Doesn't This List Sum Up What You See in the World?

in
 

Romans 1:28-32

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

 
 

Although Paul has just been explaining how sexual sin is a result of pagan idolatry, sexual sin is not the only form of sin with which he is concerned; rather, the reason Paul highlights sexual sin is that it is for him an excellent example of the consequence of pagan idolatry. Here, he goes further, and it is quite the indictment—buckle up:

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. [1:28-32 NIV]

This is some list—hard to see what other forms sin might take that Paul doesn’t here condemn.

The point: the Gentiles (I’ve been calling them pagans) have no hope apart from the Gospel. Their idolatry has caused them to be utterly corrupted by sin. (Paul will spend the next two chapters explaining how the Jews are not actually any better.)

Consider that last paragraph of chapter 1—doesn’t it pretty much sum up the state of the world today in many places?

The Good News—which Paul is building towards—is that Jesus died for the pagan peoples even as they worshipped the dark powers and He will bring them out into the light of God. Thanks be to God!