AND, ALTHOUGH THEY KNOW THE ORDINANCE OF GOD: hoitines to dikaioma tou theou epignontes (AAPMPN): (18,21; 2:1-5,21-23)

"Know" (1921) (epiginosko from epí = upon, gives force of “fully” + ginosko = to know) means to know fully, to become thoroughly acquainted with or to know thoroughly. Epiginosko means to possess more or less definite information about, and can imply a degree of thoroughness or competence and so to know definitely about. Epiginosko denotes the clear discernment which men had of God's regulations of "right and wrong".

Why did they know "beyond a shadow of a doubt"? Paul explained...

that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them...so that they are without excuse...they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (see exposition of Romans 1:21ff)

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (Romans 2:14-15)

Aorist tense indicates that they had been effectively made aware of God's "ordinance." These men have a full experiential knowledge not only that the things they practice are wrong but also that they themselves are deserving of death. They know this is God’s verdict, however much they seek to rationalize or legalize these sins. But this does not deter them from indulging in these forms of ungodliness. In fact they unite with others to promote them, and feel a sense of camaraderie with their partners-in-sin.

John Piper notes that...

This is an astonishing affirmation about human nature. Everybody has knowledge of God and the moral law of God, whether they have seen a Bible or not, or whether they live in America or in an undiscovered people group of Irian Jaya...The second observation is that this knowledge means people are without excuse before God not only because of the way they treat God, but also because of the way they treat each other. (Romans 1:28-32 Doing and Endorsing Evil)

Haldane writes that...

This the heathens knew, from the work of the law written in their hearts. Although they had almost entirely stifled in themselves the dictates of conscience, it did not cease, in some measure, to remonstrate against the unworthiness of their conduct, and to threaten the wrath of God, which their sins deserved. They recognized it by some remains they had of right notions of the Godhead (Editorial note: One example is the worldwide existence of the remnants of covenant - see H Clay Trumbull's fascinating work "The Blood Covenant" the second edition published in 1885) and by which they still understood that God was judge of the world; and this was confirmed to them by examples of Divine vengeance which sometimes passed before their eyes. They knew it even by the false ideas of the superstition in which they were plunged, which required them to seek for expiations. That they knew it in a measure is evident by their laws, which awarded punishments to some of those vices of which they were guilty. (Haldane, R. An Exposition of Romans.)

Albert Barnes writing about their knowledge of God's ordinance says that this is substantiated by the secular writings...

Livy says of the age of Augustus, in some respects the brightest period of the Roman history, "Rome has increased by her virtues until now, when we can neither bear our vices nor their remedy." (Preface to his History.) Seneca, one of the purest moralists of Rome, who died A. D. 65, says of his own time, "All is full of criminality and vice; indeed much more of these is committed than can be remedied by force. A monstrous contest of abandoned wickedness is carried on. The lust of sin increases daily; and shame is daily more and more extinguished. Discarding respect for all that is good and sacred, lust rushes on wherever it will. Vice no longer hides itself. It stalks forth before all eyes. So public has abandoned wickedness become, and so openly does it flame up in the minds of all, that innocence is no longer seldom, but has wholly ceased to exist," Seneca de Ira, ii. 8. Further authorities of this kind could be easily given, but these will show that the apostle Paul did not speak at random when he charged them with these enormous crimes. (Romans 1)

Ordinance (1345) (dikaioma from dikaióo = to justify <> díkaios = just, righteous <> dike = right) refers to what God has declared to be right and here referring to His decree of retribution which has the force of law. Dikaioma is used elsewhere in this Epistle with its other meaning of “righteousness” (see table below).   Strictly speaking dikaioma is what God establishes as just.

Dikaioma is found 10 times in the NT (Luke; Romans 5x; Hebrews 2x; Revelation 2x) and is translated as - act of righteousness, 1; justification, 1; ordinance, 1; regulations, 2; requirement, 1; requirements, 2; righteous acts, 2 (NASB)

In simple terms, as used here by Paul dikaioma is God’s declaration about what is right and just.

Kenneth Wuest writes that dikaioma is

Primarily that which is deemed right, so as to have the force of law; hence an ordinance. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos)

Paul's point in this verse is that these men with depraved minds were aware of God's regulations for right living and had an  innate knowledge that the things they were doing were wrong and deserving of His retribution. Simply put they knew they were doing wrong and justly deserving of punishment but they simply don't care!

Godet writes that because of God's workings men had ..

"moral light...produced in them as well as religious light (see Romans 1:21). The words following indicate the contents of that sentence which God had taken care to engrave on their heart. What appeals to God's justice do we not find in the writings of Gentile historians and philosophers! What a description in their poets of the punishment inflicted on malefactors in Tartarus!" (Godet, F: The Epistle of St Paul to the Romans)

Vine writes that dikaioma refers to...

what God has declared to be right (dikaioma), here referring to His decree of retribution. The relative pronoun “who,” as in verse 25, suggests that what is now to be stated concerning the sinners mentioned is the cause of the evils just enumerated. The evils are the effect of the refusal to accept and follow what they know to be right. Man’s conscience and experience tell him of the evil character and effects of impurity and cruelty, and their Divine condemnation. (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson or Logos)

Dikaioma has 3 basic meanings in the NT:

(1) Dikaioma most often refers to a regulation relating to a just or right action, especially in reference to God's requirements, ordinances or regulations. In other words, dikaioma is used to refer to an act which is in accordance with what God requires. It is an appointment of God having the force of law.

And they [Zacharias and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist] were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements (dikaioma) of the Lord." Luke 1.6

If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements (dikaioma) of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Romans 2:16
 

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the requirement (dikaioma) of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-4

Now even the first covenant had regulations (dikaioma) of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. Hebrews 9:1

since they (Jewish gifts and sacrifices called for under the Old Covenant) relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations (dikaioma) for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
 

(2) Dikaioma can refer to the fulfillment of a legal requirement, a righteous deed or an act of justice, by Christ (Ro 5.18), by God (Rev 15.4) or by saints (Rev 19.8).

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness (dikaioma - here a reference to the Death of Christ, an act accomplished and consistent with God's character) there resulted justification of life to all men." Romans 5:18 Here the a righteous act is that of our Lord Jesus Christ in satisfying the demands of the law which mankind broke.

"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE THEE, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed." Rev 15.4

And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

(3) Dikaioma is used once to signify the clearing of someone of a violation as an act of justification. In this use it equates with the removal of guilt or granting of an acquittal.

And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification (dikaioma = here refers to a "declaration of righteousness"). Romans 5.16

THAT THOSE WHO PRACTICE SUCH THINGS: hoti oi ta toiauta prassontes (PAPMPN):  

Practice (4238)  (prasso) means to practice but is distinguished from poieo which means "to do", because prasso expresses a course of conduct, whereas the present tense of poieo expresses a series of repeated acts.

The old adage "practice makes perfect" gives an ironic twist to this verse. Their practice makes them perfectly fit for God's righteous judgment!

Prasso is in the present tense  indicating this is their habitual practice.

ARE WORTHY OF DEATH: axioi thanatou eisin (3PPAI):

Worthy (514) (axios) means weighing as much as, of like value, worth as much. It means having the weight of another thing and so being of like value or worth as much. In other words axios has the root meaning of balancing the scales—what is on one side of the scale should be equal in weight to what is on the other side. In the present context these depraved men and women are fully aware of the fact that when their unrighteous deeds are weighed in the balance, they warrant only one thing...death, not simply the natural termination of life, but the execution of the divine penalty upon sin.

Death (2288) (thanatos from thnesko = to die) refers to physical or spiritual death. In either event thanatos in the NT is treated not as a natural process but always as a destroying power related to sin and its consequences.

In a parallel passage Paul repeats this thought asking...

Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death (see exposition of Romans 6:21)

Godet comments that

Death...here denotes death as God only can inflict it, the pains of Hades, which the Gentiles also recognized, and which Paul, designating things from his own point of view, calls death. (ibid)

Hodge explains that death...

"here, as is frequently the case, means punishment, in the general meaning of that word. It expresses the penalty of the law and includes all evil inflicted for the satisfaction of justice. Paul therefore teaches that the heathen knew they deserved punishment for their crimes, or in other words, that they were justly exposed to God’s wrath, which was revealed against all human ungodliness and unrighteousness. In verse 15 of the following chapter (see exposition of Romans 2:15) Paul explains the source of this knowledge. It was a knowledge written in their hearts, as part of their nature, and it was implied in their being moral agents. As Paul had already shown that the godlessness of the heathen had no excuse, since they knew about the true God, so here he shows that their immorality had no excuse, since they did not sin in ignorance of the nature or consequences of their sin. This passage also shows that God’s judicial giving up of mankind does not destroy man’s freedom of choice or his responsibility. Men give themselves over to do evil, and yet know that they deserve death for what they do. The stream which carries them away is not outside but within them. It is their own corrupt nature. It is themselves." (Hodge, C.: Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, 1835)

Those who either practice or approve of these things are worthy of death; they are the worth objects of the wrath of God. Not simply the natural termination of life, but the execution of the divine penalty upon sin. This statement is explanatory of “the ordinance of God.” That ordinance is next stated. It is that those who do such deeds are worthy of death. The heathen moralists admitted this. Yet in spite of this knowledge they not only continued in their vile sins, but took pleasure in them. No deeper degree of depravity can be found than when men call evil good, and cherish it. The conclusion, from these facts, is that all such guilty persons are under condemnation.

THEY NOT ONLY DO THE SAME: ou monon auta poiousin (3PPAI):

Do (4160) (poieo) expresses action which is continued and not yet completed as emphasized by the present tense.

The same (846) (monon) means only or alone and with the negative (ou) as in this case means "not only".

What a description of this world of sinners, this race alienated from the life of God, —at enmity with Him, and at strife with one another! But all in a hellish unity of evil!

Romans 1 gives ample proof that the heathen are lost. Dan Crawford, British missionary to Africa, said:

“The heathen are sinning against a flood of light.”

There is a desperate need for us to carry the Gospel to all men, for this is the only way they can be saved.

BUT ALSO GIVE HEARTY APPROVAL TO THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM: alla kai suneudokousin (3PPAI) tois prassousin (PAPMPD):  (Psalms 50:18; Hosea 7:3; Mark 14:10,11)

Give hearty approval (4909)  (suneudokeo from sun = together with + eu = good + dokéo = think ) literally means to "think well with", and so to consent or to give hearty approval to something (cf Lu11:48). It means to join in approval, agree with, approve of, consent to or sympathize with.

Suneudokeo is used 6 times in the NT and is translated --  approve, 1; approving, 1; consents, 2; give hearty approval, 1; hearty agreement, 1 (NAS) as shown in the following verses:

Luke 11:48 "Consequently, you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.

Acts 8:1 And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Acts 22:20 'And when the blood of Thy witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the cloaks of those who were slaying him.'

Romans 1:32  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.

1 Corinthians 7:12  But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, let him not send her away. 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, let her not send her husband away.

The idea is that these men and women continually (present tense) express a hearty approval of those who continually (present tense) practice these nefarious deeds and even take pleasure with them! Such is the mind given over to depravity & self. Not only is the voice of a reasonable conscience stifled, but the mind has become absolutely hardened & callous regarding the moral degradation and ruin of others, and so naturally takes "wicked" pleasure in their sinfulness.

So their sins are not sins of ignorance, but of blatant rebellion. Where does all this violence, immorality, cruelty and degradation come from? Men have abandoned the true knowledge of God, and the state of society is a reflection of God's judgment upon them for this  In summary in this section we are confronted with three terrible realities: (1) Men have complete inner knowledge from God that their ways deserve and must have Divine condemnation and judgment; (2) they persist in their practices despite the clear witness of their conscience and (3) they are in a fellowship of evil with other evil-doers! Paul has painted a picture of man in desperate, dire straits morally speaking and only the gospel of Jesus Christ can set men free from the ensnaring bonds of such evil.

The premier example of evil men giving hearty approval is found in the betrayal of Jesus where we read that...

Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests, in order to betray Him to them. And they were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time. Mark 14:10,11

The psalmist has a similar accusation writing that...

"When you see a thief, you are pleased with him (you join with him, you help him), and you associate with adulterers." Psalms 50:18

Godet has an interesting comment writing that...

The "not only", "but even" (NAS = "but also"), rightly assumes that there is more guilt in approving in cold blood of the evil committed by others, than in committing it oneself under the force and blindness of passion. Such a mode of acting is therefore the last stage in the corruption of the moral sense. (Ibid)

John Piper refers to this section as

Committing Spiritual Suicide and Taking Others Along... In other words, the end-point of depravity is not just the suicidal love affair with sin, but the desire to bring others with you to destruction. It's not just that people choose death for themselves in the passion of sin, but that they become Dr. Kevorkians (a medical doctor who advocated "euthanasia") at the spiritual level, and assist others in eternal self-destruction by approving their sin."!  (Romans 1:28-32 Doing and Endorsing Evil)

Pastor Ray Stedman writes that...

Knowing that harm is coming from their wickedness, nevertheless they attempt to spread it more fully. They invade the field of education; they dominate the media; they seek legal status for their wickedness and defy all attempts at control. As you can well recognize, this is what is going on today. (Romans 1:24-32 The Deepening Darkness)

Newell exclaims...

What a description of this world of sinners, this race alienated from the life of God, at enmity with Him, and at strife with one another! But all in a hellish unity of evil! (Romans 1)

Haldane explains that their giving "hearty approval"...

is added to mark the depth of their corruption. For when men are not entirely abandoned to sin, although they allow of it in their own circumstances and practice, yet they condemn it in their general notions, and in the practice of others, because then it is not connected with their own interest and self–love. But when human corruption has arrived at its height, men not only commit sins, but approve of them in those who commit them. While this was strictly applicable to the whole body of the people, it was chargeable in the highest degree on the leaders and philosophers, who, having more light than the others, treated in their schools some of those things as crimes of which they were not only guilty themselves, but the commission of which they encouraged by their connivance, especially in the abominable rites practiced in the worship of their gods."

And so "By these conclusive proofs Paul substantiates his charge, in Romans 1:18, against the whole Gentile world, first of ungodliness, and then of unrighteousness as its consequence, against which the wrath of God is revealed.

It is impossible to add anything to the view here given of the reign of corruption among the heathens; even the most celebrated and civilized, which is fully attested by their own historians. Nothing can be more horrible than this representation of their state; and as the picture is drawn by the Spirit of God, who is acquainted not only with the outward actions, but with the secret motives of men, no Christian can suppose that it is exaggerated. The Apostle, then, had good reason to conclude in the sequel, that justification by works is impossible, and that in no other way can it be obtained but by grace. From the whole, we see how terrible to his posterity have been the consequences of the sin of the first man; and, on the other hand, how glorious in the plan of redemption is the grace of God by His Son. (Ibid) (Bolding added)

George Bernard Shaw although not a believer made the interesting comment (albeit still an aberration of truth) that...

“No nation has ever survived the loss of its gods (Editorial correction: The One True Living God!).”

In Romans chapter 1 Paul in fact has given us a terrible picture of what happens when men deliberately banish the only true and living God from their reckoning. In due time, Rome perished. Disaster and degeneracy went hand in hand as they always, inevitably do when men or women place God far from their minds and replace Him with so-called "gods" of their own making.

John MacArthur presents an interesting illustration of man apart from God writing that...

A certain species of ants in Africa builds its nests in deep subterranean tunnels, where its young and its queen live. Although they may be great distances from the nest foraging for food, worker ants of that species are able to sense when the queen is being molested and they become extremely nervous and uncoordinated. If she is killed, they become frantic and rush around aimlessly until they die. What better illustration could there be of fallen man. Even in his sinful rejection and rebellion, he cannot function properly apart from God and is destined only for death. (MacArthur, J. Romans. Chicago: Moody Press)

Pastor Ray Pritchard (see his entire sermon entitled "When God Gives Up") graphically and poignantly summarizes this section of Paul's introductory statements writing that...

"We have now reached the bottom, and it is not a nice place to be. The bottom is where you are when evil becomes good and good becomes evil. (cf Isa5:20) The bottom is where you are when the wrongdoers are publicly praised while defenders of morality are reviled. The bottom is where you are when truth is on the scaffold and wrong is on the throne.

The Living Bible has a striking translation of the first part of this verse:

"They were fully aware of God’s death penalty for these crimes, yet they went right ahead and did them anyway."

That, my friends, is the bottom—when evil is celebrated publicly! At this point you have the total reversal of values in society. I do not think it unfair to say that we have essentially reached this point in America. The wrongdoers have nearly taken control of two key areas of modern society—education and the media. Now they seek legal status for their iniquity. And they defy all attempts at control. When a major magazine argues that homosexuality is "normal" and when a public figure is chastised for speaking out against it, when the churches are ordaining homosexuals and those who object are mercilessly vilified, when Baptist ministers rally in support of a boxing champion convicted of rape, when all those things are true, what you have is the final loss of public morality. No one knows the difference between right and wrong because the values of society have been turned upside down." (Read the 5 uses of the phrase "right in his own eyes"!) ...

Let us understand something at this point. God’s judgment on sin is generally not of the fire and brimstone variety. That rarely happens. When God wants to judge a community or a nation, he simply lets sin take its natural course. If we insist on destroying ourselves, God says,

"OK, go ahead and destroy yourselves. I won’t stop you."

He simply lets us go our merry way. The true judgment on the human race is that man has turned away from God and does not realize it. What is the judgment of God when men turn away from him? God "gives them up" to their own devices. He lets them follow their own desires. He doesn’t try to stop their meteoric descent into the abyss.

God "abandons" the human race by letting men reap what they sow. Nothing more terrible could ever be contemplated. When men "abandon" God in their thinking, God "abandons" them. Why? Because God is a perfect gentleman. He respects the freedom of the human will. If a man or a woman decides to live without Him, he says,

"Fine. You can live without me. In the end, you’ll be sorry. But if that’s your decision, I’ll respect it."

On the evening news, a commentator’s brief description of Mardi Gras in New Orleans summed up the spirit of our age. Quoting one young person he said:

“It is sin and degradation, and we love it!”

Hearty approval even though they know God's ordinances!

Hughes writes that...