The Great Exchange

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:22-23

We have seen how sin distorts the mind and darkens the heart of men and women.

Now, continuing his explanation of the reality of God's wrath being revealed, Paul expands this idea. Not only are we darkened and futile in our thinking. We are also self-deceived. claiming to be wise, they became fools. People's foolishness is shown primarily by a breathtaking exchange that has taken place.

In place of the "glory of the immortal God", the human race now worships material images. Paul is explaining the nature of idolatry, and by extension all man-made religious systems and beliefs. The "glory" of God is his divine excellence; it is that quality of God that essentially defines who he is. God's glory is the revelation of his true nature and essence. Something of this glory is revealed in and through what God has made - the so-called natural world. Mankind, however, has rejected this knowledge and has replaced it (Paul says, "exchanged it") for a crude and pathetic substitute - man-made images.

Consider the contrast. God is "immortal"; idols are material. God is the creator; idols are created by people. God upholds all life; idols have to be carried around and set in place. Instead of the knowledge of the immortal God, people make images that look like elephants, monkeys, men or women.

The problem of idolatry, of course, is not limited to "eastern" or "pre-literate" societies. Western post-industrial societies are rife with idolatry as well. The images of God that are set up in place of the glory of the immortal God tend to be in the mind rather than carved out of wood, but are every bit as idolatrous. They exist in two main forms.

Firstly, there are mental projections of who are what God is like. These are often found at the end of sentences which begin, "I like to think of God as....". Such ideas start in the human mind and are often the projection of an individual's or groups' ideas or values. This is why, today, we hear people foolishly describe God as "pro-American" or "gender neutral"; God is "cool" or "wants to make you rich." Equally foolishly, God is described as "not being capable of anger", "tolerant" of diverse sexual orientations or "within us all."

The second type of idolatry is more blatant. It consists of the exaltation of something created to the point where it is adored or becomes the object of devotion in place of God. Sex is a classic object of idolatry in the western world. Money is another. Self-fulfilment is a popular idol in secular societies.

The reality, as anthropology shows, is that human beings are essentially religious beings: they tend to always worship (in the sense of serve devotedly) something or someone.

This idolatrous mindset is the result of a darkened mind and foolish heart. It is the great exchange that the human race has made. It is the reason God's wrath is revealed.

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:22-23