Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
6 sermons cite this verse
… and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts, the sexual impurity, for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and they worshiped and served created things rather than the creator who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts that ought not to be done. even though women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way men abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another, men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind that ought not to be done. They've become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They're full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. …
… a familiar emphasis for him in all of his writings. And I want to drive this home by giving you three cross-references. Romans chapter 1 and verse 22, he says, although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 1. Now, about food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know, but the man who loves God is known by God. Now, what he's referring to there is the person who is talking a lot about what they know. But as you listen to them tell you what they know, you're not sure that what they know has actually gripped and changed their own life. Titus chapter 1, verses 15 and 16, the same concern, To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and their consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit. …
… In Jesus' name, amen. Romans chapter 1, verses 21 through 23. Romans chapter 1, verses 21 through 23. Follow along as I read. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. But they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. At the end of last week's message, we came to the sobering conclusion. See it there in your Bibles in verse 20. So they are without excuse. The they refers most particularly to the Gentiles. Gentiles, this section 18 through 32 in chapter 1, is thinking about the non-Jewish world, though there are a lot of echoes, as we'll see, to the Old Testament. So the Jews could also be guilty of these things. But mainly he's thinking about the Gentile world apart from Christ. And then chapter 2, he's going to turn his attention to the Jews. They, that is the nations of the world, all peoples know something about God. That was his argument. The light of nature shows that there is a God. He is invisible. He is eternal. He is powerful. He possesses a nature unlike ours by means of this general revelation. So not saving, not the special revelation in Christ and in his word, but the general revelation, which is communicated to us through the things that have been made, and God taking that implants within us a seed of divinity. …
… and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their heart to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator who is forever praised. Amen. So this is the reality of sin in every person's heart. In my heart, in your heart, and in every person around the world. We have all sinned against God. turned from God's ways to our own ways, from God's truth to our thoughts, all of us have. Which then leaves the truth number three. There are no innocent people in the world. These initial verses in Romans, Romans 1, 2, and 3, some of the most sobering verses in all of Scripture. From Romans 1, 18 to 2, 16, Paul talks about the sinfulness of the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people. …
… and their foolish hearts were darkened. And although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and they exchanged. Can you say exchange with me? They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. They traded the weight and the worth. For what? something made by human hands. looking back to that exodus moment the psalmist wrote they exchanged their glorious god for an image of a bull you know this sentence could have easily ended right there but god didn't want it to end right there he's trying to make a point for a bull which eats grass. they exchanged their glorious God for the image of a bull, not even a real bull. something that eats grass that is heavy the gospel reconnects us with his glory praise god to them god has chosen to make known among the gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery now this mystery is what the gospel is paul's writing this in colossians and he's talking about how all the people that came before moses and and Ruth, and Esther, and David, and Abraham, and Isaiah, all these people who came before Christ did not know what you know, by the way. They did not know what you know of the glory of God. They knew about the glory of God, but not the way that you do because Christ has come. …
… how great is that darkness. professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and it becomes midnight at high noon. I mean, they're saying, oh, we are walking in the light, and they're stumbling in the darkness. Wisdom is the principal thing. Knowledge is proud that it knows so much. Wisdom is humbled that it knows so little. You need knowledge to pass the test in school. You need wisdom to pass the test of life. Knowledge is learned. Wisdom is given. Knowledge comes by looking around. Wisdom comes by looking up. If your eye be single, your body is full of light. What is our Lord saying in the passage before us? He's saying make certain you have real wealth. Make certain that you have real wisdom. Don't let the light that's in you be darkness. What a tragedy and what a travesty. The third thing our Lord is saying, not only make sure that you have real wealth, not only make certain that you have real wisdom, But make certain that you have real worship. …