own hearts dishonor their own bodies between themselves has “shocked” the culture. (Really? Is anyone really surprised at all of this nonsense? Is this not what all have been wanting? Only a fool would be surprised if, after planting apple seeds, we see an apple tree sprout and begin to grow.) Our nation received all that it asked for, and this is the way of mankind throughout the centuries.

The blessed Creator, Who made Himself known by His creation, is not glorified as God, but is disbelieved, ignored, and vilified. So if God’s truth is changed into a lie, the most fitting judgment is exactly what God did. He gave the human race over to its own vileness, and mankind got what he deserved. The condition of mankind that we see all around should disgust us, but if we believe the Scriptures and what God has said, it should not shock us. The heart of mankind is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), but the fear of the Lord is that which keeps mankind from destroying itself with its own lusts. But when we stop fearing the Lord, we get what we deserve. The “vile affections” that the apostle of Jesus Christ speaks about, we in our hearts know to be wrong and so against nature, yet some who try to justify themselves, speak of them as though they are their nature. Unsaved mankind, with his heart set against God, seeks to justify himself and speak evil of God. But as the Scripture says “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

The movement to normalize the vile affections that we read of here in God’s word prove that mankind is inherently set against his Creator, and no good will come of it. Are the STDs that are mankind “receiving in themselves the recompence of their error which was meet” the results of “science” not coming up with a cure, or is because of something more. My Bible speaks of this as the judgment of God. Let some call this “hate speech”, but facts are facts. Do I wish this on anyone? Absolutely not! The Lord is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), and I do not wish that either. But the “wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”, so that it is revealed, what is man to do?

We cannot save ourselves! How can anyone with a reprobate mind be filled with anything but unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, and maliciousness? When our nature shows itself to be full of envy, murder, debate (liking to argue for the sake of creating strife), deceit, and malignity, how can we reform ourselves? We can seek to reform society by laws, but mankind has a problem with God’s authority, and no one can come to God but by Jesus Christ.

In Paul’s gospel message, he begins by showing what man really is, and then lets us know that our attempts to make ourselves acceptable to God are at best futile, coming short of God’s righteousness, or at worst contrary to God’s righteousness. At heart, we know that we are worthy of death, and while some may say otherwise, or that this is only all others, our unrighteousness is proven. We need a Savior, and God provided a wonderful Savior in our Lord Jesus. While the word of God has shown that we ARE “whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful”, God has given us His Son to be our Savior, in that though we are worthy of death, He Who is life, and is worthy of life, took on our sinfulness to the cross and suffered and died for us.

Christ died for our sins is the gospel of our salvation, and He rose again from the dead because He is the worthy Savior.

We, who are unworthy sinners, can be made the righteousness of God, but only in Him (2 Corninthians 5:21).

We are justified freely by God’s grace, but only through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).

In ourselves we are worthy of death (Romans 1:32), but the gift of God is eternal life, only through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

The righteous judgment of God is against such as we are (Romans 1:32), but “God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our part is simply to “believe on Him that justifieth the ungodly” (Romans 4:5), and that faith is counted for righteousness. This righteousness of God is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe (Romans 3:22), and God wants to give it to you, if you will only believe on Him, “Who was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Will you, my dear reader, accept the gift of God, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and pass from death to life? The wrath and judgment of God are revealed against unrighteousness, but you can receive the already purchased redemption that is in Christ Jesus, if you will only believe the gospel of Christ, that He died for your sins and rose again. It is Christ, or judgment and wrath. God’s righteousness will be satisfied. Choose wisely!