War (Part 2): Dishonorable Passions
Photo by Angelo Pantazis on Unsplash Do you remember the parable of the Prodigal Son? You know, the story Jesus told of a son who demanded his share of the inheritance, left home, and squandered all of it? As I sit here pondering the text of Romans 1:26-32, I am reminded of the fact that just as the father in the parable allowed his son to go away and live his life the way he wanted to, so God allows us to make our own choices about how we live our lives. Even if that means we reject Him, dishonor Him, and utterly ruin our lives. In the verses leading up to this point, Paul says that humankind rejected the truth of God for a lie – the lie that says that the creature, rather than the Creator, is worthy of worship. Here, Paul explains that in response to this rejection, God allowed them to do what they desired. “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and t...