Romans and Pastoral Responses| Dr. Robert Gagnon lecture

Therefore, God gave them over because of the desires of their hearts to an uncleanness or impurity consisting of their bodies being dishonored among themselves.

And then parenthetically, he adds, reminding them of the context for this statement from 118 to 123, the very ones who exchanged the truth about God for the lie.

It's a good summary of the non-Christian life.

The person, or even non-Jewish life here, the person who exchanges the truth about God for a lie.

And worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator.

Sometimes other creatures and images, likenesses, sometimes themselves.

Who, the creator, who is blessed forever, amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to dishonorable passions.

For even their females exchanged the natural use.

Now, it doesn't say what the natural use is at this point.

We can fill in the blanks from what follows in verse 27.

So I understand this to mean females exchanged the natural use of the male as regards sexual intercourse.

For that which is contrary to nature, that is sex between themselves, females with females.

And likewise also the males, having left behind the natural use of the female.

You see, the natural use, sexually speaking, is with the other sex.

Your sexual counterpart or complement.

As regards sexual intercourse.

Were inflamed with their yearning for one another.

Males with males.

Committing indecency.

And in return receiving in themselves the payback which was necessitated by their straying.

That is their straying from the truth about God to idolatry.

Now, the payback initially is their own self-dishonoring.

Their marring of the image of God that's been stamped on their being.

Particularly as it intersects with their sexuality and their gender.