S147P6 – Lost to disobedience: hope for goodness
Rom. 1:28-32
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
I have heard it said that although we must teach children how to behave, they can misbehave well enough on their own. This is the clear fruit of our fallen nature that our natural inclinations would be toward that which is evil. It does not take much for us at a very early age to recognize what it is to do wrong. We need only experience being wronged to understand what evil is. Even for those who choose not to follow the Lord, there is a recognition of what is right and what is wrong. No one is in the dark about that even if they choose evil over goodness. No one has an excuse. [18-23] Yet, it is possible to become so far gone as to lose the ability to see that distinction.
I believe that the description the word gives us here of the reprobate mind is of a condition that is much more common among us than we might think. Psychology has identified personality types like psychopathy and sociopathy, which are marked in part by a lack of guilt and a complete lack of empathy or consideration for others. Even if not formally diagnosed, we will encounter those who operate in this way, doing whatever it takes to get what they want. Based on the biblical description of the reprobate mind, it certainly seems like those with these self-centered personality traits might have lost the ability to recognize their sinfulness as evil. For them, the means always justify the end, and the end is always themselves.
The reprobate mind is driven by a goal of satisfying one’s evil desires and perpetuating those desires in others. The danger is that those who love evil can grow to love it so much that God will remove from them the ability to recognize goodness. That is when the Lord removes his hand and, consequently, gives them over to be ruled by the sin and death they crave. We always pray for the hope of revelation and salvation, but we must understand that there are those who have gone too far. In those instances, God is no less gracious and loving than He has been with us. Father, help us to reach the lost and keep some from being given over completely to sin and death.