Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Romans 1:32

"who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them." — Romans 1:32 (ASV)

Paul now explains the word “wickedness” in v.18. This section describes the havoc wrought in human relations because of suppressing the knowledge of God. In the original there is a wordplay—when people disapproved of retaining God in their knowledge, God in turn gave them over to a “depraved” (lit. “disapproved”; GK 99) mind, which led them in turn to commit all kinds of sin. It is God’s function to judge, but people have usurped that prerogative in order to sit in judgment on him and dismiss him from their lives. Paul’s theme here accords with our Lord’s appraisal, who traced the wellspring of sinful acts to the inner life rather than to environmental factors (Mark 7:20–23). The depraved mind is explained in terms of what it approves and plans—to do what even the popular moral consciousness regards as wrong.

Scholars have found it difficult to detect any satisfactory classification in the long list of offenses included here, which only confirms the fact that sin is irrational in itself and disorderly in its effects. It can be pointed out, however, that the initial group contains broad, generic descriptions of sin. The first of these, “wickedness,” is the antithesis of righteousness, denoting the absence of what is just. It necessitates the creation of laws to counteract its disruptiveness, lest society itself be rendered impossible. “Evil” denotes what is evil not in the sense of calamity, but with full ethical overtones, signifying what is sinister and vile (cf. the devil, who is called “the evil one”). “Greed” indicates the relentless urge to acquire more (cf. Colossians 3:5). “Depravity” is a term describing a condition of moral evil, emphasizing its internal and resident character.

Among the final twelve descriptions, “God-haters” stands out, since it alone is related directly to an attitude toward the Almighty. But it is not isolated. The hatred that vents itself on God readily finds objects of hatred among his creatures. When human beings start worshiping themselves, insolent pride is the inevitable attitude assumed toward their fellow human beings. Some of the descriptions Paul uses here are not found again in his writings or elsewhere in the NT, but four of them occur in 2 Timothy 3:2–3, in predictions of the state of society in the last days.

The final item in the indictment is climactic (v.32). It is prefaced by the reminder that people have not lacked a sufficient knowledge of God’s “righteous decree” or requirement (cf. 2:26; 8:4). If the knowledge of his power and deity (v.20) was sufficient to obligate them to worship God, the knowledge of his righteousness, innate in their very humanity, was sufficient to remind them that the price of disobedience was death. Yet they were not deterred from their sinful ways by this realization. In fact, they were guilty of the crowning offense of applauding those who practiced all kinds of wickedness. Instead of repenting of their own misdeeds and seeking to deter others, they promoted wrongdoing by encouraging it in their fellow human beings, in a defiant revolt against a righteous God.

Two final questions need to be raised about vv.18–32. Since the use of the past tense predominates in this section, are we to conclude that Paul has in view some epoch in the past when sin manifested itself with special intensity? This is unlikely, for he occasionally moves to the present tense. The conclusion is that the description fits his own time as well as earlier ages. If this were not so, the passage could scarcely deserve a place in the development of his theme.

Another problem is raised by the sweeping nature of the charge made in this portion of the letter. Are we to think Paul is accusing every pagan of this total list of offenses? Such a conclusion is unwarranted. While sinful people are capable of committing all of them, no one is necessarily guilty of each one.