Beginning in Romans 1:18 and continuing through Romans 3:9, Paul makes the point sin’s universal nature that is concluded in 3:9.
What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin” (Romans 3:9).
The cross is the solution for the sins of humanity. In order to drive home the meaning of the cross, Paul first addressed the reality of sin. In the first section, he looks at sin from the point of view of Judaism.
The Jews had two major issues with the behavior of Gentiles: idolatry and sexual behavior. Pagan temples were often the place where idolatry and improper sexual behavior intersected.
The Pagan Temple was the ancient equivalent of a modern-day restaurant or social club.
Male friends would gather to eat and enjoy each other’s company while engaging in philosophical discussions. A prominent feature of the meal was a place set at the table for the god of that particular temple. After the meal concluded and ample wine had been consumed, male and female prostitutes were brought in to participate in sexual acts.
This is how Paul described the idolatry and sexual wrongs of the Gentiles.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools;
And they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves,
Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural,
And in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error (Romans 1.22-27).
A common fact about idolatry is that we become like the gods we worship. When we give ourselves to something other than the one true God, it is reflected in our behavior and the abuse of people who are less powerful than we are.
A List of Sin
Someone may read Paul’s comments about idolatry and wrong sexual practices and feel that they are free from those sins. Paul writes further in Romans to provide a list that was common among Roman philosophies in his day.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done.
They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips,
Slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die—yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them (Romans 1.28-32).
The main point of Paul’s argument is found in Romans 3:9. What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin” (Romans 3:9).
When examining Paul’s list, it’s likely that most of us can identify not just one, but multiple instances where we are guilty of the sins that Paul mentions.
This passage examines sin from a Jewish perspective. In tomorrow’s article, we will see how Paul turns his attention to Jewish people and arrives at the same conclusion: we have all sinned and need God’s grace, brought to Earth through His Son, Jesus Christ.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 