The Heart: Where it all starts

Romans 1 gets a lot of bad press, perhaps because it explicitly condemns homosexuality and labels it as "unnatural." However, only 2 verses in Romans 1 explicitly mention this sin (1:26-27). It would seem that the church is missing the big picture by only referencing this chapter in discussions on homosexuality.  So what's the rest of the chapter about?


In Romans 1, Paul begins to develop a lengthy presentation on the gospel of Jesus Christ (1:16-17). As you have probably heard, "gospel" means "good news." But there is not much actual good news in Romans 1, as Paul seeks to establish the guiltiness of all mankind (1:18-32). It makes sense, right? We don't really care about good news of a Savior if we don't think we're in danger and in need of saving!


In order to show that all men our guilty, Paul tracks the downward spiral of our sin.
- We knew God, but didn't honor him (1:21).
- We exchanged his glory for the glory of other things (1:22-23).
- God gave us up to bodily impurity (1:24-25).
- God gave us up to rank impurity, specifically, homosexuality (1:26-27).
- God gave us up to an entirely debased mind, leading to loads of sins (1:28-32).


A book could be written on the above. (In fact, many probably already have.) But I wanted to point out where sin's downward spiral begins- in the heart. In this sequence, Paul does not write "Mankind is evil, look at all the bad things they did." No, he writes, "This whole process starts with a decision in the heart to not glorify God."


Romans 1 is not about homosexuality (though it certainly has something to say about it). Romans 1 is really about where sin starts, and where it goes when unchecked and "un-graced." Sin, however "big or "small", start in the heart, when we choose the glory of something very finite over the infinite Glory of God.