What are dishonorable passions (Romans 1:26)?

"On this account God gave them up unto passions of dishonour; for both their females changed the natural use into the contrary of nature, and likewise also the males, leaving the natural use of the female, burned in their desire toward one another; males with males working out unseemliness, and fully receiving in themselves the recompense of their error which was due." (Ver. 26, 27.) In this graphic but most grave sketch of the humiliating picture, which the classics fill up in so different a tone (for "the unjust knows no shame"), the weaker vessel comes first, as indeed the shamelessness was there most apparent and human depravity proved most complete and hopeless. The apostle does not deign to characterize them (though the greatest and highest, sages of earth, monarchs, conquerors, poets, philosophers, and what not) as men and women, but as "females" and "males," characterized by ways below the brute, given up of God, and even now enduring the meet reward of their deeds.

"And even as they approved not to have God in knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do things unbecoming; being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, guile, ill-disposition; whisperers, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boasters, inventors of mischiefs, disobedient to parents, without understanding, perfidious, without natural affection, unmerciful; who, well knowing the righteous decree of God that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do them but also take complacency in those who do them." (Ver. 28-32.) What pit of immorality can be lower than this last?

The word ἀδόκιμος is here as elsewhere translated "reprobate," as this well suits the phrase and contrasts their not approving to retain God in their knowledge with His giving them over to a "disapproved" mind. But it may rightly bear an active sense, and would then mean an "undiscerning" mind, as the sentence on their presumption in rejecting God after pretending to test and try the matter. It will be observed that in verse 29 I have omitted on good external authority πορνείᾳ ("fornication"), as the internal appears to me to turn the scale against it. As for the resemblance to πονηρίᾳ, it might act either in giving room to its insertion by mistake, or to its omission. But I think that the first class consists of personal evil; the second of that which is relative; as the third brings out, not roots of moral pravity, abstractedly viewed, whether personal or relative, but developed wicked characters, and this in an order neither unsystematic nor difficult to discern. Ἀσπόνδους is deficient in authority, being omitted in the best and most ancient manuscripts. "Implacable" is therefore left out of verse 31. It was probably introduced here because of its connection with ἄστοργοι in 2 Timothy 3:3.

(Vv. 24-27) The appalling result is brought before us in the verses that follow. Man had given up God, now we have the statement, thrice repeated, "That God gave them up". In the government of God men are allowed to reap what they sow. Their lusts had turned them away from the true God, now, the false gods, they had set up according to their own tastes, sanctioned and encouraged their lusts. God giving them up to their lusts, they immediately proceed to dishonour their own bodies, even as they had already dishonoured God.

Having changed the truth of God into a lie, and in place of the Creator set up the creature as an object of worship, they are permitted to fall beneath the creatures that they worshipped. Men sank below the beasts. It has been truly said a beast is not a moral creature, but a man degraded to the level of a beast becomes immoral: his affections become corrupted and perverted from their natural course into that which is contrary to nature.

Then moral corruption of the worst kind follows. They had given Him up and now He gives them up. Three times we read that God gave them up. But why should there be a threefold repetition of the fact that He gave them up? Man is composed- of body, soul and spirit. The first giving up is as to the body; this is found in verses 24-25. Then He gave them up to vile passions; this concerns the soul and the horrible things stated in verses 26-27 are the results. These were practised openly in the Greek and Roman world in the days of the Apostle Paul. Ancient literature bears abundant witness to that effect. These vile things are still going on in heathen India, China, Africa and elsewhere. They are found likewise in the midst of Christendom. Whenever and wherever the Truth of God is abandoned, degradation in every way follows, for the Truth of God alone can restrain evil. The third giving up is found in verse 29. Given up to a reprobate mind, which involves the spirit of man. "All these things spoken of here are clearly regarded as the recompense" even now, of the error of the creature, in departing from the Creator. "The world is thus regarded as under a judicial bondage of sin and dishonor. Men eat the fruit of their own ways, sometimes pleasant to the taste of corrupted nature, but with prospect of Divine and eternal judgment at the end. The very lusts which govern and torment the slaves of sin are, as it were, the earnest and token of that wrath of God, which, now revealed from heaven, will yet deal with ungodliness and unrighteousness of unrepentant sinners after death" (Hebrews 9:27). (Pridham on Romans)

Consequently God gave them up to reap as they had sown. It is not that He made them sin (God forbid the thought!), but He threw the reins upon man's neck, just that it might be brought out what was in sinful man's heart — in my heart, reader, and yours. Accordingly we find that sin ruined men's bodies (v. 24), their affections (v. 26), and their minds (v. 28). Three times does it say that God gave them up, and three times is the solemn result stated. First, they set the Creator at naught (v. 25), next, they were wicked towards each other (v. 27), and lastly, there was no form that sin could assume, that did not come out of their wicked hearts (vv. 29-32). They sinned just for the delight of sinning, and found their agreeable company in those that did the same.

(4) The ways of men in this condition the apostle pictures: disgraceful violations of nature, and crimes that walked openly in the heathen darkness; while men who realized the judgment of God upon their abominations, not only walked defiantly in them but had sympathetic pleasure in those who did so.

It is most needful to observe, that the extreme cases of unnatural sin are put here as God's general verdict on the condition of the human family, as collectively apostate. The existence of such enormities does not simply condemn the perpetrators of the specific crimes. The things themselves are but surface-spots, by which is indicated the condition, morally, of the mass to which they are found attached. The lusts of the human heart are here in question — not as isolated phenomena of wickedness, but as the judicial alternative of dishonour and uncleanness in which man, as apostate, is now placed, and wherein he is regarded from heaven as an object of wrath, because of his departure from the only presence where purity and honour may be found. Every attempt, therefore, on man's part, to beautify or purify himself, save by a return, in the faith of the Gospel, to God as a Saviour, is but a fighting against God — a practical refusal to own His truth and righteousness in thus awarding him this dishonoured place. But this is only to arm himself as an adversary against Him who is an avenger of His name according to the unknown power of His wrath (Ps. 90:11).

Verses 24, 25, display the retributive judgment, even now, of God the Holy One on His debased image. "Wherefore also God gave them up," etc. Filthiness and dishonour being the unchecked and ripened fruit of the lusts of nature, which man had chosen as his guide, in preference to the will of God. They had changed His truth into a lie, putting the creature into the place of the Creator. The utter debasement of the creature, and that through the development of its own will, follows, as the sentence of Divine wisdom upon the self-dishonoured workmanship of His hands.

Verses 26, 27. The things spoken of here are clearly regarded as the "recompense," even now, of the error of the creature, in departing from the Creator. The world is thus regarded as under a judicial bondage of sin and dishonour. Men eat the fruit of their own ways — sometimes pleasant to the depraved taste of corrupted nature, but with prospect of Divine and eternal judgment at the end. The very lusts which govern and torment the slaves of sin are, as it were, the earnest and token of that wrath of God, which, now revealed from heaven, will yet deal with the ungodliness and unrighteousness of unrepentant sinners after death (Heb. 9:27).

That is just what the first chapter of the epistle to the Romans puts before us. You have there a catalogue of crime which brings the tinge of shame to the cheek even to read it, and it is given, not as some exceptional result of man's sin, but as the legitimate fruit of his departure from God. It is given in a way that includes every unsaved person, "Forasmuch as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge." Who that is unreconciled to Him, does like to retain God in his knowledge? Not one. What then is the fruit of it? He gives them over to evil like that which brought the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah; He gives them over to evil which cannot even be spoken of, so horribly corrupt is it. Thus it is as though the Spirit of God put the root and the fruit side by side, and said to men, Cut loose from God, and you give rein to every form of evil that the flesh is capable of.

That is just what the first chapter of the epistle to the Romans puts before us. You have there a catalogue of crime which brings the tinge of shame to the cheek even to read it, and it is given, not as some exceptional result of man's sin, but as the legitimate fruit of his departure from God. It is given in a way that includes every unsaved person, Forasmuch as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. Who that is unreconciled to Him, does like to retain God in his knowledge? Not one. What then is the fruit of it? He gives them over to evil like that which brought the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah; He gives them over to evil which cannot even be spoken of, so horribly corrupt is it. Thus it is as though the Spirit of God put the root and the fruit side by side, and said to men, Cut loose from God, and you give rein to every form of evil that the flesh is capable of.

The consequence of idolatry is invariably under the moral judgment of God utter uncleanness among its votaries; and this in all its varieties but perhaps most conspicuously, as a divine retribution, among those who set up the human form, — "corruptible man," — though it was certainly not wanting where they worshipped that which was beneath man, birds, quadrupeds, and reptiles, alone or combined.