INTRODUCTION

• 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 worth while 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 practise them.
• 1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

There is a question that has been asked many times over thousands of years: Is mankind basically good or basically evil? The answer that satisfies you will determine almost all of the rest of your religious and social beliefs; especially your approach to missions and evangelism.

The Bible says that the heart of man is evil. For example, Jeremiah 17:9 says...

• "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (NIV)
• "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (KJV)

(NIV translates this verse badly. There IS a cure for the wicked heart: the blood of Jesus Christ.)

David says in Psalm 51:5......

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

Mankind is blessed with great advantages and abilities, and exhibits the image of God in many ways, but we have fallen from grace, and committed sin and rebellion against the one true and living God. The human heart is so basically evil that God destroyed the entire human race in a great flood in Noah's time, many thousands of years ago.

• 5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
• 6 ¶ The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
• 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them."
  (Genesis 6:5-7)

Today, as we look at Romans 1:26--2:1, Paul agrees with the other scriptures, and illustrates the sinfulness of the human heart. What does he say?

I. Paul highlights the sin of homosexuality.

He mentions many different kinds of sins, but gives full attention to this one...

• 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.

Paul gives more space (2 verses) to this particular sin than to the other sins. Why?

Perhaps because the Roman empire had the same attitude toward homosexuality as modern America: it is OK, and no big deal. (See the following internet link for extensive information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome )

In America today homosexuality has become accepted as perfectly OK, especially by the younger generation. A persons sexual preference is considered to be something that no one should discriminate against. Just as you should not discriminate against a person because of he color of his skin, you also should not discriminate against him based on his sexual preference. There is constant pressure on state legislatures and the USA Congress to pass "hate crime" legislation to protect homosexuals, and to pass legislation approving of so-called "gay marriage." Only 48% of Americans believe that Homosexuality is sinful. The mainline denominations, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal are full of homosexual pastors who are not charged with sin, and who will not be disciplined by their churches. Television programming is dominated today by people trying to convince us that being gay is OK, just as good as heterosexuality.

So, it is quite a practical thing for us today that Paul takes time to clarify the issue. And these verses in Romans do not stand alone.

• 4 ¶ Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom-both young and old-surrounded the house.
• 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
• 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him
• 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.
• 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."
• 9 "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
• 10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door.
• 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.
• 12 ¶ The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here- sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
• 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."
  (Genesis 19:4-13)

• 9 ¶ Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
• 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
• 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
  (I Co 6:9-11)

Leviticus 18:22 - "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."

Leviticus 20:13 - "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

Obviously, the Bible says that homosexuality is sinful. Why would any Christian debate this truth?

Let me also say that the Christians first reaction should not be condemnation and punishment, but pity, concern, and the desire to help those who have been trapped in the destructive and sad sin of homosexuality. (It is a fact that homosexuals are far more likely to suffer physical disease, mental illness, and suicide than others. See this link for more information: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0088.html )

Let me insert an internet link here of testimonies of many men and women who through the power of Jesus Christ have abandoned homosexuality in obedience and love for Christ. http://www.stonewallrevisited.com/menus/pages.html

II. There are many other activities and attitudes that are sinful (Romans 1:28-31).

28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

People who are in rebellion against God have "depraved" minds. The Greek word here is adokimon. "A" means "not." "Dokimon" means "approved by passing an examination." In other words, using academic language, the Bible says that those who don't retain the knowledge of God have failed their exams, and become disqualified.

Put in some effort in retaining your knowledge of God. One of the facts of life is that we tend to lose knowledge and skill as time goes by, just as an inflated tire over the months will go low. If you know a foreign language, you will soon forget it, unless you take steps, and study regularly. If you once learned to play well on a musical instrument, you will soon lose your skill, without regular practice.

Even so for Christians. You cannot attain a certain level of Bible knowledge, a certain level of evangelistic zeal, a certain level of walking with God, unless you make an effort to maintain and retain.

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,

"Wickedness" comes from the Greek "adikia," which means "no justice." The measure of the sinfulness of this world can be easily seen in how we treat each other without justice. In America's present financial crisis, it is evident that both Congress and private industry are CHEATING, and the American people are being treated without justice. The same thing happens on the local level. How many divorce settlements are done with justice? How many creditors are unjustly left taking financial losses, because their debtors have been granted bankruptcies, only to run up more debt, and declare bankruptcy again? How many people are unjustly sued, or unjustly imprisoned? How many true victims see their attackers walk free? We live in a world full of injustice, and the reason for that is the sinful human heart.

The word for "gossip" is "psithuristas," and means "whispering." When we gossip, we whisper. We don't want the person we are discussing to hear us. We want to talk about them behind their back. Gossipping is a bad thing, and creates anger and resentment and confusion and mis-understanding, and more injustice.

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.

Much more could be said about each of these sins, but you get the idea.

III. Mankind's basic underlying attitudes about sin are wrong.

1:32 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 practise them.
2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

• We do what's wrong, even when we know it is wrong. We sin intentionally and rebelliously.
• We approve and encourage others to sin right along with us.
• We are self-righteous. But we cannot honestly point the finger at others, and pretend to be innnocent ourselves. We are ALL sinners, and we all need a Savior.