Why did God give them up to vile affections in Romans 1?
Scripture teaches that God gave them up to vile affections because of their idolatry, unbelief, and rebellion. They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images of corruptible man and creatures, so God judicially allowed them to descend into deeper sin as judgment for their behavior.
Les teaches that Romans 1 traces the root back to the Tower of Babel, where idolatry and paganism began. In verse 23, mankind changed the glory of the incorruptible God into images of corruptible man, birds, beasts, and creeping things. Because of their falling into idolatry, God gave them up to uncleanness (v. 24). When they went into a lower level of sin, God put them even lower (v. 26), giving them up to vile affections. This was not loose language; a sovereign God judicially said, if you want to live at that level, go down one level lower. The reason was their behavior, unbelief, and rebellion. Les also parallels this with Israel in Romans 11: they had every opportunity to know God's will and were entrusted with the oracles of God (Romans 3:1-2), but they ignored and refused to believe it.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
What does it mean that God judicially gave them up?
God judicially gave them up means the sovereign God, acting as judge, handed rebellious unbelievers over to vile affections because of their behavior and rebellion. Since they chose to live at that level, He judicially let them sink one level lower. This was not loose language but a settled judicial action.
Why did God put them even lower in Romans 1:26?
Because of their behavior, unbelief, and rebellion, God judicially gave them up to vile affections, putting them one level lower. Since they were saturated with idolatry and refused to believe, a sovereign God let them go deeper into sin, as Romans 1:26 teaches.
More Questions
What are the 'vile affections' in Romans 1:26 that God gave people over to?
In Romans 1:26, God gives people up to a still lower level than 'normal' immorality between the sexes, namely to vile affections.
What are 'vile affections' in the context of Romans 1?
The 'vile affections' in Romans 1 are a yet lower level of lifestyle to which God gave people up after they rejected Him and changed His truth into a lie.