Romans 1:23

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. AND CHANGED THE GLORY OF THE UNCORRUPTIBLE GOD INTO AN IMAGE MADE LIKE TO CORRUPTIBLE MAN - that is, they exchanged the one for the other. The expression is taken from , (and in the words of the Septuagint) They exchanged God for man-the incorruptible for the corruptible; nay, Him who is the essence and fountain of all that is glorious, for a mere inanimate image, fashioned after the likeness of perishable man. The allusion here is doubtless to the Greek worship, and the apostle may have had in his eye those exquisite chisellings of the human form which lay so profusely beneath and around him as he stood on Mars' hill, and "beheld their devotions," or 'the objects of their worship' (see the note at...

23._And changed_, _etc. _Having feigned such a God as they could comprehend according to their carnal reason, they were very far from acknowledging the true God: but devised a fictitious and a new god, or rather a phantom. And what he says is, that they _changed _the glory of God; for as though one substituted a strange child, so they departed from the true God. Nor are they to be excused for this pretense, that they believe that God dwells in heaven, and that they count not the wood to be God, but his image; for it is a high indignity to God, to form so gross an idea of his majesty as to dare to make an image of him. But from the wickedness of such a presumption none were exempt, neither priests, nor statesmen, nor philosophers, of whom the most sound-minded, even Plato himself, sought to find out some likeness of God. The madness then here noticed, is, that all attempted to make for th...

18-25 The apostle begins to show that all mankind need the salvation of the gospel, because none could obtain the favour of God, or escape his wrath by their own works. For no man can plead that he has fulfilled all his obligations to God and to his neighbour; nor can any truly say that he has fully acted up to the light afforded him. The sinfulness of man is described as ungodliness against the laws of the first table, and unrighteousness against those of the second. The cause of that sinfulness is holding the truth in unrighteousness. All, more or less, do what they know to be wrong, and omit what they know to be right, so that the plea of ignorance cannot be allowed from any. Our Creator's invisible power and Godhead are so clearly shown in the works he has made, that even idolaters and wicked Gentiles are left without excuse. They foolishly followed idolatry; and rational creatures...

Verse 23. _THEY CHANGED THE GLORY_, c.] The finest representation of their deities was in the _human_ figure and on such representative figures the sculptors spent all their skill; hence the HERCULES of _Farnese_, the VENUS of _Medicis_, and the APOLLO of _Belvidere_. And when they had formed their gods according to the _human shape_, they endowed them with _human passions_; and as they clothed them with attributes of _extraordinary strength,_ _beauty, wisdom_, c., not having the true principles of morality, they represented them as slaves to the most disorderly and disgraceful passions excelling in irregularities the most profligate of men, as possessing unlimited powers of sensual gratification. _AND TO BIRDS_] As the _eagle_ of Jupiter among the Romans, and the _ibis_ and _hawk_ among the Egyptians; which were all sacred animals. _FOUR-FOOTED BEASTS_]

AND CHANGED - This does not mean that they literally “transmuted” God himself; but that in their views they exchanged him; or they changed him “as an object of worship” for idols. They produced, of course, no real change in the glory of the infinite God, but the change was in themselves. They forsook him of whom they had knowledge Romans 1:21, and offered the homage which was due to him, to idols. THE GLORY - The majesty, the honor, etc. This word stands opposed here to the “degrading” nature of their worship. Instead of adoring a Being clothed with majesty and honor, they bowed down to reptiles, etc. They exchanged a glorious object of worship for what was degrading and humiliating. The glory of God, in such places as this, means his essential honor, his majesty, the concentration and expression of his perfections, as th

EXPOSITION ROMANS 1:1 I. INTRODUCTORY. ROMANS 1:1 A. _Salutation_ with long interposed parenthesis, suggested by "gospel of God." The parenthesis, expressing thoughts of which the writer's mind is full, intimates the purport of the coming treatise. It also intimates his claim, afterwards more fully asserted (Romans 15:15, seq.), to demand a hearing from the Roman Church. It is St. Paul's way, when full of an idea, thus to interrupt his sentences at the suggestion of a word. Somewhat similar interpositions are found in the opening salutations of Galatians and Titus, especially in the latter; but this is peculiar for its l

AND CHANGED THE GLORY OF THE INCORRUPTIBLE GOD,.... God is incorruptible and immortal in his nature, and so is opposed to all corruptible creatures and things: he has a glory which is essential to him, and a manifestative one in the creatures, and which is relative, and of right belongs to him: his absolute essential glory cannot be changed, cannot be taken away from him, nor given to another; but his relative glory may be said to be changed, when another is worshipped in his stead, and called by his name. So Philo the Jew g speaks of "some, who, leaving the true God, make to themselves false ones, and impose the name of the eternal and incorruptible upon created and corruptible beings.'' INTO AN IMAGE MADE LIKE TO CORRUPTIBLE MAN; which was worshipped in different forms by the several nations of the world: AND TO BIRDS; as the dove by the Samaritans, the hawk, the ibis, and others by...

Romans 1:1. _Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures.)_ Paul had not seen the Romans when he wrote this epistle. They were strangers to him, and therefore he begins by asserting his apostleship. «called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.» That expression should be true of every Christian minister. We are not apostles; but we are «separated unto the gospel of God.» I do not think that we are called to have anything to do with party politics, or social problems, or any such questions; we are set apart for this purpose. «separated unto the gospel of God.» There are plenty of people who can attend to those things better than we can/ If we mind our own business, or rather, if we mind our Master's business, we who are ministers will have quite enough to do

2. THE NEED OF SALVATION DEMONSTRATED. The Whole World Guilty and Lost. Chapter 1:18-3:20. CHAPTER 1:18-32. _ 1. Wrath Revealed from Heaven. 18._ 2. Gentile Knowledge of God. 19-20. 3. Turning from God to Idolatry. 21-23. 4. God Gave Them Up to Corruption. 24-32. Romans 1:18 God now demonstrates that the whole world is destitute of righteousness and needs salvation. Romans 1:18; Romans 2:1; Romans 3:1 is parenthetical, showing the moral condition of the whole race, away from God and lost and therefore under wrath. In this verse we read that wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodli

Mankind is in a ruinous plight: GOD'S ANGER, which is His righteousness reacting against wrong, rests upon the race. ROMANS 1:18_ A_. The Divine wrath is being revealed from heaven in action against all impiety and unrighteousness of men. The revelation is apparent in the moral outcome of irreligion described in Romans 1:21 an apocalypse more appalling than earthquake or famine. Romans 1:18 _b_ - Romans 1:20. Man is responsible for his perdition: in committing unrighteousness men hold down the truth; they ignore the knowledge of God lodged in conscience (cf....