But God also makes his wrath visible. From heaven he strikes all people who rebel against God and his will. They do what displeases God and thus trample the truth underfoot. Yet there is much that they can recognize from God, for he himself has shown it to them. God is invisible, but by his works, the creation, people have always been able to see and experience his eternal power and divine majesty. So they have no excuse. For although they have always known about God, they refused to give Him the honor and thanks that are due to Him. Instead, their thoughts circled around trivial things, and because they remained so ignorant, it eventually became dark in their hearts. They thought they were especially wise and were the greatest fools. Instead of worshiping the eternal God in his glory, they worshipped idolatrous statues of mortal men, of birds, and of four-footed and crawling animals. Therefore God gave them over to all their urges and filthy passions, so that they degraded even their own bodies. They perverted the truth about God and believed their own lies. They worshipped and served the creation and not the Creator. But to Him alone be praise and honor for all eternity. Amen. Because men trampled God’s truth underfoot, God gave them up to their passions, through which they dishonored themselves: Women have abandoned natural sexuality and enter into same-sex relationships. Likewise, men have exchanged the natural relationship with women for an unnatural one: men have sex with men without being ashamed of it and give free rein to their lust. Thus they experience the just punishment for their idolatry in their own bodies. God was indifferent to them; they made no effort to recognize him. Therefore, God abandons them to an inner attitude that spoils their whole life. And consequently they do things they should have nothing to do with: They are full of injustice and meanness, covetousness, malice and envy, even murder; full of strife, deceit and deceitfulness, gossip and slander. They hate God, are violent, presumptuous and arrogant. In evil they are very inventive. They refuse to listen to their parents, have neither heart nor mind, abandon people and are merciless. Yet they know full well that, according to God’s judgment, they deserve death for it. Nevertheless, they continue as before, yes, they are even happy when others do the same.
Romans 1,18-32
Granted: A very long Bible text. And a very stark, clear passage from God’s Word. It made me very thoughtful, because I observe much of what Paul describes here in today’s society. We have abandoned God and our desires, pride and selfishness control us. As Paul writes, it is the logical consequence that everything goes down the drain when we drift away from God and the society/state drifts away from God. We reap here what we sow. I believe that many problems would be solved if we go back to God’s way and obey Him.
Turn back to God! That is the action I derive for us from this Bible passage! You have to start with yourself, no one else can do it for you. Then pass on this message. God blesses the repentance from the wrong way. Start today and ask God for forgiveness where you have disregarded His Word. He will welcome you with open arms!
