A REPROBATE MIND
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” Romans 1:28
It would be good if every person would familiarize himself with the message of Romans 1. The second half of the chapter documents the human descent from spiritual awareness to utter depravity. Our text uses the term, “a reprobate mind.” The word “reprobate” means that they have been “rejected, abandoned to error and spiritual destruction, unable to discern between right and wrong.” Notice that the verse says, “God gave them over to a reprobate mind.” In this chapter, the phrase, “God gave them over”, is found more than once. There is no hope for a person when God turns them over or gives them up.
How many times have we heard people lament the deplorable condition and direction of our country, and wonder how we could ever have become so sinister? Is there any explanation for the increasing acceptance of sodomy, the plague of pornography, and the epidemic of sexual deviancy toward innocent children? Where is the conscience of a nation that allows the murder of more than a million unborn babies a year? What kind of logic would cause a politician to fight for the life of an endangered animal while insisting a woman has the right to terminate the life of her child? How unreasonable is it that children are exposed to sexually explicit information in government schools, but the Bible is a forbidden Book.
The minds of Americans are becoming reprobate, unable to distinguish between good and evil. How does this occur? According to Romans 1, it follows a predictable path. People go from knowing about God and seeing His evidence in creation, to rejecting Him. They then make themselves the center of their universe, and worship the creature rather than the Creator. They change God’s truth into a lie. They do not want God to have a place in their minds. This is the journey to reprobation. When God is removed from the minds of people, the lie of evolution is accepted, the Word of God is rejected, humanism is promoted, and the end will be what we are seeing so much of in our society. There are severe consequences when individuals or nations reject God and His standard of truth. If there is any hope for such a people, they must turn to God in true repentance.