The Epistle of Paul The Book of Romans series: Learning to be rooted and established in The Cross of Christ
The wisdom of fools
Romans 1:22-23
22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
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.
Paul gives a description of those who come against the one true God in Romans 1:18, idolatry, sensuality, and immorality just to name a few that the Church at Rome where doing at that time.
Even though they knew God, because He taught them about Himself in nature and in conscience (Romans 1:20), but they refused to worship Him as God, or to give thanks to Him as the Giver of all good things (Romans 1:21).
They began to worship the creature rather than the Creator, gave themselves up to idolatry in a descending scale, worshiping first human images, then those of birds, then those of beasts and reptiles (Romans 1:22).
Paul is telling them that they have the wrong idea of The One-True Living God and their false relation to Him degraded them into the grossest sensuality and blackest immorality.
They celebrated philosophers, poets, and orators, they debased and dishonored the all-glorious God, by framing vile images of men and beasts, of birds and creeping things, to represent Him by.
These idolaters changed the glory of the Holy living God, into the likeness of lifeless things; whereas the Lord is so infinitely glorious, that nothing can set forth His Glory sufficiently; the most excellent creature cannot represent His super-excellent perfections; and accordingly, it is as an angel, as by a worm or a fly.
All attempted representations of God by any creature whatsoever, are idolatrous provocations, trying to provoke God.
Even among the church today many have turn to similar idol worship, painting the picture of a Holy Righteous God to depict Him as to corruptible things that have no life in them.
Everything that we will ever need came through and comes through the Cross of Christ, therefore, if anyone goes any other way, they have went the wrong way.
God only listens and works through the finished work of His Son Jesus.
Even though mankind will try their best to worship God in their own wisdom, the true fact is that He will never work outside of the finished work of the Cross!
Psalm 106; Jeremiah 10:16, 2:5-11; Acts 14:15, 17:29; 1 Corinthians 1:19, 3:19-20; Deuteronomy 4:16-19; Isaiah 40:17-18; Ezekiel 8:10; Ephesians 4:17-21; 1 Peter 1:18-23; 1 Kings 16:26; 2 Kings 17:7-23; Jonah 2:8; Colossians 2:8; Revelation 9:20
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