Romans 1:23 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - Romans 1:22-25

Downward evolution. No charge more acutely stings a man than that of being considered senseless; he would rather be deemed a knave than a fool. The apostle shows that man, whom God created upright that he might behold God and heavenly things, has continually gazed at the earth, and become prone like the beasts. Thus bending, he has wrapped his soul in shadow, and his religion, instead of a blessing, has proved a curse. I. THE WORSHIP OF IMAGES ORIGINATES IN A NATURAL ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Romans 1:23

And changed - This does not mean that they literally “transmuted” God himself; but that in their views they exchanged him; or they changed him “as an object of worship” for idols. They produced, of course, no real change in the glory of the infinite God, but the change was in themselves. They forsook him of whom they had knowledge Romans 1:21, and offered the homage which was due to him, to idols.The glory - The majesty, the honor, etc. This word stands opposed here to the “degrading” nature of... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Romans 1:21-23

Romans 1:21-23. “Because that when they knew God The writings of Plato, Xenophon, Plutarch, Cicero, and other philosophers, which still remain, together with the quotations made by Just. Martyr and Clem. Alexandrinus from those which are lost, prove that the learned heathen, though ignorant of the way of salvation, were not entirely unacquainted with the unity and spirituality of God, and had pretty just notions of his perfections, of the creation and government of the world, and of the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Romans 1:18-32

1:18-3:20 HUMANKIND’S SINFUL CONDITIONThe Gentile world (1:18-32)Because God is holy, just and true, he has an attitude of wrath, or righteous anger, against all that is wrong. He is opposed to sin in all its forms, and therefore guilty sinners are under his judgment. The Gentiles may not have received the teaching about God that the Jews have received, but they cannot excuse themselves by saying they know nothing about God. The created universe should tell them that there is a supreme being, a... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Romans 1:23

changed. Greek. allasso. see Acts 6:14 . glory . Greek. doxa. See p. 1511. uncorruptible . Greek. aphthartos. Here; 1 Corinthians 9:25 ; 1 Corinthians 15:52 . 1Ti 1:17 . 1 Peter 1:4 , 1 Peter 1:23 ; 1 Peter 3:4 . image, &c. = likeness (Greek. homoioma. Here, Romans 5:14 ; Romans 6:5 ; Romans 8:3 .Philippians 1:2 , Philippians 1:7 . Revelation 9:7 ) of an image of. image . Greek. eikon. Occurs twenty-three times; always so rendered. This is the Figure of speech Pleonasm. App-6 . ... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Romans 1:23

And changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-looted beasts, and creeping things.As Barmby observed:Scripture ever presents the human race as having fallen and become degraded, and not as having risen gradually to any intelligent conceptions of God at all.[47]The obfuscation of man's intellect was inflicted upon men punitively by God as a divine judgment against their failure to glorify and give thanks to God, and the... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Romans 1:23

Romans 1:23. And changed the glory— As their folly was evident in a variety of other vices, in which the philosophers of heathen nations joined with the people in general, so, particularly, in the early and almost universal prevalence of idolatry among them; by which they changed the glory of the immortal, incorruptible, and eternal God, even all the majestic splendours in which he shines forth through earth and heaven, into the representing image of mortal and corruptible man; which, how... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Romans 1:23

23. And changed—or "exchanged." the glory of the uncorruptible God into—or "for" an image . . . like to corruptible man—The allusion here is doubtless to the Greek worship, and the apostle may have had in his mind those exquisite chisellings of the human form which lay so profusely beneath and around him as he stood on Mars' Hill; and "beheld their devotions." (See on :-). But as if that had not been a deep enough degradation of the living God, there was found "a lower deep" still. and to... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Romans 1:18-32

A. The need of all people 1:18-32Perhaps Paul began by showing all people’s need for God’s righteousness first because he was the apostle to the Gentiles and his Roman readers were primarily Gentiles. His argument in Romans 1:18 to Romans 3:20 moves inward through a series of concentric circles of humanity."God never condemns without just cause. Here three bases are stated for His judgment of the pagan world. For suppressing God’s truth (Romans 1:18) For ignoring God’s revelation (Romans... read more