Sin in Romans 1

Last summer I never finished looking at sin in Romans--the semester started and so it went. However, Hebrews class this week has raised questions about what sin is again, this time in relation to Jesus. What exactly does the author of Hebrews have in mind when he says that Christ was tested in every way similarly without sin?

I don't propose an answer to that today, but I do want to finish running through Romans eventually, so a revisiting of Romans 1 today.

1. (1:18) The wrath of God is revealed against ασεβεια (ungodliness) and αδικια (unrighteousness).

Certainly sin is in view. What is it? It primarily seems to look toward the practice of idolatry (1:23). Paul invokes culpability on the basis of knowledge--they should have known better (1:19-21). There seems to be a sense that, at least corporately, those nations that have rejected God are involved in a known transgression--they knew the good they ought to do but did not do it.

Romans 1 treats the "sins" in the rest of the chapter as derivative. Because of their idolatry, God "gave them up" to sexual sins and many other types of sin as well. 1:32 reiterates culpability again--"although they knew the right--that those who practice such things are worthy of death--they not only did them but approved of those who did them."

Again, Paul is making a corporate rather than individual argument. What is interesting to me is the apparent importance of knowledge in culpability here. There does seem to be enslavement in the chapter as well--"God gave them up in their passions" (1:24, 26, 28). So we can perhaps speak of two views of sin in this chapter by Paul 1) ultimate culpability on the basis of intention and 2) intermediate slavery to sin as a result of prior intention.

Questions emerge of course. Is prior individual intention or prior corporate intention the main source of enslavement to sin in Paul's mind? To what extent is this a "parable" of sin in humanity and to what extent is it a blueprint? Idolatry as Paul has in view does not exist in most of our worlds, yet the other behaviors of the chapter do. Does homosexuality generally follow on idolatry and did Paul really mean to suggest something of this sort.

Questions, questions...