Romans 1:28-32
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
When we are engaged in sin, our thinking becomes confused. We can become lost in a fog of lust, where our mind focuses exclusively on the excitement of the sin. This is an example of the "debased mind" that is referred to in verse 28. Not only that, but we become drawn to those who would rationalize or approve our behavior, and we encourage others to join us in our sin, as it says in verse 32: "they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them". Any disagreement or upholding of God's standard becomes a threat to our denial, so we react defensively to such criticism and seek out others who will support us. But this leads us further away from God and from recovery.
Heavenly Father, help me to be sensitive and humble to Your teaching.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
When we are engaged in sin, our thinking becomes confused. We can become lost in a fog of lust, where our mind focuses exclusively on the excitement of the sin. This is an example of the "debased mind" that is referred to in verse 28. Not only that, but we become drawn to those who would rationalize or approve our behavior, and we encourage others to join us in our sin, as it says in verse 32: "they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them". Any disagreement or upholding of God's standard becomes a threat to our denial, so we react defensively to such criticism and seek out others who will support us. But this leads us further away from God and from recovery.
Heavenly Father, help me to be sensitive and humble to Your teaching.