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 when we worship the wrong objects. By not worshiping God, they became utter fools (Romans 1:22 NLT). By worshiping idols, they have gone shameless, vile, and degraded (Romans 1:24 NLT). It is the act of trading the truth about God for a lie (Romans 1:25 NLT). That is, they believed in a lie. They deceived themselves.
II. When they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them
The man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:8 NLT) will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9 NLT). He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them (2 Thessalonians 2:10 NLT). When they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them, God not only abandons them (26a), but will cause them to be greatly deceived and they will believe these lies (2 Thessalonians 2:11 NLT). Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT).
