“being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers” (Romans 1:29).
“The judgment of man upon God was the judgment that God was not worthy of human consideration. The error of the human mind does not proceed from a mere logical miscalculation. It was not an error flowing out of logical reasoning, but a deliberate evaluation of the worth of the knowledge of God. The error of the pagan is not accidental, but clearly deliberate. The ‘not seeing fit’ is an obstinate refusal to acknowledge that which is manifestly true.” (1)
Romans 1:29 begins a partial list of consequences that arise from an implicit or explicit rejection of God. That list characterizes those cultures and individuals who do “…not like to retain God in their knowledge” (Romans 1:28). The Apostle Paul offered similar “vice lists” in several of his Biblical epistles, but the catalog given to us here in Romans 1:29-31 is the most extensive (see 1 Corinthians 5:11; 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 12:20-21; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 4:31; 5:3-4; and Colossians 3:5-9).
That decision inevitably leads to the following list of negative effects…
- Unrighteousness. As mentioned earlier, “unrighteousness” is a wide-ranging term that encompasses various forms of injustice, inappropriate conduct, or violations of the law.
- Sexual immorality. In the original language of this passage, the phrase “sexual immorality” is derived from the word porneia. This word serves as the basis for our modern-day term “pornography.” It encompasses any type of physical relationship that occurs outside of a Biblically sanctioned marriage partnership. Jesus also expanded that definition to include internal expressions of sexual immorality as well (Matthew 5:27-28).
- Wickedness. Synonyms for wickedness include depravity, iniquity, and malice (2)
- Covetousness. This word envelopes a wide variety of inappropriate desires. It refers to a greedy aspiration to obtain more of something we already possess. It may also characterize a desire to possess something (or someone) that belongs to someone else. This word is thus used to identify one who craves more, especially what belongs to others.
- Maliciousness. “Maliciousness” involves a desire to harm others or see others suffer. It also pertains to an act that intends to bring injury to someone else.
- Envy involves a sense of discontent or resentment when others are blessed or successful. One source associates “envy” with “…the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others.” (3) If an envious person cannot secure the qualities that others possess, he or she may seek to belittle or ridicule such things.
We’ll continue with our survey of this list of characteristics next.
(1) Sproul, R. C. (1988). If there’s a God, why are there atheists? Tyndale House Pub.
(2) G4189 – poneria – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4189/kjv/tr/0-1/
(3) G5355 – phthonos Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, © 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc.