The Go-Ahead

Today’s reading: Romans 1:18-32

“So God let them go ahead...” - Romans 1:24

This passage in Romans lays out in 14 verses what sin actually looks like, and what God’s disposition is toward those who commit such sins. Paul is actually way ahead of his time. He recognizes the lesbian lifestyle at a time when most didn’t. It wasn’t just the men who had exchanged the truth for a lie, the women were guilty as well.

Every sin is an exchange. It exchanges the truth for a lie. It exchanges the creator for a copy. Copies may seem like the real thing, but in the end they are unable to help the way our Almighty God can.

Yet here we also see another important attribute of God. Though his wrath comes against all those who refuse Jesus, refuse repentance — he will never force us to obey. God will “give us over” to whatever we are wanting to worship in place of him.

As we come to the close of chapter one, we see that idolatry takes many forms. There is no ranking system. We have all sinned (see 3:23).

All of us need Jesus’ love (see John 3:16).