Posts by Yong Joo Park:
Echoes of Lot: Grief in a Godless World
Romans 1:28 (NLT)
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
Message
See verse 28a.
28a Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God,
Verse 28a encapsulates the essence of the preceding passage (Romans 1:18–27). God’s creation obviously testifies about God (Romans 1:19-20). They have no excuse for not knowing God (Romans 1:20b). They knew God but They did not worship or give thanks to God (Romans 1:21a). Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools (Romans 1:22). Instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols (Romans 1:23). They traded the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself (Romans 1:25). So, God abandoned them to their shameful desires (Romans 1:26-27).
See verse 28b.
28a he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
It is a pain to experience “things that should never be done”. Like Lot, whose righteous soul was tormented day after day by the wickedness around him (2 Peter 2:7–8), the godly grieve deeply when they see people rejecting God’s truth (Ezekiel 9:4; Psalm 119:136).
From Ignorance to Grace: Understanding Romans 1:27 as a Gentile
A personal note before today’s reflection: This post is not aimed at any individual or group. I’m sharing my own journey—from ignorance to understanding—through Scripture. My intention is not judgment, but gratitude for God’s mercy toward me as a Gentile who once lived without knowing His law. When I read Romans 1:27, I’m reminded not […]
From God’s Redemptive Work to Tragic Exchange
Romans 1:26b (NLT) 26b Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. Jesus spoke the truth through paradoxes such as the greatest must be a servant (Matthew 20:26-27)’ and the Good Samaritan, where the despised outsider becomes the true example of love (Luke 10:25-37). Throughout […]
When Does God Abandon People?
Romans 1:26a (NLT) 26a That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Message I. When they trade the truth about God for a lie See verse 26a. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. ‘That’ indicates the idolatry, described in Romans 1:21-25 NLT. It is clear that God is displeased […]
The Tragic Exchange: Truth for Lies, Christ for Barabbas
Romans 1:25 (NLT) 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. Message I. Exchanging the Creator for the Created (Romans 1:25 NLT) How did humanity trade the truth about God for idols and […]
What We Worship Shapes Us
Romans 1:24 (NLT) 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. Message I. God Let Them Follow Their Choices (24a) When they worshiped not one true God but idols (Romans 1:21-23), God did not force them to obey […]
The Glory We Trade: A Call Back to God
Romans 1:23 (NLT) 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. Message God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), Spirit (John 4:24), and invisible (1 Timothy 1:17, 6:16, Colossians 1:15, Deuteronomy 4:15). God knew they were susceptible to idolatry. God […]
The Foolish Pride of Human Wisdom
Romans 1:22 (NLT) 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. Message I. Observing the Verse See v22. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. Why did they claim to be wise, when in reality they were foolish? Such empty pride is what we call arrogance. II. Knowledge and Arrogance Knowledge makes […]
Separated from God: Spiritual Blindness and Confusion
Romans 1:21b,c (NLT) And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Message I. Spiritual Blindness and Death When the first man and woman ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6, https://www.comnc.org/the-beginning-of-sin-refusing-to-worship-and-give-thanks-to-god), they were separated from […]
The Beginning of Sin: Refusing to Worship and Give Thanks to God
Romans 1:21a (NLT) 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. I. The Beginning of Sin: Refusing to Worship and Give Thanks to God Paul declares that all humans know God (21a, Romans 1:19-20). The problem was that even though they knew Him, they would not worship […]
