Romans 1:32

Romans 1:32. Who; or, as in Romans 1:25, ‘being such as.' This verse adds to the description of vices a deeper degree of immorality; showing how entirely the heathen are ‘without excuse' (Romans 1:20; chap. Romans 2:1).

Knowing. A stronger word than that in Romans 1:21. Their conscience gave such knowledge.

Ordinance of God. The word ‘ordinance' is derived from the verb meaning to Justify, and means a justifying verdict or decree; here it is the sentence or decree of God as Righteous Lawgiver and Judge, connecting death with sin, and life with righteousness, as recognized in the conscience.

Practise. This word suggests the repetition and continuance of the actions.

Worthy of death. The heathen recognized that sin must be punished, and Paul indicates that the punishment is ‘death,' by which he usually meant whatever the heathen understood) eternal death. There is, however, no objection to understanding it more generally.

Consent with them who practise them. This is the sign of completed moral abandonment; they fail even to condemn it in others. It is almost equivalent to saving, ‘ evil, be thou my good.' The climax of the punishment of sin by sin suggests one feature of the eternal death threatened in the Bible. This dark picture of heathen corruption is not overdrawn, though honorable exceptions existed. Not all heathen had these vices, but as a whole the description is correct. It can be verified by testimony from the classical writers, especially from Seneca and Tacitus. Comp. Schaff, Church History, vol. i., p. 302 ff. Deep moral corruption has, it is true, pervaded Christendom. But there remains this radical difference: heathen religion produced and sanctioned heathen corruptions; Christendom is corrupt in spite of Christianity.