Romans 1:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

NIV: They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,

NASB: people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips,

CSB: They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

NLT: Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.

KJV: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

NKJV: being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

In this passage, Paul has pointed out how mankind has no excuses for rejecting God. God has made Himself plain enough, in creation itself, that we ought to seek Him (Romans 1:18–20). Those who twist their minds in order to ignore that evidence simply become more and more foolish (Romans 1:21–22). This leads to general idolatry (Romans 1:23), and then to God's wrath. In particular, this wrath is expressed when God steps aside and lets us suffer the natural consequences of our sin. This begins with mankind's most pervasive temptation: sexuality (Romans 1:24–28).

Now Paul begins to list other ways in which humanity expresses our rebellion against God. God, for His part, has responded to our refusal to acknowledge Him as God by giving us up to indulge in all of these sins and to experience the natural, painful consequences of living outside of His direction for us. These sins are no different than those mentioned earlier, in that sense.

Humans who reject God become filled with all kinds of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. Our desire to do wrong to get what we want rages unchecked. We are fully willing to hurt others to get what we want, leading us to be full of envy, murder, strife, deceitfulness, and maliciousness. We also gossip freely, an action the Bible always holds as a great evil.

Does this mean that every non-Christian person habitually does each and every one of these things? Clearly not. However, humanity as a whole is certainly guilty of all of these things and much more, because of the sin that is in each of us individually.

Romans 1:18–32 describes why God rightfully condemns humanity and some of what He has done about it. Humanity's fall is pictured as a downward progression. It starts with rejecting God as creator, refusing to see what can be known about Him by what He has made. We also reject that He is our provider and stop giving Him thanks. We worship His creation instead of Him. Finally, God acts by giving us over to the unchecked expression of our corrupt sexual desires and all other kinds of sin. In part, He expresses His wrath by giving us what we want and condemning us to suffer the painful consequences.

Romans 1 introduces Paul and his purpose in writing this letter to the Christians in Rome. As servant and apostle of Jesus, Paul's mission in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people groups, both Jews and Gentiles. He hopes to do so in Rome soon. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God's power for the salvation of all people by faith in Christ. We need to be saved because God is angry with us. Because of our sin, humanity has rejected Him as creator and provider. We worship created things, instead. In response, God has given us over to indulge in all kinds of sinful practices that lead to misery now and His angry judgment later.

Romans 1 begins with Paul's introduction of himself and his mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. After telling the Christians in Rome that he is eager to come see them and preach the gospel there, Paul declares that the gospel is God's power to save everyone who believes in Jesus. We need to be saved, because our sin has earned God's wrath. As a whole, humanity has rejected God as creator and provider. We worship creation instead of Him. In response, He has given us over to the full indulgence of our sinful desires. We are guilty and deserve His judgment.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.