Romans 1:20-32, Job 15:16, Psalm 52:3, Psalm 14:1-3, Jeremiah 5:31, Jeremiah 14:10, 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, Hebrews 3:13
Summary: Romans 1:20-32 shows the digression of humanity in its rejection of God’s revelation through Creation and the Word. These verses are a warning to anyone with ears to hear that sin leads to the loss of one’s soul.
Anyone reading the first chapter of Romans is confronted with the harsh fact and inescapable truth that all of the “self-esteem,” “participation trophy,” “we’re all winners,” “follow your heart,” psychological, sociological, self-centered “affirmation,” “best life now,” “you’re all that and prosperous” nonsense that the world, the flesh, and the devil has fed us since Eden is really nothing more than evidence that will be used on the Day of Judgment against fallen humanity and the horrendous sentence of eternal death to follow. (John 5:28-29; Hebrews 9:27).
Romans 1 exposes our real nature, and we don’t want to face it lest we be forced to get off our pedestals of “self” and kneel before the LORD God Almighty. The thought of admitting that God exists and that we are accountable to Him is irksome, hateful, and irritating to those who are in love with their sin and want to continue in it as long as possible (Psalm 49:11; Isaiah 53:5-6, 64:6; Jeremiah 50:6; Zechariah 10:2; John 10:14-16; Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Peter 2:25; 1 John 2:15-17).
The unmistakable digression of humanity is on display as Paul describes their perverted and evil actions, beginning with the rejection of God’s existence in order to invent and worship their own non-judgmental deities, giving them a convenient excuse to start engaging in varied sexual perversions and unnatural passions without the least concern for the consequences (Romans 1:26-27). Their selfish, malevolent attitudes and evil behavior leads to the point where they thumb their noses at God, give Him the finger in an act of vulgarity, and dare Him to do something about it. They openly and unashamedly choose to slander, mock, and blaspheme His holy character with arrogance and brazen disdain.
They will continue to go down the road of their depravity and encourage others to join them in their acts of reprobation and wickedness without regard to the cost in life, moral standards, ethics, law, or any sense of compassion (Romans 1:28-32). Their hearts continue to grow hard, cold, and more rebellious against the call of God to the point where He abandons them. He leaves them alone to face the consequences of their actions, their inevitable judgment, and then banishment to the Lake of Fire for eternity (Revelation 20:11-15).
Anyone with an ounce of fear and common sense should tremble at this point and think about what could happen to them if they decide to throw away the opportunity to receive the compassion, mercy, grace, and redemption that God offers through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 11:25, 14:6; Acts 4:12).
Wait a moment while I pause to go over what I’ve just written. Common sense? Really? That’s the problem. The devil has fooled too many people into following the broad road (Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 13:24). He has whispered in their ears to set aside common sense, at least “for a season” (Amos 6:4; Luke 12:19; 1 Timothy 5:6; 2 Timothy 3:3; 2 Peter 2:13; Revelation 18:7) and instead embrace gratification, sensuality, selfish desires, fleshly pleasures, lack of regard for others, and to “look out for Number One” (Galatians 5:19-21). Any thought of accountability or concern for their soul is cast aside (Matthew 25:31-32, 41; Luke 12:20-21, 16:19-31; Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 3:7; Jude 1:14-15; Revelation 20:11-15).
This suits the devil just fine. He knows all too well about the judgment of God and the consequences of sin and reprobation (Ezekiel 18:4). His own rebellion against God brought him and the angels who followed him certain judgment and the assurance of hell (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-17; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). However, his evil nature is so entrenched within him that, having nothing to lose, and in a last act of defiance, he will take these blind, naive, and gullible souls to hell with him, and he will do and say anything to bait his traps. He will whisper to them to let any concept of common sense, conscience, Scripture, and Creation be cast aside.
For now, Satan is letting his blinded children have their fun – perverse, sickening, and reprobate as it is. If he can keep the bulk of humanity occupied from opening their eyes to the sins that will lead them to hell apart from salvation through Christ, the greater the satisfaction he thinks he can receive by having these lost souls continue to revel in their wickedness until it’s too late (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
The sins Paul describes in Romans 1:18-32 are in line with the character of the “god of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4) and the “father” of the wicked (John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:10). Satan is the initiator of what Paul lists and what Jesus had taught about him in the Gospels.
Our own fall into sin has a lot to do with the way the world currently operates, but let us not forget that it is the prince of darkness whose own sins got the ball rolling. We are not to blame God for any of the evil we witness (James 1:13). We chose to rebel against Him, and we cannot lay the blame on Adam alone (Romans 5:8,12). Even if Adam had remained in fellowship with God, one of his descendants would have brought sin into the world. This is the consequence of our choices known as “free will” (Genesis 3:5-7; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21).
Almighty God is Sovereign in the affairs of His creation, and none of this caught Him off guard. Before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4), He knew we were going to fall and fail Him. He did not create us to have a forced relationship with Him and be devoid of the choice of whether to love Him or walk away. However, our choice to rebel against Him will not continue for long. We will be held accountable for what we have done. The Sovereign LORD God Almighty is Holy and Righteous. He will not tolerate sinful behavior. He has the right and authority to punish us by casting us into hell for our wickedness and would be just in doing so (Luke 12:4-5).
Stop right now and let that sink in. Our reprobate perverseness will NOT go on nor be left unpunished. Our sins have condemned us (Romans 3:10-18, 23, 5:6-11, 6:23), whether great or small. When you face God at the start of eternity, covered in sin and shame, and He asks you by what right you have to enter into His heaven, you are doomed if you think that He will shrug His shoulders, dismiss your wickedness, and let you in because, after all, you were a “good old boy who didn’t mean any harm” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It doesn’t work that way.
Dear Friends, this is not the destiny we have to follow. Our lives do not have to end in this manner. God takes no pleasure in the death of any sinner (Ezekiel 18:23-24). He freely and lovingly offers mercy to anyone who comes to Him in repentance (Isaiah 45:22; Joel 2:22; Luke 12:8; Romans 10:13; 1 John 5:1; Revelation 22:17). The ONLY way that you and I can be freed from the certainty of death and hell is to admit that we are sinners headed for certain judgment (Psalm 51:1-3; Proverbs 28:13; Romans 3:23).
Repent of your sins (Matthew 3:2; Luke 13:2-3; Acts 3:19, 17:30, 26:20), confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10), and you WILL be saved (Romans 10:8-10, 13). All of the sins you have committed in your life, regardless of their depth and nature, will be forgiven, forgotten, and never held against you again (Psalm 103:11-12).
Open your eyes and get it into your head that your sins can and will lead to death and judgment, period. Your nationality, creed, gender, sex, race, or religion (or lack of it) of any kind does not give you a pass. The curse of sin and death spares no one regardless of any circumstances. Get off the broad road of destruction that your sinful behavior and the devil’s contractors have built. Give your life this day to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-30) and be freed (John 8:36).
The classic hymn says it best, “There’s room at the cross for you; though millions have come, there’s still room for one; there’s room at the cross FOR YOU” (John 6:37; Hebrews 13:5). Come join the family of God today.
My new book The Scope of Biblical Prophecy is available for purchase at: www.parsonsporch.com.
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Donald was born and reared in the authentic “Cajun Country” of southern Louisiana. He is a graduate of Louisiana College (B.A. in History Education/ Biblical Studies, 1984), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. In Christian Education, 1994), and Andersonville Baptist Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Biblical Exposition, 2000). He has been in the Gospel ministry since 1986, serving as an evangelist, interim and supply pastor, hospital and rescue mission chaplain, high school and college teacher, and pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
In 2018, he began to devote his time to the rich field of internet and social media evangelism and outreach. In 2021 he became a member of the Oklahoma Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, using his skills as a writer to contribute articles and sermons to websites such as Rapture Ready, Sermon Central, and Inspirational Christian Blogs. He also writes Bible studies and curricula for churches in southeast and central Asia and Africa, the locations of which are anonymous. He can be contacted at: donaldwhitchard@gmail.com for inquiries, information, and speaking/preaching engagements. A copy of his resume is also available upon request.