Hypocrites and Backsliders-032

Spiritual Death from Romans 1

(The Exegesis, Part 2)

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Spiritual Death from Eph 4:17-19

• 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts, 19 because they have become insensitive and have abandoned themselves to unrestraint for the greedy practice of every type of impurity.

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Spiritual Death - Mechanics• 1. Vanity (Futility) of the Mind• 2. Understanding (Appraisal Process) Darkened• 3. Alienated from the Life from God• 4. Ignorance in them• 5. Heart Hardened - Stubbornness• 6. Past Feeling - Insensitive• 7. Gave themselves over• 8. Lascivious - Unrestrained• 9. Unclean - Impurity• 10. Greedy - Insatiable

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The Futility Experience

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Romans 1:16-32• 19 Because that which is known of God is

manifest among them, for God did manifest it to them, 20for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world, by the things made being understood, are plainly seen, both His eternal power and Godhead - to their being inexcusable; 21because, having known God they did not glorify Him as God, nor gave thanks, but were made vain in their reasonings, and their unintelligent heart was darkened,

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Romans 1:16-32• 22professing to be wise, they were made

fools, 23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of fowls, and of quadrupeds, and of reptiles.

• 24Wherefore also God did give them up, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies among themselves;

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Romans 1:16-32• 25who did change the truth of God into a falsehood,

and did honour and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed to the ages. Amen. 26Because of this did God give them up to dishonourable affections, for even their females did change the natural use into that against nature; 27and in like manner also the males having left the natural use of the female, did burn in their longing toward one another; males with males working shame, and the recompense of their error that was fit, in themselves receiving.

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Romans 1:16-32• 28And, according as they did not approve of

having God in knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things not seemly; 29having been filled with all unrighteousness, whoredom, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers, 30evil-speakers, God-haters, insulting, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

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Romans 1:16-32• 31unintelligent, faithless, without natural

affection, implacable, unmerciful; 32who the righteous judgment of God having known -that those practising such things are worthy of death - not only do them, but also have delight with those practising them.

• Young, Robert: Young's Literal Translation. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, 1997, S. Ro 1:16

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Romans 1:21-23• The members of the human race are without

defense for their actions because, knowing God as Creator they did not glorify Him as God.

• Their experiential knowledge (ginōskō (γινωσκω)) of God is not here a saving knowledge of Him as the context indicates, but a knowledge of Him as the God who has been revealed through the light of nature as Creator.

• Failure to glorify Him resulted in ungratefulness of His gifts, food, clothing, shelter, the gift of life itself.

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Romans 1:21-23• Bengel says, “They did neither; in their

religion, they deposed God from His place as Creator,—in their lives, they were ungrateful by the abuse of His gifts.”

• Denney says, “Nature shows us that God is to be glorified and thanked, i.e., nature reveals Him to be great and good.”

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Romans 1:21-23• The next step away from God is found in the words,

“became vain in their imaginations.” • “Became vain” is mataioō (ματαιοω). • The noun is mataios (ματαιος), “devoid of force,

truth, success, result.” • The word “vain” today means “proud.” • The Greek word did not have any idea like that. • Mataios (Ματαιος) refers to that which is in vain,

futile, that which is without result or success.

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Romans 1:21-23• It refers to the unsuccessful attempt to do something

or be something. • It refers to that which does not measure up to that

which it should be. • Solomon said, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” • That is, “futility of futilities, all is futile.” • All that he tried was futile, unsuccessful, in giving

him complete satisfaction. • Thus, the human race, refusing to glorify God and

be grateful, became futile, unsuccessful in its reasonings (imaginations).

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Romans 1:21-23• The word is dialogismos (διαλογισμος), “the

thinking of a man deliberating with himself, deliberation.”

• As a result, “their foolish heart was darkened.”

• “Foolish” is asunetos (ἀσυνετος), “unintelligent, without understanding.”

• “Heart,” kardia (καρδια), is the seat of feeling, intelligence, moral choice.

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Romans 1:21-23• “Professing” is phaskō (φασκω), “to affirm, allege,

pretend, profess.” • Vincent says, “The verb is used of unfounded

assertion.” • “Wise” is sophos (σοφος). • Aristotle defined the word as speaking of mental

excellence in its highest and fullest sense. • It speaks of the striving after the best ends as well

as using the best means (Trench). • The Greeks also used it to describe the man who

was skilled, expert, skilled in letters, cultivated, learned.

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Romans 1:21-23• “Became fools” is mōrainō (μωραινω), “to be

foolish, to act foolish” (Thayer). Liddell and Scott in their classical lexicon define mōrainō (μωραινω) as follows, “to be silly, foolish, drivel, play the fool, be stupefied, to become insipid.” The noun mōros (μωρος) has the meanings of “dull, sluggish, stupid.” Our word “moron” comes from mōros (μωρος). This will give the reader a better understanding of the Greek word translated “became fools.”

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Romans 1:21-23• “Changed” is allassō (ἀλλασσω), “to change, to

cause one thing to cease and another to take its place, to exchange one thing for another.”

• The human race exchanged the glory of God for idols.

• The latter took the place of the former. • “Uncorruptible” is aphthartos (ἀφθαρτος), “not liable

to corruption or decay, imperishable,” as compared to man-made idols which are liable to decay and corruption.

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Romans 1:21-23• Man exchanged the glory of the uncorruptible God

for a likeness which consists of an image of corruptible man.

• “Image” is eikōn (εἰκων), “a derived likeness,” that is, the images of men and animals the heathen make are derived from the originals.

• Notice the descending scale of created things, man, birds, fourfooted beasts, snakes.

• Vincent says, “Deities of human form prevailed in Greece, those of bestial form in Egypt; and both methods of worship were practiced in Rome.

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Romans 1:21-23• Serpent-worship was common in Chaldea,

and also in Egypt.…

• The priests of Isis contrived that the silver images of serpents kept in her temple should move their heads to the suppliant.…

• The vestal virgins were entrusted with the attendance upon a holy serpent, and were charged with supplying his table with meats on festival days.”

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Romans 1:21-23• Translation. Because, knowing God, not as

God did they glorify Him, nor were they grateful, but they became futile in their reasonings, and there was darkened their stupid heart.

• Asserting themselves to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the uncorruptible God for a likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and of quadrupeds and of snakes.

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Romans 1:24• (1:24) “Gave up” is paradidoµmi, “to give into the

hands of another, to give over into one’s power or use.” Since men chose to give up God and worship the creature, God could do nothing but give men into the control of the sinful things they preferred to God. In other words, God would not violate man’s will and force him to do something he did not want to do. When men persisted in following their totally depraved natures, God allowed them free rein. The natural result was immorality of the vilest kind.

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Romans 1:24• Alford, says of God’s act of delivering mankind over

into the control of utter human depravity, “not merely permissive, but judicial, God delivered them over.

• As sin begets sin, and darkness of mind, deeper darkness, grace gives place to judgment, and the divine wrath hardens men, and hurries them on to more fearful degrees of depravity.”

• God delivered man to uncleanness. • The word is akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσια), in the moral

sense, “the impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living.”

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Romans 1:24• “Lusts” is epithumia (ἐπιθυμια), “a passionate

craving, longing, desire,” here a sinful one. • “Through” is en (ἐν), “in their own hearts.” • Alford says, “not by or through the lusts; the lusts of

the heart were the field of action, the department of their being in which this dishonor took place.”

• He defines akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσια), “more than mere profligacy in the satisfaction of natural lust—bestiality, impurity in the physical, not only in the social and religious sense.”

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Romans 1:24• Translation. On which account God delivered

them over in the passionate cravings of their hearts to bestial profligacy which had for its purpose the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.

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Romans 1:25• (1:25) “Change” is metallassō (μεταλλασσω),

“to exchange one thing for another.” • Instead of the truth of God, humanity

embraced a lie. • “Creature” is ktisis (κτισις) “the creation,” or

“the created thing.” • “Worshipped” is sebazomai (σεβαζομαι), “to

honor religiously, to worship.” • “Served” is latreuō (λατρευω), “to render

religious service or homage.”

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Romans 1:25• “More” is para (παρα), which means

“alongside, beside.”

• Vincent says, “The preposition indicates passing by the Creator altogether, not merely giving preference to the creature: Hence, 'rather than' (Rev.).”

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Romans 1:25• “Who” is hoitines (οἱτινες), referring back to

those in verse 24 whom God gave up to their own passionate cravings.

• The word emphasizes character or nature.

• These were of such a nature or character as to have exchanged God’s truth for a lie.

• That is exactly what would be expected of persons so constituted.

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Romans 1:25• “Blessed” is eulogētos (εὐλογητος), made up of legō

(λεγω), “to speak,” and eu (εὐ), “well” or “good,” thus, “to speak well or good” of a person, to eulogize him.

• Our word “eulogy” is derived from this Greek word.• Translation. Who were of such a character that they

exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and rendered religious service to the creation rather than to the Creator who is to be eulogized forever. Amen.

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Romans 1:26• (1:26) “Affections” is pathēma (παθημα), “an

affection, a passion.” • “Vile” is atimia (ἀτιμια), “dishonor, ignominy,

disgrace.” • The Greek word for “honor,” timē (τιμη), comes from

tiō (τιω), the verbal form, “to estimate, honor.” • Thus to honor someone is to evaluate the worth of

that person and to treat him with the consideration, respect, and love due his character and position.

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Romans 1:26• To dishonor a person is to either put an

incorrect appraisal upon his worth and treat him accordingly, or, having properly evaluated his character, to refuse to treat him with the respect and deference which is his due.

• The passions controlling these of whom Paul is speaking caused them to put an incorrect estimate upon the sacredness, dignity, and purity of the physical body and thus to use it in a way which dishonored it.

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Romans 1:26• Vincent’s note is helpful; “As distinguished

from epithumia (ἐπιθυμια) (lusts) in verse 24, pathē (παθη) (passions), is the narrower and intense word.

• Epithumia (ʼΕπιθυμια) is the larger word, including the whole world of active lusts and desires, while the meaning of pathos (παθος) is passive, being the diseased condition out of which the lusts spring.

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Romans 1:26• Epithumia (ʼΕπιθυμια) are evil longings; pathē

(παθη), ungovernable affections. • Thus it appears that the divine punishment was the

more severe, in that they were given over to a condition, and not merely to an evil desire.”

• The word for “women” is not the word used as in John 4:9, gunē (γυνη), but thēlus (θηλυς), “a female,” and the word for “men” in 1:27 is not anthrōpos (ἀνθρωπος), or even anēr (ἀνηρ), a male member of the human race, but arsen (ἀρσεν), male as distinguished from a female.

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Romans 1:26• Vincent says that these terms are used “because

only the distinction of sex is contemplated.” • “Change” is metallassō (μεταλλασσω), “to exchange

one thing for another.” • “Use” here is chrēsis (χρησις), used of the sexual

use of a woman. • “Natural” is phusis (φυσις), “the nature of things, the

force, laws, order of nature, as opposed to that which is monstrous, abnormal, perverse.”

• “Against nature” is para phusin (παρα φυσιν), “that which is against nature’s laws.”

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Romans 1:26• Translation. Because of which God gave them

over to dishonorable passions, for even their females exchanged their natural use for that which is against nature.

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Romans 1:27• (1:27) “Burned” is ekkaiō (ἐκκαιω), “to burn out.” • Vincent comments. “The terms are terrible in their

intensity. • Literally, ‘burned out.’ • The preposition indicates the rage of lust.” • Robertson defines, “to inflame with lust.” • The word ek (ἐκ) prefixed to the verb, intensifies its

meaning. • Their lust was satiated. • It was an all-out endeavor to satisfy their totally-

depraved natures.

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Romans 1:27• “Lust” here is not the usual word used, epithumia

(ἐπιθυμια), “a passionate craving,” but orexis (ὀρεξις), “eager desire, lust, appetite.”

• “Working” is katergazomai (κατεργαζομαι), “to perform, accomplish, achieve, to do that from which something results, to carry to its ultimate conclusion.”

• “Unseemly” is aschēmosunē (ἀσχημοσυνη), “want of form, disfigurement, deformed, one’s nakedness, shame.”

• The word refers here to that which is unseemly in that it is immodest, shameful.

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Romans 1:27• “Recompence” is antimisthian (ἀντιμισθιαν) “a

reward given in compensation, requital, recompense.”

• The word here refers to that natural result of their sin which pays them back for what they have done, as a person says who contemplates doing something wrong, “I suppose I shall pay for this.”

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Romans 1:27• “Was meet” is edei (ἐδει), “a necessity in the

nature of the case.”

• The evil consequences were necessary as ordained by divine law.

• When one violates the laws of nature, one must pay the price.

• “Error” is planē (πλανη), “a wandering, roving,” thus, “a deviation.”

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Romans 1:27• Translation. And likewise also the males,

having put aside the natural use of the females, burned themselves out in their lustful appetite toward one another, males with males carrying to its ultimate conclusion that which is shameful, receiving in themselves that retribution which was a necessity in the nature of the case because of their deviation from the norm.

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Romans 1:28• (1:28) “Did like” is dokimazō (δοκιμαζω), “to put to

the test for the purpose of approving, and finding that the person tested meets the specifications prescribed, to put one’s approval upon him.”

• The human race put God to the test for the purpose of approving Him should He meet the specifications which it laid down for a God who would be to its liking, and finding that He did not meet those specifications, it refused to approve Him as the God to be worshipped, or have Him in its knowledge.

• This is the meaning of the Greek word translated “like.”

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Romans 1:28• “Knowledge” is epignōsis (ἐπιγνωσις), “full and

precise knowledge.” • Robertson says, “They had a dim memory that was

a caricature.”• “Reprobate mind” is adokimon noun (ἀδοκιμον

νουν). • The human race put God on trial (dokimazō

(δοκιμαζω)), and because it rejected Him after trial, God gives it a “trialess” mind, one incapable of discharging the functions of a mind with respect to the things of salvation.

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Romans 1:28• Denney says; “As they did not think it fit, after trial

made to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a mind which cannot stand trial. The one thing answers to the other.

• Virtually, they pronounced the true God adokimos (ἀδοκιμος) (disapproved), and would have none of Him, and He in turn gave them up to a nous adokimos (νους ἀδοκιμος) (a disapproved mind), a mind which is no mind and cannot discharge the functions of one, a mind in which the divine distinctions of right and wrong are confused and lost, so that God’s condemnation cannot but fall on it at last.

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Romans 1:28• Nous (Νους) is not only reason, but conscience;

when this is perverted, as in the people of whom Paul speaks, or in the Canaanites, who did their abominations unto their gods, the last deep of evil has been reached.”

• “Convenient” is kathēkō (καθηκω), “it is becoming, it is fitting.”

• Robertson says, “Like an old abandoned building, the home of bats and snakes, left ‘to do those things which are not fitting,’ like the night clubs of modern cities, the dives and dens of the underworld, without God and in the darkness of unrestrained animal impulses."

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Romans 1:28• Translation. And even as after putting God to

the test for the purpose of approving Him should He meet the specifications, and finding that He did not, they disapproved of holding Him in their full and precise knowledge, God gave them up to a mind that would not meet the test for that which a mind was meant, to practice those things which were not becoming nor fitting.