Thursday, November 27, 2025
Alex Buabeng-Korsah
TOPIC: WHEN GOD GIVES THEM OVER (Pt 2)
THEME SCRIPTURE: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts... Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind...” —Romans 1:26–28 (NIV)
PREPARATORY QUESTION
- What does it mean to be given over to a depraved mind?
In Romans 1, Paul outlines a sobering progression: rejection of God leads to moral confusion, then to spiritual blindness. Verses 26–28 emphasize that when people push away the knowledge of God, God allows them to pursue desires that degrade both body and soul. This “giving over” is not passive—it’s judicial. God’s mercy restrains sin, but persistent rebellion eventually removes that restraint.
Augustine wrote, “The punishment of every disordered mind is its own disorder.”
When the human heart suppresses the truth, it doesn’t become neutral—it becomes twisted. The mind becomes “depraved,” no longer able to discern what is good, holy, or true. "Enflamed with lust for one another, men and women ignored the natural order and exchanged normal sexual relations for homosexuality. Women engaged in lesbian conduct, and men committed shameful acts with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their deviation," Paul wrote.
In a depraved state, Precious One, even sin feels normal, and truth seems offensive.
But there is hope. God’s grace remains available to the one who turns to Him. No one is beyond redemption. Paul himself, once hardened in sin, became a vessel of God’s mercy. The gospel shines brightest in the darkest places— not to affirm sin, but to transform sinners.
This text is not a license to condemn others, but a trumpet to sound the alarm for the wayward and a mirror to examine ourselves. Are we retaining the knowledge of God, or gradually rejecting it through compromise? Are we yielding to the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), or letting culture shape our conscience?
God calls His people to be set apart, holy in thought, body, and conviction.
If you’re walking in purity today, rejoice—but stay humble. If you’ve drifted into compromise, today is the day to return to the truth, before the heart grows too numb to feel. Turn to your Lord and His mercies would flood your soul, bringing you change, hope and renewed strength.
God bless you more.
FURTHER READING: Romans 1
Call to Salvation: Today is your day if you have not received salvation by turning over your life to Jesus Christ. Click here to do so.
QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU MEDITATE ON THE WORD
- Have I allowed cultural thinking to reshape my view of God’s truth?
- Am I retaining the knowledge of God daily through His Word and prayer?
- Are there any areas in my life where I’ve become numb to sin?
PRAYER
Father of truth and mercy, I thank You for not leaving us in our sin. I ask You to renew my mind and cleanse my heart. Expose any area of compromise in me and lead me back to Your truth. May I never be given over to what dishonors You. Give me a sound mind and a pure heart. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Proverbs 15; James 4; Job 35
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