Off the Shelf Sunday School--Romans

The Depravity of Mankind (1:21-32)

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

1.????People know there is a God but they reject him and find substitutes for him. Some deny God completely and choose to put their faith in science and technology. Others create false gods that they can control by making up things like how to please the god, what to expect from pleasing the god and how to worship. There is no peace, no lasting purpose or joy without Jesus.

2.????Rejection of God leads to claims of being wise. Such people become arrogant because they claim to have secret or more knowledge than others. They worship created things or knowledge about how creation works. Their pride leads them to experiment in pleasures that are sinful. They engage in homosexuality and other abnormal sexual lusts. They promote these perverse behaviors as normal.?What are some ways that sexual perversions are being taught as acceptable?

3.????Evil behaviors such as greed, envy, murder, strife and hatred grow in societies where leaders reject God and promote their own ideas of morality. The news media loose objectivity and promote popular views while suppressing or discounting others. People become self-centered and children do not respect their parents. Governments seek to gain control over the daily lives of its people through social programs. Are these things happening your society? What can be done to change this?