For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. (Romans 1:26-27)
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:28-32)
Romans 1:26-32 presents a solemn and powerful portrait of what happens when individuals and societies reject the knowledge of God. The Apostle Paul outlines the tragic consequences of turning away from the Creator. Rather than forcing obedience, God, in His righteous judgment, permits humanity to follow its corrupt desires. What follows is a deepening descent into depravity, manifested in three distinct yet interrelated ways: sensual, mental, and ultimate. Each stage marks a progressive departure from God’s design and a warning to all generations.
Sensual Depravity: The Corruption of Love and Lust
In verses 24-27, Paul shows how idolatry distorts human desires. When people abandon the worship of the true God, their understanding of love and sexuality becomes twisted. Instead of honoring God’s design for intimacy, expressed in the covenant of marriage between man and woman, humanity plunges into dishonorable passions and unnatural relations.
Paul explicitly references same-sex relations in verses 26-27, describing them as contrary to God’s created order. This is not merely a cultural critique but a theological one: humanity has exchanged the truth for a lie, replacing God’s purpose with self-serving lust. While today’s culture may celebrate such behaviors under the banner of freedom or identity, Scripture remains clear: any deviation from God’s standard for sexuality is sin, harmful to both body and soul.
Mental Depravity: The Deterioration of the Mind and Conscience
Verses 28-31 highlight the next stage in this descent: the corruption of the mind. Paul declares that because people did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them over to a “depraved mind.” This moral and intellectual decay results in a complete inability to discern good from evil.
Paul lists a catalogue of destructive behaviors, envy, murder, deceit, gossip, arrogance, and more, showing how sin, when left unchecked, permeates every part of life. It is not merely acts of immorality but a deep-seated disposition that reflects a heart far removed from God. Without divine intervention, the mind becomes a battleground lost to corruption, unable to resist sin’s pull.
Ultimate Depravity: The Celebration of Sin and Rejection of God’s Law
Perhaps the most chilling expression of fallen humanity is found in verse 32. Here, Paul describes a people who, despite knowing God’s righteous decree, not only persist in their sin but also actively endorse and encourage others to do likewise. This marks the final phase of rebellion: when sin is no longer hidden or regretted but publicly embraced and promoted.
This normalization of evil is not only a symptom of societal decay but a declaration of war against God’s authority. When sin becomes celebrated and righteousness ridiculed, a culture has fully turned its back on its Creator. The line between right and wrong is not just blurred, it is erased.
How must we live as Christians?
• Honor God Above All Else
At the heart of humanity’s downfall is the refusal to acknowledge God’s supremacy. Christians must intentionally and continually give God His rightful place in every area of life—relationships, ambitions, worship, and thought. True honor begins with submission and reverence.
• Live with a Renewed Mind
The antidote to mental depravity is a mind saturated with Scripture. As Paul later writes in Romans 12:2, believers must be transformed by the renewing of their minds. A biblical worldview is essential for discerning truth in a world filled with lies.
• Be a Light in a Dark World
In cultures that glorify sin, Christians must reflect Christ through their conduct and convictions. Our lives should stand in contrast to moral compromise. By living with integrity and speaking the truth in love, we shine as beacons of hope to those lost in darkness.
Daily Meditations
Monday – Isaiah 5:20
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
Tuesday – Jeremiah 6:15
“Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
Wednesday – Psalm 36:1-2
“Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart;
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For it flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.”
Thursday – 2 Timothy 4:3-4
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
Friday – John 3:19
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
Saturday – Proverbs 14:9
“Fools mock at sin,
But among the upright there is goodwill.”
Sunday – Ephesians 4:17-19
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
All scriptures are quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB1995).
By Pastor Clarence Goh
