Through which God also gave them up to impurity, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
Truth to Learn
God deals directly and harshly with those who deny Him.
Behind the Words
The expression “gave them up” is translated from the Greek word paredoken, which is a compound word made up of para, meaning “alongside” or “to a place beside” and a form of didomai, which is the verb meaning “to give.” This word means to “give over to someone or something” or to “surrender something to another.”
“Impurity” is translated from akatharsia, which is a compound of the privative a, meaning “not” and a form of kathairÅ, meaning “to cleanse, either physically, morally, or spiritually.” In this case Paul is referring to moral uncleanness.
Meaning Explained
Back in verse 21 we said that these people became vain and that their hearts were darkened. We noted at that time that these actions were expressed in the passive voice, indicating that these things were done to them. The previous verses implied that it is God who did these things to them. In today’s verse it is no longer an implication, but a clear statement.
Today’s verse says that because these people have decided to worship idols of created things instead of the creator of all things, God “gave them up.” And what did God give them up to? He surrendered them to the uncleanness of their own lusts. God did not force them to indulge in unclean practices, fulfilling their wicked lusts; He simply stopped preventing them. He allowed them. In effect, He let go of the reigns and let them do what their own inner desires were driving them to do. Today’s text tells us that in satisfying their own inner lusts these people “dishonor their bodies among themselves.” The actions of their lusts involve their bodies in a way that is dishonoring to themselves and even against nature itself, according to verse 26.
Paul will spend the next few verses giving a more detailed explanation of what these dishonoring practices are. The point of this verse is, because these people refuse to give God his rightful place in their lives, God lets them have their way and allows them to be completely controlled by their sinful desires.
Notice that this is just the first of God’s “giving them up.” In this verse He gives them up to impurity. In verse 26 it is to dishonoring passions and in verse 28 it is to a worthless mind. This explains a lot about what is happening in Western society today as secular humanism has continued to spread. We, as a society, have not given God His rightful place and, as a result, He has allowed our society to decline into a state where satisfying self is the prime directive.
The real tragedy is that this type of thinking has even pervaded the Church and the lives of Christians!
Application
Let us not allow ourselves to be seduced into thinking like the world system. God did not create us to serve our own lusts. He created us to serve Him. Instead of serving ourselves, let us give God His rightful place through our worship and praise of Him and through our submission to His will.
And let us be a beacon of light in a world of darkness!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved