“A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God” (A. W. Tozer).
Once again we want to deal with the statement by Tozer and how all problems with theology and doctrine can finally be traced to a low view of God. We will continue on in this by looking at Romans 1 again which shows how all errors in theology and ethics can be traced to a rejection of the truth of God. We can also see the link between the truth of theology and ethics. All ethics, in order to be true ethics, must come from a true and exalted view of the living God as Creator and as sovereign.
“For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:25-32).
We pick up our thoughts in v. 26 by noting the connection with v. 25. God punishes sinners when they exchange the truth of God for a lie. In doing this, they worship and serve the creature which can be themselves rather than the Creator. When people turn from the living God by exchanging the truth of Him to worship a creature, He gives them over to degrading passions. Again we see that a bad ethical practice (sin) flows from a rejection of the truth of God and a worship of self. Clearly from the verses in this text (vv. 26-27) homosexuality is a sin and it is one that involves the rejection of the truth of God. Perhaps there is no clearer text in the Bible that speaks of homosexuality. This verse does not use the word, but it describes what it is. In other words, word studies will not escape this description. These people have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worship the creature. God punishes them for that by giving them over to degrading passions. Those degrading passions are described in vv. 26-27. The line of the sin is clear from this text. It starts with a rejection of the truth of God.
As we go on to verses 28-31, the same line is seen. As all the way through this section of Scripture, sin begins with a rejection of God. The word for acknowledge in v. 28 (echo) has the idea of to hold or to have. In other words, the failure to acknowledge God is really a failure to hold on or to have God any longer. This is simply another way of putting the same basic theme throughout this section of Scripture. Men suppress the truth, they do not honor God as God, they exchange the glory of God, and they exchange the truth of God for a lie. Everything that has to do with bad theology and bad ethics starts with a rejection of God and an exchanging of the truth of God and His glory for something else. That leads to a depraved mind in a downward spiral. When a mind is not filled with God, it will be filled with wickedness, greed and the whole list of things in vv 29-31. In that list there is also the entry that they are “haters of God.” Not acknowledging God is an act of hatred and leads to a greater degree of hatred. A person who hates God hates those who are in His image though they do not always recognize this. That is where the evil, greed, murder, strife, deceit, and malice come from. That is also arrogance and pride. Sin simply begins with low or wrong views of God. It then begins a downward spiral into lower views of God and more and more sin in the heart and life.
Ethics should never be thought of as apart from true theology. While ethics is taught in universities today, the practice and study of ethics will never be true ethics apart from the knowledge of God. What is taught today in the universities and schools is really unethical since it founds its teachings on low views of God even if God is never mentioned. God is the Creator and all we do comes from our view of Him. There is no escape from Him.
God Loves... Himself 
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