Romans 1:22-25

Part of God’s charge against ancient Israel was that their eyes were fixed on idols (Ezekiel 20:24). We know that they also set up idols in their hearts, and we have considered some ways that could apply today. But God repeatedly warns against a physical representation of Him because it cannot be done in truth. His infinite nature cannot be limited, which is what mankind continually tries to do.

In Romans 1:22-25, Paul describes the unrighteous as those who change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man. Paul calls them fools. He says they exchange the truth of God for the lie. Trying to make God like a man is a lie. And foolish.

I mentioned one exception, which was Christ’s incarnation. The Word became flesh. His human body contained the full measure of the divine nature. John says they beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. His glory was not what He looked like, but how He lived—how He behaved and responded, what He said and the way He said it. Everything was motivated by the Spirit of the Father, and all of it was glorious. Every word, every expression, all His body language, every deed was perfect. His goodness, His anger, His compassion, His sorrow, His mercy, His rebukes, His joy—it all demonstrated God-life.

Now, let’s explore this for a moment. Imagine that you are at the funeral of a good friend, a friend whose life was truly remarkable in every way. However, for his own reasons, your friend had not allowed a single picture of him to be taken. Instead, he had left a book that told of his life and his worldview. To really know what he was like, you had to read and meditate on his book.

Nevertheless, the organizers of the funeral for your friend have pictures of him placed at various places. Of course, they aren’t truly pictures of him, because nobody knew what he looked like. Yet the organizers have sketches and paintings and AI-generated photos of what they think your friend looked like. But they are all absurd caricatures, mere cartoons compared to who and what your friend really was. What is worse, these two-dimensional impressions overwhelmingly focus on your friend’s gruesome death rather than his incredible life.

What is even worse is that the organizers show video clips of your friend’s life. Except your friend had not left any recordings, only his book. So, the clips aren’t actually of your friend. They are of some guy with long hair, which your friend certainly did not have. Anybody who had read his book could have figured that out. But the guy with long hair tries to fill in for your incomparable friend. He speaks your friend’s words, but they sound hollow. This guy with long hair tries to mimic your friend’s kindness and mercy and authority and wisdom, but none of it can hold a candle to the glory and the beauty of your friend’s life. The imitation is so shallow compared to the reality that it is an abomination to you.

And to add insult to your injury, after having their eyes fixed on the imitations, people come away feeling like they had learned something about your friend. But they hadn’t, not really—they just had an image of some guy with long hair stuck in their minds. If they want to learn about your friend, they should read his book.

Our concept of the Father and the Son is absolutely critical to worshiping in spirit and truth. This is why pictures of Jesus break the Second Commandment. Such a representation misrepresents and limits Who He was as a man and Who He is now. The picture is a caricature, a shallow and crude attempt to portray what cannot be portrayed because it misses His perfect character. Not only that, but the picture is also stuck in time, leaving the one who fixes his eyes on the idol with a single expression, a single look in the eyes, a single sentiment. Again, it limits the Holy One, which He takes great exception to. It … . . .

Romans 1:24-25

Over the last couple of years, I have stressed the importance of idolatry in our lives as a negative force, drawing us away from the one true God—the Source of truth, beauty, goodness, and a way of life that produces right relationships. If one examines the central issue of the first several Commandments, one will find that the First [commandment] concerns itself with what we worship. I want you to turn to Romans 1:24-25, where Paul writes:

Remember what I just said—that the first commandment concerns itself with what a person worships. Worship is the devoted service one gives to what one regards above all, and what one regards above all is that person's God. The first commandment says what we are to worship, and what we are to worship is the Creator God. Nothing else is to be given that kind of devotion.

As this verse shows, one can give devoted service to created things as well as the Creator. They turned their attention from the Creator and to the created. So Paul is telling us that one can do that. The tenth commandment says that covetousness is idolatry too—clearly amplifying that our devotion can be given to things other than the true God.

You may have heard the argument that all religions are good. One of our landlords used to say, "All religions are good." That is, that none of them teach you bad things. But, brethren, that simply is not true. These two verses [Romans 1:24-25] prove that.

It is Paul's argument that God gave them up. It literally means that God abandoned them to uncleanness. Therefore, any religion other than the one true one is a curse! It is a punishment. It is saying that all religions are NOT good. There is only one that is good. These people that Paul describes exchanged the truth for the lie. How can that be good?

Here, the lie is that someone, or something (other than the true God) can be properly worshipped. That is, that it will be good for the person's salvation. But worshipping things other than the Creator turns the thrust and the direction of our lives off the true path of God's purpose. And though those objects (that they give all of their time, and attention, and devotion to) may be otherwise harmless in themselves, it is sin to give them that devotion—because you are going to miss the mark. That is what sin means—to miss the mark.

Romans 1:24-26

It means that from God's perspective, these people had the truth presented to them and they didn't love it. It does not mean that these people did not agree with it, it means that they didn't love it. What does it mean (in the light of that) when God gives them strong delusion? There are answers to this right in the scriptures; we'll just turn to one.

When it says that God sends a delusion, it means that He quits (at this point) trying to save them, and gives them over to their own desires. So they placed their delight—their desires—in unrighteousness. What is Paul admonishing these people [to do], in a practical way—in some way that you and I can profit from? What he is saying brethren, is in the kind of situation in which we are dealing, a Christian cannot be neutral.

Romans 1:24-25

There is a lie that is above all other lies. It is the belief that something or someone is to be venerated and therefore obeyed in the place of the Person and truth of God. That is the essence of idolatry. Most of the time, the one that we do that to and for is our self.