Bible Study Romans Part 37-Truth Is Truth

The most dangerous kind of judgment may not look like punishment at all, it can look like permission. As we continue our Romans 1 Bible study, we press into Paul’s warning that people don’t just drift into sin, they trade glory for substitutes, truth for lies, and Creator worship for creature worship. We’re not interested in using Romans as a telescope to judge a far-off “pagan” world. We want it as a mirror that shows what we’ve put on God’s throne: self, approval, success, comfort, relationships, even religious identity. 

We walk carefully through Romans 1:23–24 and the idea that God restrains human evil, and that one of the most chilling outcomes is when He “gives them up” to uncleanness. We connect that warning to the way desire works in real life. Lust is not only sexual. It’s any desire that grows past gratitude into need, then into control, and finally into slavery. We also challenge the modern habit of treating fame as wisdom, and we talk about how easy it is to let “I think” compete with “God says” until we’re effectively rewriting Scripture to match our preferences. 

Near the end, we introduce Romans 1:26–27 and explain why these verses become a flashpoint for people who want the Bible to affirm them rather than transform them. The goal isn’t to score points, it’s to face the crossroads Romans forces on all of us: will we honor God’s Word, or will we keep changing the truth of God into a lie? If you want Bible teaching that is direct, practical, and rooted in Scripture, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more people can find these studies.

Transcript

Why God’s Word Matters

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Welcome to the program Study in the Chapel. God's Word is supreme at Chapel Ministries. We consider it absolutely essential to a proper relationship with God. We study it, we love it, we rely on it every minute of every day. The following program is an edited recording of the regular Bible studies we hold, and we decided to share these with you in the hope that you too will be able to find inspiration, encouragement, and ultimately salvation through discovering Christ in Scripture. Our intention is to travel all the way through the Bible. It will be a challenging journey, but one that will undoubtedly bring you to a decision. Through this study, you will be faced with either believing or rejecting what God has said to us. It is our intention to provide you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision about God and his word. We strongly encourage you to listen intently and diligently, because though at the moment you may not realize it, these things are truly a matter of life and death. In fact, these are matters of eternal life and eternal death. Never treat what God has said lightly. There's truly nothing more important to you. Now join us as we seek God's will through his inspired word.

The Gospel Is Your Mission

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Around here, what we do is preach the gospel. The purpose behind preaching the gospel is to be obedient. God called us to spread his good news. That's what we're trying to do. And I'm not just talking about chapel ministry's mission. It's your mission too. The reason you got saved was so that you could tell the rest of the world that Jesus Christ died for their sins. You already know it. You now have a responsibility to share it to others. Jesus died for the whole world so that he could save those out of it that have been called since the beginning. That's our purpose. That's your purpose. And so we spend our time teaching out of God's word because the whole thing is the gospel.

Romans 1 Context And Reading

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We're teaching out of Romans today. We've been teaching out of Romans for quite a while now. We're making our way through the first chapter. We're going to jump back into Romans 1 now. We're about two-thirds through it, but I'm going to read from verse 1 right up to where we'll begin today's lesson. It's been a couple of weeks since we've been together, so I think it wouldn't hurt us if we reminded ourselves of the context so far. As a reminder, as another reminder, I want you to remember that I read out of the King James. It is my preferred version. You more than likely do not have a King James in front of you, so what you hear me read will sound a bit different than what you have in your own Bible. The reason is because this is old 17th century language, but I still think it's the most accurate, but not enough to go around telling people to put their other Bibles away. If you did not bring your Bible with you, make sure you do that next time. But if you did not, please follow along with us as we read on the screen. Romans 1:1 out of the King James, Paul's letter to the Romans. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which he had promised afore by his prophets in holy scriptures, concerning his son Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, by whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name, among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit and the gospel of his son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that ye may be established, that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, but was let hitherto, that means hindered hitherto, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So much as in me, so as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shown it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. We covered all of those verses already. Of course, there's no way we could cover them thoroughly, but we did our best. We've done all of those verses, and here's what we will begin discussing today, verse 23.

Verse 23 And Modern Idolatry

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And change the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Now, many modern-day Christians, when they read this verse, think it's directed toward ancient pagans or native tribes in some far-off land or something. And actually, that attitude isn't all that modern. In fact, it's been the consensus for many centuries. Scholars have told us that Paul is talking to those face-painted, bearskin, wearing, grunting, snarling savages. In fact, that's what those converted Jews in Rome thought, in Rome thought too. But we'll talk about that when we get to the next chapter. Almost everyone that comes to verse 23 right away turns their brain off or gives one of those, you know, disapproving head shakes, the tisk-tisk thing. Right you are, Paul. Tell them like it is, those dirty pagans. They're the worst. They sneer all self-righteously because think because they think Paul is only calling out those savages that worship totem poles or stone bird statues or bulls or something. Listen, what makes you think we haven't changed the glory of the uncorruptible God in our own day? Actually, we're worse now. In fact, today we glorify everything but God in our society, and we've especially glorified ourselves in ways never before seen. Mankind has placed himself on the highest possible pedestal, and we will not tolerate any talk of humility or meekness or modesty. And you know, I don't, I don't think I need to provide any examples because it's all too obvious. And listen, not a one of us is clear of this sin. We have all either deified ourselves at one time or another, or even someone else. At some point in our lives, most of us would have done anything for someone or something that we thought we couldn't live without. Let me caution you to not limit the application of this verse. It can be you. It might still be you. And there is literally no limit to what we so often change the glory of the uncorruptible God into church, marriage, church, jobs, pastor, fame, food, drink, self. Listen, Bible study isn't worth your time if you can't see in it anything that's real and present.

When Scripture Hits Close To Home

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This is not like anything else you've ever studied. What we learn here is everlasting. It's one of the most incredible aspects of this book. God somehow designed this to hit all the right spots. It may not happen to you every time, but here and there, for some of us, it's rather often, something is going to stop you in your tracks and make you think. And why do you suppose that is? Well, it's simple, really. The Holy Spirit is in this with you, and no one like knows you like he does. And when you get to something that's going to hit home, he'll let you know it. In fact, he'll facilitate it. Now, at first, you're not going to like that. When you're just getting started, most of these moments are going to be humiliating. Once you realize God is talking about you, it makes you flinch. What you're going to notice, by the way, is going to be a huge improvement because before you were saved, when something like that happened, you just got mad. You probably slammed the book or walked out of church service or even glared at that friend who was trying to help you see how this applies to you. But now that you're closer to God, now that you've given your life to Christ, even those, even though those revelations are still painful, you're almost on the hunt for the experience. Because when you love someone, you want to change for them. You don't take God's word as an insult anymore, but rather as a way to get closer to him. You want to be better for him. And of course, the one you love wants to help you with that. And that's what Bible study is for. And only those, by the way, who have the Holy Spirit given at the moment of conversion, only the saved can actually see it that way. Everyone else just hates it, just like you used to. Now, the other thing God does expertly in Scripture is to give us warnings.

Verse 24 And God Letting Go

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And here's one of the most chilling, verse 24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. You know, one of the most persistent proofs of God's existence, in my opinion, is that we're still here. One of the greatest miracles in human history is the simple fact that we haven't sinned ourselves out of existence. God knows we've tried. Ethnic cleansing is nothing new. Warfare and murder go all the way back to the beginning of the human race. Total annihilation of one's enemy has long been the strategy of bloodthirsty humans, probably since the days of Cain and Abel. Now, I'm not going to debate this with anyone anymore, and I'm just going to state it and then challenge you to think about it. Think about how I could be wrong. In fact, how about I just quote it from Scripture? God says everything better than I could. Jeremiah 17, 9. This is how God sees you. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. As bad as that sounds, this is a typically mild King James rendition. Let me read the paraphrase as found in the Amplified. This one's going to hit the mark. The heart is deceitful above all things and is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely mortally sick. Who can know it? This is the translation. This is a paraphrase using the original language, and it hits hard. Jesus Himself once said, Matthew 15, 19, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. That's the sweet baby Jesus talking. The one that loves you more than anyone else on earth loves you has these things to say about you. And listen to me. Just like everything else he's ever said, this is all truth. He couldn't? Well, then who is he talking about? Go back and read Matthew 15. I just gave you a snippet. Later on, take the time to read his whole opinion. This is a description of all of us. But what I want you to understand, especially as it relates to this lesson, is that these things describe the human condition under restraint. Despite the fact that God is actually holding back the evil in us, we're still shockingly evil, desperately wicked, as the book of Jeremiah has it. In scripture, time and again, we are presented with one of the most chilling realities imaginable. Actually, let me quote it: Genesis 6, 3. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man. I'm going to say it again. You're not going to be happy with me over the next few weeks. These are the sorts of things that Paul is going to be pointing out. And at the moment, he's saying that God's hand is braced against our evil nature. The barriers, God has placed barriers between us and our desires. But he's telling us, Paul is telling us, those barriers can be removed. In fact, they will be removed if we refuse to acknowledge our subservience to God. Without God's restraining force, we will truly be miserable, as Paul puts it, Romans 1 24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. And I suppose to some this sounds pretty good. They might like to live a life free from God's busy bodiness. They probably think that a life without God sounds lovely and liberating. But I suspect those who think that way are not very accomplished sinners yet. How do you mean? Well, most well-worn professional level sinners know how it feels to be lost in their depravity, to feel out of control, to serve the sin rather than enjoying the fleeting pleasures of it. Because before long, there is no pleasure, just the sin. Listen to me, there is no sin that results in a better outcome than before the sin was committed. No sin moves the human condition forward. There's no such thing as a progressing sin. You see, in the beginning of your sinning career, you may feel better as you're sinning, but that moment is always brief. And if you're honest with yourself, you'd have to admit that each successive time, the feel good part feels a little less good. And that in turn leads you to sin more and more in a desperate search for those early thrills. So you keep on trying and you keep on trying. And the feel better gets a little more elusive and a little further away, and before you know it, you're in too deep. Now, for those who still have God's hand on them, that isn't as dire a situation as it is for those who God has given up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts. Listen, you may not know it, but God's your best friend. He protects you from you, from the lusts of your own heart. And don't let those Puritans fool you. There are plenty of lusts above the belt, too.

Lust Beyond Sex And The Slide

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The words become synonymous with sexual sin, but lust just means desire, and it could mean desiring anything: fame, fortune, acceptance, love. Any lust can get away from you. Any desire can become unclean. Ambition in itself is not sinful, but if it overcomes you, if being the best, the biggest, the brightest becomes your idol, it will eventually stand between you and God. In our modern society, we worship love. We seem to think that as long as I love the person I'm committing a sin with, it should be forgiven. Love is love, right? You've you've seen those bumper stickers before. If it's love, how can it be wrong? Every single day on social media, something is being done that's despicable just to get the likes, and like is just a version of love. And many of our children, but not just them, worship the like. And if any of those things have remained with you long enough, and God has already given you up to those inherently good, but have gotten out of control desires, then they will consume you. Without God's restricting influence in your life, you will end up hating what you once desired because it's no longer a want. It's now a demanding not to be ignored, slave master. And if you don't believe me, stop by a standard Hollywood rehab clinic. There are plenty, and sit down and listen to just a few of their stories. People who had it all under the world system until their desires got the best of them. Names like Hank Williams and Matthew Perry and Judy Garland and Joe Lewis. Yes, that Joe Lewis, the all-American boxer. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

When “I Think” Rewrites God

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One of the problems with our celebrity-obsessed society is that we think that if someone is famous, then they must be smart too. We seek advice from those who know nothing about the lives of normal people who've never had a job or have never even had to look for a job. And we think they can help us through the daily, real life problems we face. And I'm not just talking about movie stars or rock stars. We seem to think that way more and more about star athletes. Now I'm not going to name any names, but why the world flocks to hear bits of insight from a guy who went from a pampered youth because of exceptional basketball skills straight to the millions of the NBA? I have no idea. No life experience, no education, but famous, so presumed to be wise. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like the corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. These are things we need to be delivered from. We all have these tendencies in our hearts. We all have at one time or another changed the truth of God into a lie. Whenever I'm talking to someone about God or religion or the Bible, and I hear the phrase, you know, well, I think, well, then I usually I prepare myself for a doozy. I mean, I think can either be a badge of your salvation or an indication of your candidacy for wrath. If I think and God thinks a line, you're okay. But if I think is in any way different, then you've turned the truth of God into a lie. It's as simple as that. Listen, I don't know how many times I've said this already, but we really don't appreciate how powerful sin is. Or, you know, you can't help it because, you know, you shouldn't be blamed because you can't help it. You should be forgiven because, after all, you're only human. You've heard that before, haven't you? What do you want from me? I'm only human. I'm a man. We're supposed to act this way. And worst of all, sin leads us to believe that what we think should be on the same level of respectability as what God thinks. Sin convinces us that we can judge the reliability of the things God says. And if we deem it necessary, we think we can alter what God says to sound a lot like what we say. Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creator creature more than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen.

Creation Admired Versus Creation Worshiped

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Listen, this is another one that seems to get away from us. My friends, no one loves nature more than I do, but we really need to remember the pecking order here. Yes, creation is unspeakably amazing, but we seem to have forgotten who's responsible for it. To me, this is one of those head scratchers. I've probably said this already somewhere in this study, to observe the magnitude of the complexity of everything that surrounds us, not just life, but the very earth we live on, the solar system, the galaxy, the sun, the entire universe. All of it is so perfectly designed and maintained to be a scientist or other observer or a student of such things, and then to deny the existence of an all-powerful creator is beyond me. But couple that with those who see the intricacies of the systems that surround us as in themselves being worthy of praise, holding up the processes of life and its many support systems as objects of adoration in themselves seems, well, to use one of Paul's words, foolish. And this is exactly what has brought down wrath. Verse twenty six.

Romans 1 On Vile Affections

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For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature, and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust, one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meat. Now, here's one of those passages to me, verse 26 and 27 go together. These two verses are prime examples of the types of truths that get changed into a lie. And it surprises me if I'm being honest. As I'm sure you could guess, and if you didn't already know, these are the clearest comments about homosexuality found in the New Testament. These, along with their twin verse, as I call it over in First Corinthians, have stoked some of the most unimaginable responses I think I've ever heard. Now let me quickly read that twin verse. 1 Corinthians 6 9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. These are things, these are people who will not go to heaven, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate. Mild word for homosexuality, homosexual, nor abuser of themselves with mankind. Homosexuals are listed as those who will not go to heaven. And what surprises me is how vigorously the opposition comes at these verses. These really bother them. I mean, everything else in Scripture is just shoot aside. Adam and Eve, don't make me laugh. Noah putting all those animals on that boat, I don't think so. A man rising from the dead, don't give it a second thought. But then these things come up, and all of a sudden they're seen as something to contend with, and sometimes violently contend with. Everything else is passed over as unworthy of debate. But when the thing mentions boys with boys and girls with girls as being naughty, they grab the pitch fork and torches and try to kill the monster. I mean, why bother trying to prove this shouldn't be here or that it's wrong? Why go to so much trouble to try and convince people that this is so terrible? Just ignore it like you do everything else. I mean, most of that crowd doesn't seem to care much about anything else that's in the Bible. They'll gladly ignore all of the other parts they disagree with. Why care so much about these? I mean, that honestly intrigues me. Now, let me warn you, if you don't like the truth or you're determined to hold on to your own beliefs, you may want to skip the next few lessons. Of course, I encourage those who are honestly looking for God's viewpoint to stick around. But if you want the Bible to give you some sense of your own righteousness over these things, you're going to be disappointed. I know that you have people in your circles who have said that this is a devilishly poor translation, or they'll tell you that these verses were added for some reason by men in past centuries. And unfortunately, you accept these explanations because you want to. And listen, I get it. We've all been there, we've all had to face things that scripture says which go against what we want to be true. But that's a crossroad between life and death. Do you want to honor God's word or your own? Think about it. Next time we'll be taking a closer look at what God says about these things. Hopefully, I'll see you then.

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We hope

Next Steps And Ministry Links

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this study has blessed you. God's word is a great treasure, and it's our belief that a thorough, purposeful study of it will bring all of God's children to an understanding of his eternal plan of redemption. It is our prayer that this will be so for all of our listeners. Please join us again soon. New content is being added all the time, so make sure you check back often. For more information on Chapel Ministries, including our YouTube channel and podcasts, please visit www.chapelontheweb.com. And if God has laid it upon your heart to share materially with us, we encourage you to follow the links to our secure giving page. Please note, Chapel Ministries is not an IRS-registered nonprofit organization, and your donations to this program are not tax deductible. It's our hope that you do not rely on taxing authorities to decide for you who is worthy of your generosity.