Three times in Romans 1:16-32, we read the phrase: "God gave them over."
God is extremely patient, but “this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20).
People take the first step by giving themselves over to sin, giving their hearts fully to ungodliness (Ephesians 4:19).(1)
Then God gives them over—He steps back, quits intervening, and lets them experience the full consequences of their wickedness.
This doesn't mean they can't repent, but it becomes less likely (Psalm 81:10-14).(2) The longer and deeper they immerse themselves in sin, the more darkened their minds become.
We saw this in the Old Testament when a whole generation of Israelites repeatedly rejected God's guidance, and He finally refused to let them enter the Promised Land (Acts 7:41-42; Hebrews 3:7-13).(3)
As our culture slides deeper into immorality, more people are being "given over" to their sins.
It's more important than ever that we stand firmly on God's Word, rejecting worldly values and proclaiming with the Apostle Paul, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel"!
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Before our next devotion in this Romans 1:16-32 series, I encourage you to read Living in the Midst of Deception which talks about the ways the prophet Jeremiah dealt with the moral decline during his lifetime. And find some encouragement from Jeremiah's faithfulness in High Five, Jeremiah!
These verses help us further understand the concept of being "given over" by God.
(1) Ephesians 4:19: "Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed."
(2) Psalm 81:10-14: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!"
(3) Acts 7:41-42: "That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets…"
Hebrews 3:7-13: "So, as the Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, "Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways." So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."' See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today,' so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
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