The reason Paul focuses on homosexuality, I think, in these verses is because it is the most vivid dramatization in life of the profoundest connection

between the disordering of heart worship and the disordering of sexual relations.

So what is the relationship between worship and sexual disorder.

That's the question John Piper answers

from Romans 1 24 to 28 in this episode of Light and Truth.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church

on October 11, 1998.

Verse 25, they exchanged the church. V.

V They exchange the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the

Creator who is blessed forever, amen.

Now what is that parallel? That parallels

verse 23. They exchange the glory of God for images. Here they exchange the truth

about God for a lie. What's the truth of God that they exchange? The truth of God

that the exchange is God is more to be preferred than creatures. God is more valuable

than creatures, any creatures, human creatures or any other creatures God is more valuable and that truth was exchanged for a lie.

What's the lie? The lie is my way is better than God's way. That's the lie. My preferences are

superior to God's preferences for me. Idols are better than the maker.

So that corresponds to verse 23 and that's step one.

Here's step two in this second sequence.

Verse 26.

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions.

What does that correspond to?

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