The First Cycle and Sexual Impurity
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Romans 1:21-24
God consigns people to the consequence of their actions.
Following this principle, Paul follows this process of deterioration in three sections, each adding to the one before
· firstly he notes the people’s knowledge of God
· secondly he draws attention to rejection of this knowledge in favour of idolatry
· thirdly he describes the reaction of God’s wrath
The first section is 1:21-24
· their knowledge of God: ‘they knew God’ (1:21)
· their rejection of that knowledge: ‘they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him’ (1:21)
· the reaction of God’s wrath: ‘he gave them over … to sexual impurity’ (1:24)
God’s judgement on the people’s idolatry was to give them over to ’the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another’ (1:24). The history of the world confirms that idolatry leads to immorality. A false image of God leads to a false understanding of our sexuality. The kind of immorality Paul describes involves ‘degrading of their bodies with one another.’ Sexual behaviour that goes against God’s order degrades our humanness; rightful sexuality in marriage builds and affirms it.
In Paul’s mind there are two ages: ‘this age’ (in Galatians 1:4 ‘the present evil age’) and ‘the age to come’ (Matthew 12:32). ‘This age’ is characterised by rebellion against God, corruption and death but in ‘the age to come’ God would give life to the world and to humanity, bringing justice, joy and peace. Paul believed implicitly that the ‘age to come’ had already begun in Jesus, and supremely in His death and resurrection. As Christians we live in ‘this age’ but God wants our lifestyle to be according to ‘the age to come.’ The New Testament proclaims on every page what living according to ‘the age to come’ looks like.
The challenge to the Christian is how to think, speak and act according to ‘the age to come’ and not ‘this age.’ Living as a Christian isn’t conforming outwardly to ‘the age to come’ while inwardly living the life of ‘the present evil age.’ For Paul mind and body were closely connected. Changed behaviour proceeded from changed thinking. The order can never be reversed. The word for ‘renewing’ in Romans 12:2 (‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’) means ‘to make something new and so different.’ God doesn’t want Christians to leave their mind out of their Christianity. Our thinking determines our behaviour. What He does want is our thinking to conform to ‘the age to come’ and not to this ‘present evil age.’ The continuing reading and application of scripture is the single most important element in this process of change.
Do you read the Bible daily? Do you have a reading plan so you can read systematically and not just part from here and another part from there? Do you have a mechanism for applying what you’re reading? Noting down something from what you’ve read and how you will apply it is a major step to a changed life. Reading alone is of some good but reading and applying is far better. If you’ve not been doing that, why not make a start now. It’s a discipline that can and will revolutionise your life.