24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.

28 Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

— Romans 1:24-26, 28

8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.

9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

— Psalm 73:8-9, 11

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Corrupted behaviors flow out of corrupted thinking, beliefs, and values. We do what we do because we think what we think. When people try to extinguish the truth about God’s existence, darkness blinds them to ultimate accountability for their choices. Paul’s vivid explanation in Romans reveals the impact of unchecked wickedness on creation. The outcome of the unchecked wickedness is “God gave them over.”

Paul repeated “God gave them over” three times. God allows people who persistently reject Him to go their own way. If we remain stubbornly in unbelief, He removes His restraints on our sin. What an irony! God’s punishment grants what humans have fought to achieve since Adam and Eve rebelled. Eve believed the lie that God withheld something good, and Adam joined her by approving of her sin. Because sin corrupted God’s creation, humanity pushes God away. People’s actions scream, “God, leave me alone and let me get on with my life.” So, God does. (Inspired by BSF’s Study of Romans)