Romans 1:21–23

The unrighteousness of the Gentiles

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

In verse 20 Paul made the sobering observation that the Gentiles in open rebellion to God were “without excuse.” 

Why can he say they are without excuse? Because “although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.” 

Again, Paul’s point is not how much the Gentiles knew or how clearly they knew God. His point is that they went against what they did know. For in God’s creation they could see his invisible qualities of eternal power and divine nature, but they refused to glorify him or to acknowledge that they owed him thanks for the many temporal blessings that came their way day after day. Consequently “their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Paul uses passive verbs here when he speaks of the Gentiles becoming futile and being darkened; their thinking and hearts are being acted upon. The question is, Who made them futile? Who darkened their hearts? 

The answer is that they did it to themselves. 

Two observations would seem to support that conclusion. 

1. First of all, note that the passive verbs stand among a cluster of active verbs: they (the Gentiles) did not glorify God; they did not give him thanks; they claimed to be wise; they exchanged the glory of God for mortal images. 

2. Furthermore, the stress in this section is entirely on what the Gentiles do in their natural, unregenerate state. 

The point is that the people Paul describes here are not some unfortunates who were doomed in advance by God’s decree and thus never had a chance. These are people who are sinning by choice and against better knowledge. They’re doing what they want to do. For a fuller statement on their willing commitment to evil, look ahead to verse 32. God did not “program” them for an evil lifestyle, but he does indeed respond to their wickedness. That response will be treated in verses 24, 26, and 28.

The kind of fools the Gentiles made of themselves when they suppressed their knowledge of God is illustrated in one example that Paul cites: “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” Keep in mind that Paul is talking here of people who knew God but suppressed that knowledge. 

The result of such bad thinking is bad actions and bad choices. In their supposed wisdom, they acted so foolishly that they traded the reality of the immortal God for likenesses, images—and images of frail, mortal things like people, birds, animals, and reptiles at that. Not a wise trade at all!