The Perishing Wicked

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE PERISHING WICKED

Rom 1:26-32

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 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, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 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.

NIV

This type of behavior, Paul says is due to suppressing the truth about God. Paul is saying that when someone who has the knowledge of God within them, as all mankind does and can see the truth of God through all creation, but rejects that truth, suppressing with their evil deeds, he just turns them over to their depraved minds. It is interesting the Greek word translated here as ‘gave them over carries the raw meaning of surrender, to yield up. This gives us some trouble because we cannot help but think of what John the Apostle said about God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whosoever believes should not perish, but have everlasting life. Yet, these people who have suppressed that truth will perish, even with all the love God has for the world, or for all his creation. This Greek word also is translated as delivered, turned over, or gave them over, as it is here. If a person is going to be so determined to blind themselves, suppressing that truth, then God simply allows them to live in their sinful, wicked way that will lead them to perish. This isn’t much different than what he did in the time of Noah. The wickedness was throughout the world, man had indeed suppressed all the knowledge of God that He put in them, with one exception, Noah. He did not suppress his knowledge of God, or perhaps Noah might have called him the Creator. Nevertheless, God judged their wickedness and they all perished, save Noah and his family. This is a beautiful example of how this world will come to an end. Those who suppress the truth and became inflamed with their wickedness will be judged according to their deeds. We who have only not suppressed the truth, but allowed that truth to blossom within us, nurturing it so that it grows within, will also be judged by our deed of accepting Jesus. If we are in Christ all our sin has been washed away and therefore, we will stand holy and blameless before God, and we will live forever. However, we are back at this troubling thought. When we look at the list of attitudes and behaviors, all the wickedness man did, and most likely still does, we wonder if we, who are still captive to our humanness, are capable of such things, even if we have not suppressed the truth and have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Although we would think this gay lifestyle has not invaded the church, however, we cannot be absolutely sure of that, of this lust for unnatural ways, there are other actions that bother us. This evil, which Paul includes greed, envy, strife, deceit, gossip, and even murder which Jesus compares to hatred. Even arrogance and boastfulness are on the list of those who do depraved things. How can any of that be in our hearts? How can any of that be present in the body of Christ? We think we must be in consistent self-examination to insure that we have not allowed evil an open door, but have willingly allowed the Lord to search our hearts, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. However, because we are in Christ, we are convinced we have not thrown our hat in with those who have suppressed the truth and thus will perish, but we have turned from our wicked ways to living for Christ and thus will inherit eternal life.