The last fifteen verses of the first chapter of Romans are frequently used to condemn one specific sin, found in verses 26 and 27. However, we must look further in this denouncement found in Romans. There are at least ten more sins listed and further adjectives describing sinners.

Here are some of the sins listed; sexual immorality, envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, gossip, slander, disobedience to parents. The Apostle Paul describes sinners as unrighteous, wicked, covetous, malicious, haters of God, violent, proud, and boasters, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving and unmerciful.

The latter part of this chapter is a denouncement of sin, all sin. However, when President Obama was defending his position on homosexuality, he stated that he is not “willing to accept a reading of the Bible that considers an obscure line in Romans.”* But to understand this “obscure” denouncement of many sins, we must go back a few verses to Romans 1:20-21 which says that even though mankind knew God “they did not glorify [Him] as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Beings created by God claim that Creation just “happened” and life just “happened” when lightning occurred in the spontaneously created world and struck a pond of spontaneously created scum. An alternative version is advanced by another created being, Dr. Francis Crick, discoverer of DNA. Realizing that the probability was non-existent that the codes found in DNA occurred by chance, Dr. Crick proposed that mankind was placed on earth by space aliens. He actually wrote this and published it in a book. **

This is why we are where we are. The first chapter of Romans explains it all. The net result is the evident rebellion against the Creator and “they (mankind) are without excuse.” (verse 20) The modern version of rebellion began with Charles Darwin’s 1859 book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.

Our society has rejected God as Creator. The result is first the darkening of man’s heart, and then sin in many forms. Daily we see the result of this rebellion. Adults abusing children, adults killing children, parents killing children, children killing children. This is so abnormal, and yet it is the natural result of man’s rebellion against God the Creator. And it is all described in Romans chapter one.

The Apostle Paul used similar language in Second Timothy 3:1-5 when he described mankind and the perilous times of the Last Days. We must be getting close. Come, Lord Jesus!

* Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope, 2006, Three Rivers Publishing
** Francis Crick, Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature , 1981, Simon & Schuster