Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen. For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. The men in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.(Romans 1:24-27)
So here is a passage that people of this world hate. But Paul is not writing to the people of the world but the people of God. He is explaining to God’s people what they see happening all around them and how it is that human beings can spiral downward into sexual impurity in ever-increasing measures. Paul explains that this happens in two parts. First, people stop worshiping the true God and begin worshiping something of their own creation. In his patience, God will typically send a messenger to call people to repentance (think about how God sent Jonah to Nineveh). But when people ignore God’s messengers, God ultimately “delivers them over” to the desires of their hearts. With no restraining influence, they spiral downward.
This is not only descriptive of what happens in the world; it is a warning. God always works consistently and shows no favoritism. One sin left unchecked leads to another, and another, and another. This is why you should repent of your sin every day. It may feel repetitive and routine, but it is, in truth, essential. Daily repentance will keep you humble before God, and God will never abandon those who humble themselves before him.
Prayer:
Lord, teach me to repent of my sins and to repent quickly. Keep me humble before you. Never deliver me over to the sins that afflict me, but keep me in the palm of your hand.