Romans 1:28
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Truth to Learn
Those who reject God risk having a mind that can’t discern between good and bad.
Behind the Words
The words, “they did not like to retain” come from two Greek words, ouk edokimasan. Ouk is one of the Greek particles indicating negation. The other word, edokimasan is a past tense form of dokimadzo, which means to “judge or examine with the intent of finding good.” It is the word used of testing gold to determine its value.
“A debased mind” is translated from adokimon noun. Noun refers to “the mind, intellect, or understanding.” Adokimon is made up of a, implying negation, and a form of dokimadzo which we just looked at above. Hence, adokimon means a mind or intellect that is incapable of discerning (or judging) with the intent of finding good.
The words “not fitting” are translated from me kathekonta. Me is the conditional negative particle and kathekonta means “that which is right, or fitting, or convenient.” So we see that me kathekonta means “that which is not right or not fitting.” In other words, “that which is inappropriate or abominable.”
Meaning Explained
In today’s verse we see the result of sinful man resisting the love of the Almighty God to the point where God eventually stops restraining man, giving him what he claims he wants. Paul is saying that these people who have rejected the position and power of God, of their own volition, determined that they would not believe in God and determined that they do not approve of any knowledge of Him.
As a result, according to Paul, God gave them over to a mind which is incapable of discerning good. Do you see the play on words here? Paul is saying that since these rejecters of God have determined, or judged, (dokimadzo) not to have God in their knowledge, God surrendered them to a mind that is incapable of judging right (dokimadzo). As a result they will do those things which are inappropriate and they become even more ungodly.
There is a warning here from a loving God who has sacrificed His own son to reconcile sinful man to Himself. If we reject His offer, at some point He will give us up to our own sinfulness so that we can no longer make accurate judgments about what is right and wrong.
“But,” you may ask, “how can a loving God give up on anyone?” The answer is that God knows our heart, and if we are determined to reject Him and His message, He will allow us to do just that, with eternal consequences! And that’s not just what some theologian says; it’s what the Apostle Paul teaches. Yes, our God is a loving God. He sent His only Son to die a horrible death so that you and I can have a personal relationship with Him. But He is also a jealous God, and if a person resists and rejects His love enough, He will judge them with eternity in Hell.
Application
Only God knows who has rejected Him to the point where He has given them a mind that can’t discern good and bad. Our responsibility is to declare the gospel message to everyone!
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: