REBELLION - THE BANNER OF THE IMMORAL

Bob Bonner
Romans 1:24-32
October 2, 1994

Today, probably one of the greatest ills of our society is the epidemic of rebellion. Whether that is the rebellion of children against their parents, or spouse rebellion against their commitments to one another or adults against others in positions of authority over them, rebellion and the lack of respect shown to those in positions of leadership is rampant.

How does a parent or a spouse or an employer or a spouse work with a rebel? If we have tried everything to help them change while they live or work under the same roof, but nothing has changed, is there anything else we can do? Yes. The most loving thing we can do is to let them loose. To practice what James Dobson phrases, "Tough Love" which is modeled everywhere for us throughout the Scriptures.

One Biblical example of tough love is that well known story of the prodigal son. You remember the story. An adult son, probably in his late teens early twenties, is tired of the restrictions placed on him at home by his parents, so he wants his freedom to do as he pleases. So with a spirit of ungratefulness and defiance, he demands his inheritance from his father, takes his money and heads for the bright lights of a far away city where all the action is. It's not long before this "fool and his money" part company, and he finds himself trying to survive starvation by eating pig slop that he was hired to feed the pigs. It was in the midst of that pain and homesickness that the prodigal son "came to his senses" and decided to return home, in a state of humiliation to beg his father to hire him back on at the family ranch as a ranch hand. 

That rebel experienced what someone once said that "pain plants the flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel's heart." We are so stubborn and want our own way, even to turn our backs on God, that the only way that most of us learn from our rebellion is through painful experiences. Pain gets our attention. This was certainly true in this rebel's life. This very wise father knew, that if this rebellious stubborn son was ever going to learn what is best for him, what is true and of greater value, he would have to learn the painful and hard way. So the father let loose of his protective hand over his son, gave him his reign, knowing full well he would get hurt, with the hope that once his rebellious son hit bottom, he would come to his senses and return home.

That principle of dealing with a rebel is the very same principle God uses in dealing with all of mankind. And that is something that the Spirit of God will be driving home in our passage of study for this morning, Romans 1:24-32. Something else we will see in our study this morning is that most often, the banner that flies over the rebel's life is the banner of immorality, and we will see why that is so true as well, this morning.

In our last look at Romans, we learned that mankind as a whole has, has turned our back on God. We have deliberately and knowing suppressed the truth or perverted the truth we know about Him. In verse 18 Paul said that God's response was to reveal His wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of mankind.

Let me remind you about something we learned last week about this term "wrath". God wrath is not some explosive, instantaneous fly of the handle anger so exemplified by ourselves when we have been wrong. But rather, God's wrath, as the original term denotes, is a slow growing anger that has a specific and correct reason for being angry.

Secondly, something I did not tell you is that this term "God's wrath" is a unique term in that it is never used in reference to God's actions against someone who has committed their life to Jesus Christ as one's savior and Lord. God's wrath is only addressed at "children of wrath" as Ephesians 3 describes us before we became a part of the body of Christ. God deals with believers differently when it comes to their sin than with non-Christians.

But how is God's wrath revealed against ungodliness and unrighteousness? In verses 21-22, Paul generally answers the evidence of God's wrath being revealed in his broad sweeping statement that the ungodly mind of unbelievers become "darkened" in their thinking. Mankind apart from God, may profess to be wise, but in actuality, we demonstrate that we are absolute fools.

In verses 24-32. Paul builds on this statement to show how darkened and foolish mankind is when separated from God. He points to several illustrations from our society and how it functions when we turn our backs on God and His directions. 

As we look at these examples, we also learn something additional about the meaning of God's wrath and how His wrath works. Different from the commonly held picture of God displaying His wrath through ferocious acts of fire and brimstone, or lightening bolts that fall from the sky to smoke and individual, Paul shows us that in reality God's wrath is something entirely different.

Three times in our passage, Paul makes a statement that describes God's wrath. We are told three times that because we have refused to believe God, and because mankind continues to suppress the truth about God, "God gave them over". These words describe how God's wrath works---how He works with rebellious and stubborn mankind. 

In the KJV, these words are translated, "God gave them up." Of course, those translators knew what these words meant in the original language. Unfortunately, for most of us today, those words, "God gave them up" sound like a simply hands-off policy in which men and women really are freed up to pursue and practice whatever they think will please them. However, that is not quite the idea. These words do not mean that God simply let people drift off to nowhere like releasing a porcelain pitcher in outer space, free from the earth's laws of to drift wherever it pleases. God does not give up the human race to nothing. Rather, the meaning behind these terms refers to a judicial abandonment of the human race to the consequence of its rebellion. Or, as the NASB and NIV translate it, "God gave them over" to the natural consequences of their rebellious suppressing of the truth about God.

In other words, it would be like releasing the porcelain pitcher, instead of in outer space, right here on earth from 12 feet above a concrete floor. When you let go of a pitcher like that, the pitcher is not going to float away. As soon as you release that pitcher, the natural law of gravity takes effect and you suffer the loss of a porcelain pitcher.

Now, if you or I were God, then we could get away with the kind of rebellion or sin without consequences because then we could change the natural laws, like the law of gravity, and we could do whatever we want. But we are not God and we can't change any of the natural laws He established, whether they be physical, moral or spiritual laws.

Yet, we try, don't we. Deep down in each one of us, we think that God is a miser of happiness, keeping back from us all that would make us happy. We think that by running away from him we will be happy, wild and free. But it doesn't work that way. We turn our back from what God says is the right way to go our own way and our lives end up like that pitcher on the concrete floor. Instead of freedom, we find bondage or slavery or addiction to sin. Instead of happiness, we discover destruction. So, just like the father of the prodigal son, who practiced tough love with hopes that his would learn from his rebellion, our heavenly Father operates the same way.

God's wrath is seen as a positive thing when we understand that He wants us to experience the despair and violence of our foolish choices so that we will be ready to turn around and come back. He wants us to hurt so badly that we can't miss it.

Again, the reason that God reveals His wrath this way is two fold: 1.) So that no intelligent being can miss the consequence of suppressing the truth about God. God wants people to understand that apart from Him, they are helpless to figure out or solve the problems they have caused in their own lives. 2.) God wants to make it so obvious that their condition is the result of ignoring Him, that like the prodigal son, who through the painful consequences of his own foolish decisions, came to his senses and returned home. God wants us to return home to the Lord and fall upon His loving kindness and mercy.

As we look at the rest of this chapter this morning, you will see that it breaks down into three aspects of a fallen world apart from God. These three aspects appear to reveal a personal and societal deterioration as you progress through these verses. First, in verses 24-27 there is the sensual deterioration of society. Then, in verse 28-31, we observe the mental deterioration of society. And then, finally, in verse 32, the ultimate deterioration of society.

As we look at verses 24-27, we see the first observable and obvious major step that reveals a society which has suppressed the truth about God. This obvious indicator is that the society becomes obsessed with sex and then sexual perversion. Those things which were once only talked about it private, now are being broadcast over the airwaves and have been received as acceptable. All of this God has allowed, not because it was right, but because He knew that in the end, it would lead us to a dead end of unhappiness and emptiness, which in turn would turn some of us back to God for answers.

Before we look at these verses, I want us to see why sex is such a big deal to us and to God. In addition, you will see why its misuse is one of the first indicators that we have turned our backs upon God.

Let's begin by first defining what sexuality is. Somebody once defined sexuality as "the urge to merge." And that is more true than I think even that person who said that originally realizes.

Like all urges we face in life, whether it is the urge for sex, urge to eat, urge to possess a new object, urge to dispose of our human waste, all urges need to be controlled and guided. We don't do these things whenever or wherever or however we feel like it.

Sex is the urge to possess someone else and to be possessed. But we are not talking about an urge that is just physical. True sexuality is something that touches the whole person. We as humans are made up of a body, soul and spirit. Most the time when we talk about sex or the desire to possess someone else and to be possessed, we think only of physically possessing someone else's body or them possessing ours.

But sexuality has other dimensions as well. For instance: the "soul sex" is expressed in our urge to share information about ourselves with others. It's the urge to communicate our feelings. Friendship is a form of soulish sexuality. It's having our feelings shared and possessed by others. Have you ever felt lonely and wished you had someone to talk to? That's soulish sexuality.

The third part of our being is our spirit. Our spirit is designed to have a relationship with God. What do we call our urge to merge with God? Worship. (Psalm 42:1). We want God to possess us as we want to possess Him. In Jesus last discussion with His disciples in the upper room, and specifically, John 15, Jesus says over and over in different ways, "You in me and I in you." That's the greatest expression of our desire to be possessed by God in scripture.

The way we are designed by God is as we first learn to merge with Him, then we discover meaningful soulish merging with friends and how to maintain meaningful relationships with others. And as we find that significant other in marriage, and as we continue to seek the Lord, He shows us how to enjoy our sexuality in a very deep, satisfying and meaningful way. So, it all begins from the center of the spirit to the soul and then to the body.

But what happens when we ignore God or the spiritual side of the urge to merge? What happens when we no longer worship God in spirit and in truth? I have made these observations as to what happens simply form my practice as a counselor. One observation is that people's friendships become less than what they could be. Rather than mutually satisfying one another in our relationships with others, apart from God, we tend to be takers and selfish, rather than givers. That kind of person usually finds that their friendship are shallow or short lived. In turn, we feel a loneliness, a void in our lives that God never intended for us to feel. And then when that loneliness becomes great enough, we try to meet the need for being possessed by God and friends, not in meaningful relationships, but have that need met with sexual escapades with others; either through our fantasies about lovers or through illicit relationship or both.

By the time I meet many of these hurting people, they are going about their "urge to merge" or urge to be possessed exactly backwards from whence God had planned. It is totally inverted. Rather than seeking our need to be possessed first from our relationship with God on a spiritual level, then on the soulish level through friendships and then on a physical level through a healthy marriage relationship or a holy hug or holy kiss, people are so lonely that they give their bodies away in hopes to meet a physical need for themselves and for someone else in hopes to gain a soulish relationship with someone else (which never happens) trying ultimately to meet the predominant need to be possessed by God.

So why is sex such a big deal to us? Because we are essentially sexual beings, desiring to possess and be possessed. And when we disconnect ourselves in that key portion of our being, our spirit, from God, the one who we were designed to be possessed by, the first place that we begin to see the continual abuse of ourselves socially, what Paul called "wickedness" in v. 18 or "unrighteousness" is in our normal heterosexual physical relationships and then later in abnormal homosexual relationships. Paul is reminding us here, that only God can satisfy that deep sense of longing for complete identity and unity with another person.

Now, let's look at what God has to say about the results of turning us over to the consequences of suppressing the truth about God, in this area of the sensual in verses 24-25. In these two verses, he speaks to the rise of heterosexual immorality. It reads, "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, [without going into what some might feel is a pornographic explanation of the etymology of this word, let me simply say that this term refers to the stirring up wrongful sexual desires of any kind between a man and woman, outside of marriage] that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature [meaning another human being---to lust after them like a hunk of meat; the way men and women fantasize after each other. When a woman fantasizes after a man in a romance novel or a man fantasizes after a woman when looking at her, they are worshipping that creature] rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

Then, in describing a society that is moving away from God, God points to the shift from the sudden rise in immoral heterosexual relationships to the sudden rise in homosexual relationships, in verse 26-27. We read, " For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function [that term "function" was commonly used for sexual intercourse or intimate sexual relations] for that which is unnatural, [this term refers to that which goes "against nature".]” In other words, the homosexual act is not even natural among animals. If you study nature, you don't find animals committing homosexuality, because it goes against the natural laws of nature. But when we turn our back on God, Who set up the laws of nature, our hearts become so darkened that we can't even see the obvious around us in nature as to what is right and wrong. Paul continues. "...and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

Paul further emphasis the unnatural and abnormal behavior of homosexuality when he deliberately chooses to use different terms here than the normal terms for a man and a woman. Rather than using the normal terms for a man and a woman, Paul uses the term for "male" and "female" that would describe animals of different sex. In most languages, when you use the term for a man and a woman, they imply a certain dignity to the persons. Paul refused to ascribe even an implied dignity to those who degenerate into homosexuality, and uses the terms for male and female animals to stress the point that even the animals are as debased as people who turn their backs on God.

Allow me to offer a brief word to those of you here who may be wrestling with either feelings or even participation in homosexual activity. Homosexuality is not a sickness or a genetic defect. It is a sin by choice. And that ought to be encouraging to you, because there is a remedy for sin and even addictions to sinful practices, whether it is homosexuality, adultery or pornography. Whereas many diseases and sickness do not have a cure. 

The biggest tragedy being perpetrated upon the homosexuals today is not aids, it's the lie that they are born homosexuals and that homosexuality is a biological condition which they cannot help. Pretty soon, in order to justify our wickedness, we are going to say that people are predisposed to be adulterers. Remember what verse 18 said. As a result of suppressing the truth, our scientist have become futile in their minds. They are vainly grabbing at straws to justify their behavior. They are lying and distorting the facts of their research. Today, there are many scientific claims being made, but no valid scientific evidence to support it.

A couple years ago, an article, taken from the Associated Press news wire was published in the Daily Courier about some recent findings that have given us some "proof" that homosexuality is a genetic issue. Yet, in a Harvard Medical Journal published a few months afterward, produced a rebuttal of the poorly researched findings, inaccurate data and absurd conclusions. I was thankful for some honest scholarly research that stripped the hoax that the homosexual sympathizers in research tried to dump on the readers. The only sad part is that the liberal press has not published enough of the Harvard Medical Journals findings, and as a result, many teachers even in Grants Pass High School’s human sexuality classes are as of last year still pointing to that errant article as fact that homosexuality is a genetic disorder. 

Let it be further understood, that God does not consider the sin of homosexuality to be any worse than slander or seeking self recognition. It is remarkable how the Christian community can open its arms to a recovered alcoholic or drug addict, but condemn and hammer with no opportunity of restoration or healing some other kind of sex offender.

Notice that Paul says that the homosexual is suffering from their error or they are "receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." The penalty is not aids. Innocent sexual pure people are dying from aids. No, the penalty that Paul is referring to here is something internal. It is a reference to the loss of sexual identity. The homosexual will one day wake up to discover that he or she doesn't understand his or her role or place in life. Men begin to think of themselves as women and women begin to think of themselves as men. Something the homosexual feels even more deeply than the non-homosexual is loneliness and rejection. And that loneliness and rejection is not so much caused by a culture or people who reject homosexual practices as wrong, but from their own kind. 

Infidelity, for instance, in the gay world is far greater than in the heterosexual straight world. When the homosexual continues to get dropped by an unfaithful homosexual lover, his sense of security and self-worth really takes a hit. It leads to further dark despair. And as far as God is concerned, that's good. That just what should happen, because then, maybe then the homosexual will see the error of his or her ways and return to Him.

Next, in verse 28-31, we see the mental philisophical deterioration of a society that has turned its back on God. We read, "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper," That term "depraved" refers to "not stand the test". It was commonly used of metals that were rejected by the refiners because of impurities. Hence, they were considered worthless and then thrown out. A depraved mind is not merely something that is in error or foolish, but it has a major hard drive problem. It is so depraved that it begins to think that what is bad is actually good and that what is good is actually bad.

In verses 29-31, we read a list of terrible mentally based sins that reveal a depraved mind. Taken as a whole, these terms reflect a spirit of contempt which is growing in a society for anything that smacks of order or decency. It is a list of mankind's arrogant disregard for other human beings, and how we tend to exploit people. Just look at this list, beginning with verse 29 "...being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; {they are} gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,..." Wow, what a list. But notice these last four. They generally summarize the end result of all the others. Paul says that those who suppress the truth end up, "...without understanding, [are] untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;"

"Without understanding" does not mean that they are not street wise and can't function in this world. Rather, it refers to a lack of understanding morally and in respects to the things of God. 

"Faithless" does not come from the same term from which we get our word "faith" but from another term which points to someone's reliability. Someone who is faithless is someone you can't count on; you can't trust their word or the commitment.

"Heartless" literally means "without natural affection". This is seen in the mother who intentionally aborts or abandons her child in a trash dumpster or the father or mother who abandons the family for their own selfish pursuits. They are "heartless".

"Unmerciful" is better described in the NIV as being "ruthless." The person is without mercy.

Then we come to verse 32, where Paul culminates the deterioration of a society with these words. He says, "and, although they KNOW the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, [remember now, these societies and leaders are not ignorant nor have they forgotten that God exists or the penalty of ignoring Him] they not only do the same, [practice the same defiant behavior] but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." In other words, they are out to make their own disciples to join them in deliberately ignoring God and going their own way.

Paul is saying that the third mark of a society that is on the brink of collapse is one in which the depraved minds leading that society can't stop the problems in the society. Why? Because, as we saw in verse 31, they are "without understanding." They don't know how to solve the problems even though they know that they are wrong, Yet, amazingly, they encourage people to continue to reject the truth. Which is nothing more than an excellent example of moral insanity.

Once this very same society to which Paul is writing this letter, the great Roman Empire was the most powerful on earth. Yet, that great empire sank down to failure. What do historians attribute to the fall of the Roman Empire? Edward Gibbon, in his famous work, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, gives these five reasons for Rome's fall. He says:

1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.

2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies.

3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.

4. The building of gigantic armaments, when the real enemy was within: the decadence of the people. 

5. The decay of religion---fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people. [PREACHER'S ILLUSTRATION SERVICE, vol. 1, no. 3, April, 1988, p.3]

Sounds too familiar doesn't it? Man, if we could only learn from their mistakes. Can we? Listen to these words from one authority as to the behavior of children:

"Our youngsters now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, disrespect for older people. Children nowadays are tyrants. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers." [Pastor's story file, Nov. 1991, p.2]

Those words almost read like today's newspaper, but these are actually the words of the Greek philosopher Socrates, who lived 400 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, before the Roman Empire was formed. Hence, Rome didn't learn from Greece and it appears that America has learned from neither.

So what's the answer? Why does God give a civilization over to this kind of thing? He does it because when darkness prevails, and despair and violence are widespread, men and women are most ready to come to the light. He gives mankind over to the consequences of their own rebellion so that in their despair they might give themselves to his grace. Isaiah said, in 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Notice, will you, that God gives us over, but never turns his back or gives up on us. At least He won't until we die or this world as we know it comes to an end. God, speaking through the prophet Hosea to the sinful nation of Israel says, "How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim?" Admah and Zeboiim were two cities along with Sodom and Gomorrah that God had destroyed as a society for arriving at the place of Romans 1:32. God continues. He says, "My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled. I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath."

If God, at this point, had given up on humanity forever, all would be hopeless. The Lord Jesus Christ would not have come. He would not have died for our sin. There would be no gospel. But that is not the case. Jesus did come. He does transform lives and can transform a society when that group repent and return to the Lord. The way back to the eternal, sovereign holy God is open. That's the good news.

Allow me to read to you what happens when the gospel does take place in a person's life and the effects it can have upon a society when Jesus is truly made Lord. Listen to this positive rendering of Romans 1:24-32. "Therefore, God gave them over in their hearts to self-control and purity, that their bodies might be honored among them. For they kept and cherished the truth of God and worshiped and served the Creator, who is blessed forever, rather than the creature. Amen.”

For this reason God gave them over to pure and wholesome lives, lived with carefree ease even in the most intimate relations so that all received in their own persons the due reward of their fidelity.

And just as they saw fit to acknowledge God in all things, God gave them over to a sound mind, to do those things which are proper, being filled with all righteousness, goodness, generosity, kindness; full of selflessness, life, healing, openness, kindliness; they are gentle in speech, always building others up, lovers of God, respectful, humble, self-effacing inventors of good, obedient to parents, understanding, trustworthy, loving merciful; and as they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are possessors of life, they do the same and give hearty approval to those who do likewise." [ROMANS, Boice, p. 41]

God's grace brings freedom from bondage, light from darkness, life from death. Need we say more! 

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