Rom 1:21-32 | TNotes | STEP | 1:21 To know God in Scripture usually means to have an intimate, saving relationship with him (see 2 Cor 5:16 ; Gal 4:9 ; Phil 3:8 , 10 ). Here, however, they knew God means that people knew about God. All people have some understanding of God through creation, yet they do not do what is right based on that knowledge. Rather than learn more about God, they worship gods of their own making.

1:21 ^a To know God in Scripture usually means to have an intimate, saving relationship with him (see 2 Cor 5:16 ^b; Gal 4:9 ^c; Phil 3:8 ^d, 10 ^e). Here, however, they knew God means that people knew about God. All people have some understanding of God through creation, yet they do not do what is right based on that knowledge. Rather than learn more about God, they worship gods of their own making.
1:24 ^f When human beings exchanged the living God for idols, God abandoned them, a point Paul makes twice more in this paragraph (1:26 ^g, 28 ^h). The word abandon includes a sense of “handing over,” suggesting that God actively consigns people to the consequences of their sin.
1:26 ⁱ women turned against the natural way: In this context, natural way refers to the nature of the world as God made it. As in the Old Testament, Paul singles out homosexuality as a key illustration of how people have fallen away from worship of the true God (see Gen 19:1-28 ^j; Lev 18:22 ^k; 20:13 ^l; Deut 23:17-18 ^m). God created human beings as male and female, and engaging in homosexual activity is a violation of God’s creative intention.
1:27 ⁿ suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved: When people abandon the Creator’s intentions, they are judged for their actions. This judgment can take many different forms, but the ultimate consequence is spiritual death (see 1:32 ^o).
1:28 ^p thought it foolish: Sin affects our actions and even our thoughts. One of the serious consequences of turning away from God is an unsound mind; people can no longer use their minds as God intended.
Summary for Rom 1:29-31: 1:29-31 ^q This list of sins follows a popular Hellenistic literary form called a vice list. While not exhaustive, it reminds readers of various forms that evil might take.
1:32 ^r To encourage others to sin is worse than sinning oneself (Jas 3:1 ^s; cp. Testament of Asher 6:2: “The two-faced are doubly punished because they both practice evil and approve of others who practice it; they imitate the spirits of error and join in the struggle against mankind”).