Has God Given Up on Us?
Opening Up Romans—12
Exploring the riches of God’s grace, one passage at a time.
We’re “in the trenches” of Romans now. Romans 1:18–3:20 is one of the Bible’s most sobering sections. Here Paul exposes why all humanity needs the gospel. Our sin makes us unrighteous and unable to fellowship with the God who made us. It makes us wonder: has God given up on us?
Paul’s answer is no. But before we can see God’s grace, we must face his wrath. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (1:18). We need saving righteousness (1:17) because of God’s condemning righteousness.
God’s wrath isn’t an outburst of rage—it’s his holy opposition to sin. Because he is righteous, he must judge evil. Sin isn’t a small misstep; it’s rebellion against our Creator. Yet his wrath is never divorced from his love. If you doubt that, look at the cross—where wrath and love meet. Christ bore the penalty we deserve so we could receive fellowship we don’t deserve.
Romans 1:18–32 teaches us this truth: God has given humanity over to the sins it loves, but he hasn’t given up on us—he’s given us the gospel of his righteousness to save us.
Idolatry Leads to Immorality
Paul says God’s wrath is revealed against two things: ungodliness (idolatry against God) and unrighteousness (immorality against neighbor).
Even though God’s existence and power are plain in creation, humanity suppresses the truth (vv. 19–20). Like trying to hold down bubbles in a jacuzzi, we keep pushing down what won’t stay hidden. When you admire a painting, you don’t deny there’s an artist behind it—yet we deny the divine Artist who made everything.
Though we knew God, we didn’t honor or thank him. Instead, our thinking became futile and our hearts darkened (vv. 21–22). “They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images” (v. 23). In other words, we’ve tried to return the favor—making God in our image.
When we worship idols, we end up imitating them. Rejecting truth leads to moral confusion. “I don’t have idols!” we say—but whatever we cherish most is our god. Is it pleasure, power, possessions, or success, security, and sex? They all have one thing in common: Self.
Idolatry always leads to immorality. We are—and do—what we worship.
God Gave Them Up
Because humanity loves self over God, “God gave them up”—three times Paul repeats it (vv. 24, 26, 28). When people insist on living without him, he lets them go down their chosen path. That’s a terrifying judgment.
He gave them up to impurity, to dishonorable passions, to a debased mind. When we think we’re our own gods, we use our bodies and minds however we please. But this isn’t freedom—it’s slavery. As John Chrysostom said, we should weep for those given over to their sins, for they are image-bearers who’ve lost sight of their Creator.
Our culture calls this freedom, but Paul calls it the evidence of wrath. Rejecting the Creator leads to confusion about creation—about who we are and what it means to be human. The moral chaos of our world isn’t random; it’s the fruit of spiritual rebellion.
God has given humanity over to the sins it loves—but not without hope.
God Has “Given Up” but He’s Also “Given”
Has God given up on us? No. He hasn’t abandoned us; he’s given us over so we might see our need for him. And into our rebellion he’s given his Son.
At the cross, God showed himself “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (3:26). His wrath was satisfied, and his mercy poured out.
No matter what your sin is, there’s forgiveness and freedom in Jesus Christ. Turn from your idols of self-love and entrust yourself to him. The gospel is the power of God to rescue you—from idolatry, immorality, and the wrath we deserve.
Believer, keep resting in Christ. Keep living by faith—from first to last—fleeing idolatry and living for the glory of the God who has not given up on you.