Romans 1:22
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Truth to Learn
The wisdom of this age is the message and teaching of fools.
Behind the Words
The word translated, “professing” is the Greek word, phaskontes, which means “to assert or affirm or claim.”
“Wise” is translated from the Greek word sophos. This is a title that wise men of old attached to themselves. Later they changed this to philosophos (he who loves wisdom) who, although claiming to have all knowledge and wisdom, denied the one true God.
The words “they became fools” are a translation of a single Greek word morainō, which means “to become a moron or a simpleton.” This, again, is in the passive voice indicating that it is something that was done to them by someone else. We could paraphrase this verse, therefore, as:
Claiming to be wise people, they were made to become fools.
Meaning Explained
Remember, in the last verse we learned that those who rejected God, even though the evidence of His presence was made known to them, were not thankful, and they did not glorify God for whom and what He is. As a result, they were made void of wisdom in their reasoning and discussions, and their hearts were darkened.
Paul now puts an exclamation point on that thought by saying, “Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Not only did God make their reasoning and discussions void of any real wisdom, He then turned them into fools all the while they are proclaiming how wise and intelligent they are. This is precisely what Isaiah said would happen:
For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.
(Isaiah 29:14b)
King David started out the fourteenth Psalm this way:
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
(Psalms 14:1a)
And, in his first letter to the Corinthian Christians, Paul said:
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
(I Corinthians 3:19)
If you listen to the message of the intellectuals and scientists of today you will hear loud proclamations that there is no God. They will tell you with certainty that we have evolved into the species we are today. But, Scripture makes it very clear that God is in control and is not mocked by those who deny His existence and power. In today’s verse, Paul tells us that instead of being mocked by them, God makes them to be the fools they think others are. A just sentence for someone who claims to be smart and at the same time rejects Almighty God, don’t you think?
Application
It is easy for us to feel overwhelmed by the constant message of the wise ones of our world. It’s easy to feel like a fool when we proclaim Biblical truth and the gospel message. But don’t back down! We know who the real fools are, and they desperately need to hear the Good News!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone 
(618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to: