#9, Commentary on Romans 1:29–32
To learn how and why I am writing this small commentary on Romans, see this former post. Now for Romans 1:29–32:
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.
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29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
v. 28b reads “so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done” and this is what ought not to be done 21 separate descriptors not including a wide reaching ‘approval to those who practice them.’ There truly is no good in evil. Even the moments that seem good are like fruit in high sunlight. The relationship that feels like furious love lusts itself into a languishing of brunt emotions, derailed lives, and convulted justifications to keep the relationship going even when it’s ruining you. A ‘depraved mind’ begins to see malice as opportunity, envy as a way of living, murder and murderous thoughts as rationalable. In a sense, its difficult to trust anyone when you know the truth, most of all yourself.
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
v. 30–31 We must remember Paul admonitions elsewhere that while those without God are ‘haters of God’ these are also peopel to be kind to, love even if enemies, and honor. See there’s visceralness to seeing ‘God hater’ and we must see Paul is describing an entire world of people who he is risking life anf limb daily to save yet he is under impressions peopel are peachy and fine. Paul risks his life, loves recklessly and preachs fearlessly becasue of God more so than people. I fear there are two equal and opposite errors. We think people so evil we have nothing to do with them. Thus miss following Christ in that Jesus had everything to do with the evil us. The other error is to be decived into thinking people really just aren’t that bad. And that God would judge them seems cruel and crazed, because after all comparatively to others I know many good people. This error misses these painful to get down lines. People are lost, people are broken, and people choose not to love and worship God. In fact, some days I feel like I lead the parade. Even though I know my Savior and I am redeemed, then why the foolish thoughts? Quick temper? Anxious heart? The coursing of envy pumping through my veins? Slowness to say I am sorry?
This is where the floor drops out our righteousness and we have Christ’s alone to cling to. My hope is not that I am better than these 21 descriptors, it’s that Christ has swallowed them whole in his work on the cross. See you free Christian and preach freedom today that these sins don’t have to drag anyone to the grave. Christ died for sinners, all 21 descriptors.
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.
v. 32 This is verse deserve further treatment. “but give approval to those who practice them” is difficult line indeed and I think the wisdom lies not to cruising around one’s life upset that non-believers in Jesus act like non-believers of this text. Rather, wisdom lies in not contributing, not enabling, and when asked or opportuned not giving approval to these behaviors whether they family, friend, foreign to you or foe. I remember laughing hard at jokes in my fraternity house a few years after becmoing a Christian. Some were fine, some weren’t approraite for mixed company, and others had no redeeming factor in punchline, story or langauge. Yet I laughed all the same until one night the Lord struck me with this verse.
I realized that by choosing not to leave the room and then laughing at jokes that were crude, gossipy, or disrepectful to women I was ‘approving’ of the behavior. Just because I’d never tell that joke, didn;t make it right. Laughing was about the same as writing it. So I made a decision, if conversations went that way I’d slip out, becasue crude jokes weren’t always funny to me but the peopel telling them animatedly were very humorous guys indeed. My role wasn’t call a whole room to act like Christians when almost none claimed Christ, it was step away from behavior I couldn’t partake in and relish the missional opportuntiy I had in general to be with those friends.
