APOSTASY?
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God (if men do not understand God in the realm of Creation, they will not understand Him in anything else), neither were thankful (refusing to honor Him resulted in a lack of gratitude for His Gifts); but became vain in their imaginations (presents the only direction that fallen man can go, considering he has rejected God), and their foolish heart was darkened (speaks of the rejection of Light).?22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (lays waste to all so-called wisdom which is not of God),?23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God (presents the sin of the ages, and points not only to the heathen of old, but also much of modern Christendom) into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things (proclaims the degeneration of man, which is the opposite of evolution).?
RESULTS OF APOSTASY?
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts (not merely permissive, but God judicially delivered them over), to dishonour their own bodies between themselves (speaks of every type of immorality):?25 Who changed the Truth of God into a lie (refers back to Verse 23, which speaks of spiritual and sexual uncleanness), and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator (this refers to man worshiping the creation of his own hands, which means that he is worshiping something less than himself), Who is blessed forever. Amen (should have been translated “Bless-ed” [two syllables], because it refers to the One doing the blessing, in this case the Lord).?26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections (the Lord removed His restraints and, therefore, gave them unimpeded access to their desires): for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature (in short speaks of Lesbianism):?27 And likewise also the men (homosexuality), leaving the natural use of the woman (speaks of the sex act which is performed between the man and his wife), burned in their lust one toward another (raging lust); men with men working that which is unseemly (specifies its direction, which is total perversion), and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet (refers to the penalty attached to wrongdoing).?28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge (carries the idea of the human race putting God to the test for the purpose of approving or disapproving Him), God gave them over to a reprobate mind (Light rejected is Light withdrawn), to do those t