“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.”
Romans 1:28 (NIV)
Three times in Romans 1, Paul says God gave His creation over to something because we discarded Him. God gave us over to degrading our bodies, to shameful passions, and to a depraved mind. Each one is the result of rejecting God, ignoring Him, not valuing His thoughts, refusing to thank Him, and no longer trusting in His ways.
God had already made Himself abundantly clear to man. His invisible qualities were visible through creation, yet we did not recognize Him as God or even give Him thanks. Instead of accepting God’s thoughts, we became futile in our own thinking. We professed ourselves to be wise, yet became fools. When we reject the knowledge of God and refuse to worship Him, He gives us over to going our own way and destroying ourselves.
That way harms us first, then leads us to harm others. Degrading our bodies, following passions that shame us, and pursuing what is improper produce unrighteousness, wickedness, envy, deceit, pride, disobedience, and unforgiveness. We become willing not only to practice evil, but to approve, celebrate, and honor it in others. These verses are a roadmap to hell, bringing destruction here on Earth and, ultimately, our misery in eternal damnation.
But in Ephesians 4:17 through 5:20, Paul gives the opposite model for children of light. There are two roads man can take. Our way leads to pain, suffering, futility, and destruction, but God’s way leads us to live in His light, be His light to others, and leads to eternity with Him. Our Heavenly Father made Himself known through creation, then gave His Son on the cross to save us from the path of sin that man created. Let’s return to worship and take the road God brought us back to through His Son. If we worship God now, we’ll get to worship Him forever in Heaven too.