Romans, Part 2

By the time he wrote his letter to the Romans Paul was back.  He abandoned all pretense of being concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.1  His letter began with a history lesson like those he preached at Pisidian Antioch and Athens.  It was the history of sin since the flood.  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness2

I think it is important not to confuse ungodliness here with sinful acts.  The word is ἀσέβειαν (a form of ἀσέβεια) in Greek from ἀσεβής, a compound word, the negation of σέβομαι (a form of σέβω; “to worship, honour, revere”).  This ἀσέβεια is something in people that causes them not to revere God in truth.  What I am calling the religious mind is surely part of this ἀσέβεια (ungodliness).  Because of this ἀσέβεια people either ignored or denied the obvious truths that were made plain to them by the creation itself, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power (δύναμις) and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made.  So people are without excuse.3

So people are culpable for their failure to worship Him in truth, and his wrath was visited upon them as they worshiped after their own inclinations (not unlike Nadab and Abihu in some cases).  For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks,4 but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.5

In other words both people and the rest of creation were made in such a way by God that it should have been plain to us that no human being, bird, mammal or reptile made everything that had been made.  But this ἀσέβεια in human beings makes our thoughts futile, our hearts senseless, and though it may flatter us that we are wise, ultimately it makes fools of us before God.  And so God’s wrath against our ἀσέβειαν (a form of ἀσέβεια) and our unrighteous worship was revealed (Ἀποκαλύπτεται, a form of ἀποκαλύπτω) from heaven.

Unrighteous Worship

The Wrath of God Revealed from Heaven

For although they knew God, they did not glorify (ἐδόξασαν, a form of δοξάζω) him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

Romans 1:21-23 NET

Therefore God gave (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) them over in the desires (ἐπιθυμίαις, a form of ἐπιθυμία) of their hearts to impurity (ἀκαθαρσίαν, a form of ἀκαθαρσία), to dishonor (ἀτιμάζεσθαι, a form of ἀτιμάζω) their bodies (σώματα, a form of σῶμα) among themselves.6

Romans 1:24 NET

The desires of their hearts were not necessarily evil because of the Greek word ἐπιθυμίαις (a form of ἐπιθυμία).  Jesus said, I have earnestly (ἐπιθυμίᾳ, another form of ἐπιθυμία) desired (ἐπεθύμησα, a form of ἐπιθυμέω) to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.7  But ἀσέβεια (ungodliness) even in religious people nudges those desires toward evil.  You people are from your father the devil, Jesus said to those who were trying to kill him,8 and you want to do what your father desires (ἐπιθυμίας, a form of ἐπιθυμία).  He was a murderer from the beginning9

So the idea here is that when God gave those who exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles over to impurity (ἀκαθαρσίαν, a form of ἀκαθαρσία), this was their own desire (ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν, “desire of the heart”).  In other words, He stopped restraining their urges.  Later, Paul wrote the believers in Ephesus (Ephesians 4:17-19 NET):

So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles10 do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts [Table].  Because they are callous, they have given themselves over (παρέδωκαν, a form of παραδίδωμι) to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity (ἀκαθαρσίας, a form of ἀκαθαρσία) with greediness.

The Greek word ἀκαθαρσίας (a form of ἀκαθαρσία) comes from the word ἀκάθαρτος, (unclean), used extensively in the Gospels to describe unclean11 spirits.  I mean, Paul wrote the Corinthians, that what the pagans12 sacrifice13 is to demons and not to God.14  Paul was not the originator of this explanation of the gods, he paraphrased Moses’ prophecy to Israel: They made him jealous with other gods, they enraged him with abhorrent idols.  They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known; to new gods who had recently come along, gods your ancestors had not known about.15

So God gave them—who exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles—over in the desires of their hearts to the impurity of demon worship, to dishonor (ἀτιμάζεσθαι, a form of ἀτιμάζω) their bodies (σώματα, a form of σῶμα) among themselves.  The word ἀτιμάζω is from ἄτιμος, the negation of τιμή.  Paul wrote the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 NET):

For this is God’s will (θέλημα): that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality (πορνείας, a form of πορνεία), that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor (τιμῇ, a form of τιμή), not in lustful (ἐπιθυμίας, another form of ἐπιθυμία) passion (πάθει, a form of πάθος) like the Gentiles who do not know (εἰδότα, a form of εἴδω) God.

These Gentiles did not know (εἰδότα, a form of εἴδω) or see God because they were not born from above.  I tell you the solemn truth, Jesus explained to Nicodemus, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see (ἰδεῖν, another form of εἴδω) the kingdom of God.16  So I know the cure, or antidote, Paul proposed to this ἀσέβειαν (ἀσέβεια, ungodliness) that caused the Gentiles not to εἰδότα (εἴδω) God.  And I am beginning to get a fairly clear picture of how the demon worshippers dishonored their bodies among themselves.  They were in this fix because they did not glorify (ἐδόξασαν, a form of δοξάζω) him as God or give him thanks.  Paul wrote the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NET Table):

Flee sexual immorality (πορνείαν, another form of πορνεία)! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body (σώματος, another form of σῶμα)” – but the immoral person (πορνεύων, a form of πορνεύω) sins against his own body (σῶμα).  Or do you not know that your body (σῶμα) is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price.  Therefore glorify (δοξάσατε, another form of δοξάζω) God with your body (σώματι, another form of σῶμα).

I’m convinced the ἀτιμάζεσθαι (ἀτιμάζω) Paul referred to was πορνείας (πορνεία), the cultic worship practices that even descendants of Israel followed before (and after) they were liberated from Egypt.  (And as I mentioned before I hope that Paul used the word πορνείας in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 to describe adultery rather than cultic worship practices.)  So where my religious mind may have conceived of God’s wrath as punishment (even as atonement) for sin, Paul’s Christ mind conceived God’s wrath as God releasing people to even more sinfulness—the desires of their hearts—because it is God who makes people righteous, not people themselves.

 

Addendum: April 21, 2020
Tables comparing Deuteronomy 32:16 and 32:17 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and Deuteronomy 32:16 and 32:17 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.  Following those are tables comparing Romans 1:21; 1:24; Ephesians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 10:20 and John 3:3 in the NET and KJV.

Deuteronomy 32:16 (Tanakh)

Deuteronomy 32:16 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 32:16 (NET)

They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations did they provoke Him. They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They made him jealous with other gods, they enraged him with abhorrent idols.

Deuteronomy 32:16 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 32:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)

παρώξυνάν με ἐπ᾽ ἀλλοτρίοις ἐν βδελύγμασιν αὐτῶν ἐξεπίκρανάν με παρώξυνάν με ἐπ᾿ ἀλλοτρίοις, ἐν βδελύγμασιν αὐτῶν παρεπίκρανάν με

Deuteronomy 32:16 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 32:16 (English Elpenor)

They provoked me with foreign things; by their abominations they embittered me.

They provoked me to anger with strange gods; with their abominations they bitterly angered me.

Deuteronomy 32:17 (Tanakh)

Deuteronomy 32:17 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 32:17 (NET)

They sacrificed unto demons, no-gods, gods that they knew not, new gods that came up of late, which your fathers dreaded not. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known; to new gods who had recently come along, gods your ancestors had not known about.

Deuteronomy 32:17 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 32:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἔθυσαν δαιμονίοις καὶ οὐ θεῷ θεοῗς οἷς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν καινοὶ πρόσφατοι ἥκασιν οὓς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἔθυσαν δαιμονίοις καὶ οὐ Θεῷ, θεοῖς, οἷς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν· καινοὶ καὶ πρόσφατοι ἥκασιν, οὓς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν

Deuteronomy 32:17 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 32:17 (English Elpenor)

They sacrificed to demons and not to God, to gods they did not know.  New, recent ones have come, whom their fathers did not know.

They sacrificed to devils, and not to God; to gods whom they knew not: new and fresh [gods] came in, whom their fathers knew not.

Romans 1:21 (NET)

Romans 1:21 (KJV)

For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

διότι γνόντες τὸν θεὸν οὐχ ὡς θεὸν ἐδόξασαν ἢ ἠυχαρίστησαν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία διοτι γνοντες τον θεον ουχ ως θεον εδοξασαν η ευχαριστησαν αλλ εματαιωθησαν εν τοις διαλογισμοις αυτων και εσκοτισθη η ασυνετος αυτων καρδια διοτι γνοντες τον θεον ουχ ως θεον εδοξασαν η ευχαριστησαν αλλ εματαιωθησαν εν τοις διαλογισμοις αυτων και εσκοτισθη η ασυνετος αυτων καρδια

Romans 1:24 (NET)

Romans 1:24 (KJV)

Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοίς διο και παρεδωκεν αυτους ο θεος εν ταις επιθυμιαις των καρδιων αυτων εις ακαθαρσιαν του ατιμαζεσθαι τα σωματα αυτων εν εαυτοις διο και παρεδωκεν αυτους ο θεος εν ταις επιθυμιαις των καρδιων αυτων εις ακαθαρσιαν του ατιμαζεσθαι τα σωματα αυτων εν εαυτοις

Ephesians 4:17 (NET)

Ephesians 4:17 (KJV)

So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Τοῦτο οὖν λέγω καὶ μαρτύρομαι ἐν κυρίῳ, μηκέτι ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν, καθὼς καὶ τὰ ἔθνη περιπατεῖ ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν τουτο ουν λεγω και μαρτυρομαι εν κυριω μηκετι υμας περιπατειν καθως και τα λοιπα εθνη περιπατει εν ματαιοτητι του νοος αυτων τουτο ουν λεγω και μαρτυρομαι εν κυριω μηκετι υμας περιπατειν καθως και τα λοιπα εθνη περιπατει εν ματαιοτητι του νοος αυτων

1 Corinthians 10:20 (NET)

1 Corinthians 10:20 (KJV)

No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God.  I do not want you to be partners with demons. But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι ἃ θύουσιν, δαιμονίοις καὶ οὐ θεῷ [θύουσιν]· οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς κοινωνοὺς τῶν δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι αλλ οτι α θυει τα εθνη δαιμονιοις θυει και ου θεω ου θελω δε υμας κοινωνους των δαιμονιων γινεσθαι αλλ οτι α θυει τα εθνη δαιμονιοις θυει και ου θεω ου θελω δε υμας κοινωνους των δαιμονιων γινεσθαι

John 3:3 (NET)

John 3:3 (KJV)

Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ απεκριθη ο ιησους και ειπεν αυτω αμην αμην λεγω σοι εαν μη τις γεννηθη ανωθεν ου δυναται ιδειν την βασιλειαν του θεου απεκριθη ο ιησους και ειπεν αυτω αμην αμην λεγω σοι εαν μη τις γεννηθη ανωθεν ου δυναται ιδειν την βασιλειαν του θεου

1 1 Corinthians 2:2 (NET) Table

2 Romans 1:18 (NET)

3 Romans 1:19, 20 (NET)

5 Romans 1:21-23 (NET)

7 Luke 22:15 (NET)

9 John 8:44 (NET) Table

10 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had λοιπα (KJV: other) preceding Gentiles.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

12 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τα εθνη (KJV: the Gentiles) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

14 1 Corinthians 10:20a (NET)

15 Deuteronomy 32:16, 17 (NET)

16 John 3:3 (NET)