Romans 1:28 kjv

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Romans 1:28 nkjv

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

Romans 1:28 niv

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Romans 1:28 esv

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.

Romans 1:28 nlt

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

Romans 1 verses

Romans 1 28 Meaning

Romans 1:28 signifies a pivotal point in God's judgment against humanity. Due to humanity's deliberate and conscious refusal to acknowledge and retain God in their understanding and knowledge, God justly allowed them to descend into their own chosen depravity. This divine abandonment, referred to as "gave them over," results in a corrupted and unapproved mind (a mind that fails to discern spiritual and moral truth), leading them to engage in actions that are inherently improper, immoral, and contrary to divine order and natural law. It reveals a cause-and-effect relationship where rejecting the source of all truth leads to complete moral decay.

Romans 1 28 Context

Romans 1:28 is the culmination of Paul's argument regarding the universal guilt of Gentile humanity. Paul asserts that God's existence and character are plainly evident through creation (Rom 1:19-20), leaving humanity without excuse. However, humanity suppressed this truth, refusing to honor God or give thanks, exchanging His glory for idols and created things (Rom 1:21-23). As a consequence of this fundamental spiritual rebellion and idolatry, God initiates a threefold judicial act of "giving them over" (Rom 1:24, 26, 28).

The first "giving over" was to sexual impurity (Rom 1:24-25) as a result of exchanging the truth of God for a lie. The second "giving over" was to dishonorable passions and homosexual acts (Rom 1:26-27), explicitly linking the degradation of human relationships to the degradation of their relationship with God. The third "giving over" in verse 28 marks the most severe judgment: a total abandonment to a corrupted mind, signifying the complete breakdown of moral reasoning and spiritual discernment. This context underscores that moral decay is not just a societal problem, but a direct outcome of theological rebellion and a judgment from a just God who allows those who reject His light to walk in darkness.

Romans 1 28 Word analysis

• And even as they did not like to retain:

  • Original Greek: καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν ἔχειν (kathōs ouk edokimasan echein)
  • ἐδοκίμασαν (edokimasan): from dokimazō, meaning "to test, examine, prove, approve, to consider worthy." The aorist tense implies a decisive act of choice in the past.
  • οὐκ (ouk): "not," indicating a strong negation.
  • Significance: This phrase indicates a conscious, volitional rejection, a disapproval or disqualification of God in their knowledge. It was not a lack of information, but an unwillingness to value or keep Him. They evaluated God and found Him displeasing or unnecessary.

• God in their knowledge:

  • Original Greek: τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει (ton Theon en epignōsei)
  • ἐπιγνώσει (epignōsei): from epignōsis, meaning "full, complete, or accurate knowledge." It implies a deeper, more personal recognition and acknowledgment than gnōsis (general knowledge).
  • Significance: Humanity had a clear revelation of God through creation (Rom 1:19-20). This isn't about being ignorant, but actively suppressing the deep truth about God that was available to them. They deliberately refused to bring Him to mind or acknowledge Him fully.

• God gave them over:

  • Original Greek: παρέδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτούς (paredōken ho Theos autous)
  • παρέδωκεν (paredōken): from paradidōmi, meaning "to hand over, deliver up, surrender."
  • Significance: This is a judicial act by God, not active causation of evil, but passive abandonment as a consequence of their sin. It's a withdrawal of His restraining grace, allowing them to pursue their chosen path to its full, destructive conclusion. This is the third such instance in Romans 1, indicating escalating judgment.

• to a debased mind:

  • Original Greek: εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν (eis adokimon noun)
  • ἀδόκιμον (adokimon): "disapproved, rejected, worthless, reprobate." It's the antonym of dokimazō (approved). This word connects directly back to ἐδοκίμασαν (edokimasan - "did not approve" from above).
  • νοῦν (noun): "mind, understanding, reason, perception."
  • Significance: Their mind, which should be capable of moral and spiritual discernment, has become unfit for its intended purpose. It's a mind that has been tested by the truth of God and failed the test, resulting in a distorted and perverse understanding of reality.

• to do those things which are not fitting:

  • Original Greek: ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα (poiein ta mē kathēkonta)
  • καθήκοντα (kathēkonta): "fitting, proper, seemly, appropriate, morally right."
  • μὴ (mē): "not," indicating what is improper or unfitting.
  • Significance: The debased mind manifests itself in outwardly immoral actions that are contrary to decency, justice, and God's revealed moral law. This is not just a list of wrong acts, but acts that violate the very essence of what is appropriate for humanity. This leads directly into the catalog of vices in Romans 1:29-31.

Romans 1 28 Bonus section

The progression from spiritual rebellion (vv. 18-23) to moral depravity (vv. 24-32) through God's "giving over" (vv. 24, 26, 28) illustrates a foundational principle: theological distortion invariably leads to ethical corruption. The initial sin of exchanging God's glory for idols directly impacts human behavior. The tri-level "gave them over" in Romans 1 indicates a worsening spiritual condition and intensified judgment, where God moves from allowing impurity to vile passions and finally to total mental debasement. This progression reveals a consistent divine response to unrepentant sin: continued suppression of truth leads to deeper darkness and spiritual bondage. The specific Greek words chosen, especially the repeated root of dokimazō for "did not like to retain" and "debased," powerfully emphasize that humanity's deliberate rejection of God renders their own minds worthless in God's eyes for moral judgment.

Romans 1 28 Commentary

Romans 1:28 unveils a profound truth about divine judgment and human responsibility. The phrase "did not like to retain God in their knowledge" reveals the proactive, volitional rejection by humanity. It wasn't simple ignorance, but a deliberate disqualification of God from their cognitive and spiritual sphere. This rejection, fueled by a preference for self-sovereignty and created things, incurred a specific, righteous divine response: God "gave them over." This isn't God forcing sin upon them, but justly removing His restraint and allowing humanity to fully experience the natural and judicial consequences of their choices.

The result is a "debased mind," a faculty of understanding that is no longer able to correctly process moral or spiritual truth. Having chosen to disapprove of God (using the same root word as "debased"), their mind itself became disapproved and worthless in discerning righteousness. This corrupted inner state inevitably leads to "doing things which are not fitting"—acts utterly contrary to what is proper, just, or harmonious with God's design. This is the root cause for the subsequent list of egregious sins in the following verses. Paul meticulously shows that spiritual apostasy (rejecting God's rightful place) invariably precedes and explains moral decay, highlighting the essential connection between knowing God and living righteously. This judgment serves as a somber reminder that God, in His holiness, will not indefinitely strive with those who willfully suppress the truth He has revealed.