“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” (Romans 1:22-23 ESV).
What mental image does the word “fool” elicit? In the original language of this passage, the word “fool” is moros, and serves as the precursor to our contemporary term “moron.” This word typically describes someone who is lacking in wisdom, understanding, good judgment, or common sense. The Old Testament book of Psalms offers another definition of this word that relates to our text from Romans 1:22-23: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God…'” (Psalm 14:1).
Those who seek to navigate through life without the acknowledgment of God are those who are charting a foolish course. One source builds upon this concept with the following observations…
“The New International Theological Dictionary of New Testament Theology adds, ‘Moros means foolish, stupid and, like moria, foolishness denotes inappropriate behavior, thought or speech, both of single lapses of sense as well as in the sense of a permanent attribute.’ In other words, people who claim to be wise apart from God are not just acting foolishly in the moment; they are demonstrating the lifestyle and worldview they have adopted, and the impact thereof.
The idea behind the word moros is that there is ‘a power which dominates man.’ His foolishness is beyond his comprehension or control. He acts foolishly, but believes that his foolishness is wisdom.” (1)
Another commentator shares some additional insights concerning the fool described in this passage…
“Instead of looking out to God, he looked into himself. He involved himself in vain speculations and thought he was wise, while all the time he was a fool. Why? He was a fool because he made his ideas, his opinions, his speculations the standard and the law of life, instead of the will of God. The sinner’s folly consisted in making ‘man the master of things.’ He found his standards in his own opinions and not in the laws of God. He lived in a self-centred instead of a God-centred universe. Instead of walking looking out to God he walked looking into himself, and, like any man who does not look where he is going, he fell.” (2)
Of course, it is reasonable to expect that foolish individuals will eventually engage in foolish actions. If we choose to reject the one true God, we must then replace Him with an inferior substitute as the object of highest worth in our lives. Our author will provide us with some examples of those inferior substitutes in the following verse.
Image Attribution: Johann Georg Rauch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
(1) Baucham, V., Jr. (2015). Expository Apologetics: Answering Objections with the Power of the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. Page 27.
(2) Romans 1 – Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (n.d.). StudyLight.org. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/romans-1.html