The End of the Road
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 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, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 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. Romans 1:28-32
Paul now describes the breakdown of human community as standards disappear and society disintegrates. The list of twenty one begins with four general sins with which these people have become ‘filled’: ‘every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity’ (1:29). Then come five more sins that they are ‘full of’ and which depict the breakdown of human relationships: ‘envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice’ (1:29). Next are two that refer to what we become by what we say to others ‘gossips, slanderers’ (1:29,30). The next four portray different forms of pride: ‘God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful’ (1:30) followed by two that stand alone: ‘they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents’ (1:30). The list ends with: ‘senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless’’ (1:31).
Some of these were clearly chosen because they were appropriate to Paul’s context. Others may have been added to allay any thought in the readers’ minds that sexual sins were far more concerning in God’s eyes than other kinds of sin.
The final verse is a concluding summary of human perversity. First, Paul writes, ‘they know.’ Again he begins with the knowledge those he’s depicting have. Note that it’s no longer ‘God’s truth’ they know but ‘God’s righteous decree’ (1:32). They know that ‘those who do such things deserve death’ (1:32).
Secondly they refuse to let this knowledge change their actions. ‘They not only continue to do these very things’ which they know deserve death, ‘but also approve of those who practice them’ (1:32). In Paul’s thinking ‘approving’ of others’ sins adds another layer to our own sin. So ‘approving’ of others’ sin even if we don’t practice it ourselves is clearly wrong.
This has enormous impact on the position we take in the culture wars over, say, gay marriage. A Christian can’t hide behind, “It’s going to happen anyway so why fight it?” Inevitability is never an excuse for passivity. Evil might get more evil still but that doesn’t make it right and it certainly doesn’t mean we should let it get more evil and do nothing to try to halt or at the very least, slow down the growth of that evil. All it takes for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing. What are you doing to restrain the slide into moral evil? Have you ever written to your parliamentarian? Have you ever signed petitions? It’s time to do more than we’ve ever done because ‘all’ we’ve ever done’ hasn’t been enough.