Good comments, below. I have long believed, i.e. Ro 1:18-29, that the most damaging of all realities is the one tied to this statement by God, "You are on your own."
Understand, also, that God , although pictured as being actively involved in His departure, is - in reality - not the "active voice" in this circumstance. By that I mean to say that it is not God who has left anyone behind. It is man who has walked away from God and worshipped the creation rather than the Creator -- of course.
This last statement is not something i agree with: But here we see the hand of a just and avenging God; they abused their powers, and God deprived them of the right use of these powers. If we are going to credit God with an avenging nature, we must allow for that expressed vengeance to be a product of a broken hearted and disappointed God who is willing to do anything to avoid this circumstance. Additionally [and technically] the text does not say that "God deprived them of the right use of these powers." Everything that happens to these individuals is of their own doing.
Do you see my point?
jd
-----Original Message-----
From: Dean Moore <cd_moore@earthlink.net>
To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org
Sent: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 09:12:35 -0500
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Romans 1:18-32 and beyond-JD
cd: In verse 28 God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things mentioned in v.29-he takes the gift of understand (discernment) away from those people mentioned in v.27. So then v29 is the result of v.27.
Consider what Adam Clark has to say on the matter:
Rom 1:28 -
They did not like to retain God - It would, perhaps, be more literal to translate ??? ed???µasa?, They Did Not Search to retain God in their knowledge. They did not examine the evidences before them (Rom_1:19, Rom_1:20) of his being and attributes; therefore God gave them over to a Reprobate mind, e?? ad???µ?? ????, to an Unsearching or undiscerning mind; for it is the same word in both places. They did not reflect on the proofs they had of the Divine nature, and God abandoned them to the operations of a mind incapable of reflection. How men of such powers and learning, as many of the Greek and Roman philosophers and poets really were, could reason so inconsecutiv ely concerning things moral and Divine is truly astonishing. But here we see the hand of a just and avenging God; they abused their powers, and God deprived them of the right use of these powers.
