Paul Goes After My Ancestors
Romans 1:18-23
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
My ancestors all came from northwest Europe. So, at the time of Jesus, my fathers and mothers were prowling the great primeval forests of Germania and Gaul, painted in pagan warpaint and killing Romans, worshipping their false gods around druidic blazes. And Paul explains why they had no excuse for their sin and violence.
It was obvious to all ancient people that God (or gods) made the world, and if God made the world, then it follows there are right and wrong ways to behave. Paul’s point: even ignorant pagans knew that they often behaved in wicked ways. “A law written on their hearts,” or, as we would put it today, “conscience.” In other words, they couldn’t say, “It’s not our fault—God never gave us the Ten Commandments.” Paul’s reply, “You knew enough, and what you knew you didn’t keep.”
Idolatry is worshipping something created rather than the Creator. We worship what we think will give us what we don’t have; worship is our focused attention on what we most desire.
And note the terrifying result of idolatry:
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [1:21]
Paul says that idolatry leads to a darkened mind. This gets at what Jesus meant when He said,
12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. [Matthew 13:12]
In other words, the first and most important decision is to honor God as the true source of light and life, and all other decisions flow downstream from that first decision. If you get that right, then you move in one direction, but if you get that wrong, you’ll be more and more wrong.
Imagine taking the wrong fork on a river journey—every moment that passes takes you farther away from your destination.
Lord, save us from idolatry today, and keep us from having darkened hearts. Amen.