The Great Exchange

Scriptures for Today:

Romans 1:18-25 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Introduction: Every Exchange Reveals What We Value

An exchange takes place when we give up one thing to receive something else. We make exchanges every day. We exchange money for groceries, gasoline, utilities, and other things we need. We exchange our time and labor for a paycheck. Whenever we make an exchange, we are saying that what we receive is worth what we are giving up.

Every exchange reveals what a person truly values.

The Bible gives us a powerful example in the life of Esau.

Hebrews 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Esau came in from the field tired and hungry, and Jacob had prepared a meal. Esau possessed a valuable birthright, but at that moment all he could think about was satisfying his appetite. He gave up something with lasting value for something that could satisfy him only temporarily. The food was soon gone, but the birthright no longer belonged to him.

Esau did not make that exchange because his birthright had no value. He made it because, in that moment, he valued his appetite more. He exchanged something lasting for something that could satisfy him for only a moment.

Romans 1 describes an exchange far greater and far more destructive than the exchange Esau made. Mankind was shown the truth about an eternal, powerful, and incorruptible God. Instead of glorifying Him, they exchanged His glory for corruptible images. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. They exchanged the worship of the Creator for the worship of the creature.

That is why this message is called “The Great Exchange.” It was not great because it was a good exchange. It was great because of the value of what mankind rejected, the worthlessness of what they chose, and the terrible consequences that followed. This was not an equal exchange. Mankind traded what was eternal and incorruptible for what was temporary and corruptible.

Before beginning in verse 18, we need to remember what Paul has just said about the gospel.

Romans 1:16–17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Two revelations stand beside one another in this passage. Verse 17 says that the righteousness of God is revealed through the gospel. Verse 18 says that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. The righteousness of God reveals how guilty sinners can be saved, while the wrath of God reveals why guilty sinners need to be saved. The good news of salvation becomes clear when we understand the bad news of our guilt.

Paul is beginning to establish that all mankind is guilty before God. Romans 1 confronts mankind’s rebellion against the Creator. Romans 2 confronts the person who condemns everyone else while committing sin himself. Romans 3 concludes that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. Paul removes every excuse before explaining how sinners can be justified by faith.

When people read Romans 1, their attention often jumps ahead to the sinful behavior described later in the chapter. Paul, however, does not begin with what mankind did with their bodies. He begins with what mankind did with God in their hearts. They refused to glorify Him as God. They were not thankful. Their imaginations became vain, and their foolish heart was darkened. Their corrupt behavior grew out of corrupted worship.

Before their bodies were dishonored, God was dishonored. Before their behavior became corrupted, their worship became corrupted. Before God gave them up to their lusts, they refused to glorify Him as God.

This passage presents three parts of the great exchange: the truth they rejected, the glory they exchanged, and the judgment they received.

1. The Truth They Rejected

Romans 1:18–20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

God’s wrath is not an uncontrolled temper. Human beings sometimes lose their tempers over foolish and insignificant things. We become angry when someone does not move when a traffic light turns green or when some other minor inconvenience interrupts our plans. God’s wrath is nothing like that. His wrath is the righteous response of a holy God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.

A good judge cannot simply allow wrongdoing to go unpunished. A judge who knowingly excuses evil and refuses to administer justice is not compassionate; he is corrupt. In the same way, God would not be righteous if He were indifferent toward sin.

Paul mentions both ungodliness and unrighteousness. Ungodliness begins with mankind’s refusal to honor God, and unrighteous living follows. A wrong life grows out of a wrong response toward the Creator. When people reject God’s authority, it will eventually affect the way they live.

These verses do not describe people who had no truth about God. Paul says that they “hold the truth in unrighteousness.” The idea is that they suppress or restrain the truth. They possess truth, but they refuse to allow that truth to govern their lives.

People sometimes say, “If God would only show Himself, then I would believe.” Romans 1 teaches that God has already shown mankind the truth about Himself. The real question is whether we are willing to submit to the God revealed by that truth.

God Has Shown Himself Through Creation

Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

God has shown mankind enough about Himself to make every person accountable. He has placed evidence of His existence, power, and wisdom throughout creation. The heavens, the earth, the complexity of life, and our own bodies all point beyond themselves to their Creator.

Consider the complexity of the human eye, the conception of a human life, or the growth of a child in the womb. These things do not point to blind chance. They display design, wisdom, power, and order.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Creation speaks to every nation and language without using an audible human voice. Imagine walking through the woods and discovering a fully constructed house. No reasonable person would conclude that the house assembled itself. Its walls, roof, doors, and windows would demonstrate that someone designed and built it.

The house would not tell us everything about its builder. We would not know his name, his complete character, or the details of his life merely by examining the structure. Nevertheless, the house would provide undeniable evidence that a builder existed.

Creation is not God, but it reveals the power and wisdom of the God who made it. If a building requires a builder, how much more does this vast and ordered universe point to an all-powerful Creator?

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

We cannot see God with our physical eyes, but we can see the work of His hands. The invisible things of God are understood through the visible things He has made. Creation reveals that God exists and displays His eternal power and Godhead—His divine nature. The things that were made point beyond themselves to the One who made them.

Creation does not, by itself, explain the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It reveals the Creator and leaves mankind without excuse, but the message of the gospel must be preached so that people can hear how to be saved.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God revealed the truth, but mankind refused to respond properly. The problem was not that God had hidden Himself. The problem was that mankind rejected what God had made known.

2. The Glory They Exchanged

Romans 1:21–23 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

When verse 21 says that “they knew God,” it does not mean that they were saved or had trusted Him. It means that they possessed a real awareness of God because He had revealed Himself through creation. The truth was available, but they refused to respond properly. Knowing that God exists is not the same as believing, honoring, and obeying Him.

They Glorified Him Not as God

God does not need us to add anything to His glory. He already possesses all glory. To glorify God is to recognize who He is and give Him the honor, worship, and authority that already belong to Him.

Mankind saw the work of God but refused to give God the credit. People enjoyed what the Creator had made while refusing to honor the Creator. We understand how wrong this is on a much smaller level. If someone puts time and effort into building something or preparing a meal, it is frustrating when others consume and enjoy the work without showing any appreciation for the person who provided it. Yet mankind does this to God continually. People want the benefits of His creation without acknowledging Him or submitting to His authority.

Neither Were Thankful

Thankfulness acknowledges that what we possess came from someone else. An unthankful person receives the gift while ignoring the giver. Every breath, every meal, every ability, and every good thing in this life comes from God. Yet mankind receives these gifts and often acts as though it is entitled to them.

Thankfulness is not a small issue. When we thank God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Him. When we refuse to thank Him, we begin acting as though life and all its blessings belong to us apart from the One who gave them.

Their Imaginations Became Vain

Because they refused to glorify and thank God, they “became vain in their imaginations.” The word vain describes something empty, useless, or without profit. When people remove God from their thinking, their minds do not become neutral. They fill the empty space with false explanations, false ideas, and false gods.

Their foolish heart was then darkened. The darkness followed their rejection of the light. God gave them truth, but they turned away from it. When a person repeatedly rejects the light of God’s Word, he should not be surprised when his path becomes darker.

This also gives believers a serious warning. If you recognize that your path is becoming darker, that you are accepting things you once knew were wrong, or that you are doing things you would not have done before, run back to the light of God’s Word as quickly as you can.

Professing Themselves to Be Wise

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

These people did not think they were foolish. They considered themselves enlightened, intelligent, and independent. They believed that rejecting God demonstrated wisdom, but the Bible says that they became fools.

We see this contradiction among some of the world’s most celebrated scientific thinkers. Richard Dawkins rejects belief in God, yet he has acknowledged the possibility that life on earth could have been planted here by an advanced extraterrestrial intelligence. Neil deGrasse Tyson has discussed the possibility that our universe could be a simulation produced by some higher-order intelligence. Some people are willing to consider aliens, an advanced civilization, or an unknown superior being as an explanation for life and the universe, yet they dismiss the Bible’s declaration that God created the heaven and the earth.

The problem is not merely that someone considers the possibility of life elsewhere. The contradiction is that speculative unseen intelligence is treated as reasonable while the eternal Creator is rejected as unreasonable. An alien would still be a creature and would only push the question of origin farther back. A simulated universe would still require a simulator. Mankind will entertain the possibility of a superior creature before submitting to the eternal Creator.

There is a difference between possessing knowledge and possessing wisdom. A person can understand many things about creation while refusing to acknowledge the Creator.

Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

The Bible does not call someone a fool merely because he lacks education. He is a fool because he looks at the evidence of his Creator and refuses to acknowledge Him.

The Uncorruptible Exchanged for the Corruptible

Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Here we see the first direct exchange in the passage. Mankind exchanged the glory of the uncorruptible God for the image of something corruptible. God is eternal. He does not decay, grow old, or die. Man, birds, beasts, and creeping things are all part of a creation that grows old and passes away. Mankind exchanged what was eternal for what was temporary and the glory of God for an image made by human hands.

Notice the downward progression. The image was first made like corruptible man, then like birds, then fourfooted beasts, and finally creeping things. We were created to worship the Creator above us, but fallen mankind bows before the things beneath us. God gave man dominion over the animals, yet man has often placed those animals above God Himself.

Imagine worshipping a bird that eats dead animals, an unclean dog, or a tiny insect that a human being could crush under his foot. It is sickening to think that mankind would elevate those things above Almighty God, but that is exactly the kind of exchange humanity has made.

Israel demonstrated this same foolishness at Mount Horeb.

Psalm 106:19–21 They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. 20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. 21 They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt.

Israel had seen the power of God in Egypt and had walked through the Red Sea. Yet they made a golden calf and worshipped the likeness of an animal that eats grass. They had experienced God’s mighty works, but they exchanged His glory for something they made themselves. They forgot God their Saviour.

Not everyone bows before a golden calf today, but people still place created things above their Creator. Entertainment, sports, pets, the environment, celebrities, money, pleasure, and many other things can receive the honor and devotion that belong to God. Whenever we place a created thing above God, we repeat the same basic exchange: we trade the glory of the incorruptible God for something corruptible.

3. The Judgment They Received

Romans 1:24–25 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Verse 24 begins with the word “wherefore.” What happens here is the result of everything we have already seen. They rejected the truth, refused to glorify God, became unthankful, and exchanged His glory for corruptible images. Because they continued rejecting God, “God also gave them up.” This is one way the wrath of God mentioned in verse 18 is revealed.

God’s wrath is sometimes revealed by what He does to people, but it can also be revealed through what He permits people to do to themselves.

God Gave Them Up

God had shown them the truth, but they repeatedly chose something else. Eventually, He allowed them to pursue the very desires they demanded. God did not force them into sin. Verse 24 identifies the source as “the lusts of their own hearts.” The desires were already present. God’s judgment was to remove restraint and allow those desires to control them.

This same principle appears in the Psalms when God describes Israel’s rebellion.

Psalm 81:11–12 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. 12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

Israel would not listen to God’s voice. They did not want God, so He allowed them to walk according to their own counsel. One of the most frightening judgments a person can experience is to rebel against God so persistently that God allows him to have what he has demanded.

Think about water pressing against a dam. The dam does not create the force of the water; it restrains the force already present. If that restraint is removed, the water rushes in the direction it was already pressing. In the same way, God did not create the lusts in their hearts. When He gave them up, He allowed what was already pressing within them to run its course. What they called freedom became part of their judgment. Sin promises freedom, but when restraint is removed, that supposed freedom becomes slavery.

Verse 24 says that their lusts led them “to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.” God created the human body with purpose, order, and dignity. When people reject the Creator, they also reject the Creator’s purpose for the body. Man begins treating his body as though it belongs entirely to him and can be used however he desires. But the body did not create itself. It belongs to the God who made it. Rejecting God’s purpose does not elevate the body; it dishonors it.

The Truth of God Changed Into a Lie

Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

This is the second direct exchange in the passage. In verse 23, they changed the glory of God into a corruptible image. In verse 25, they changed the truth of God into a lie.

They could not actually change what is true. God remained the Creator whether they acknowledged Him or not. They changed the truth within their own thinking and replaced it with something false. They embraced the lie that the creature could take the Creator’s place and that mankind could reject God’s authority without consequences. Rejecting the truth does not make it false; it leaves the person who rejects it believing a lie.

Their false thinking eventually produced false worship. They “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.” Worship describes what they honored; service describes what they gave their lives to. What they worshipped in their hearts eventually controlled how they lived.

We still see this pattern in our own lives. It begins when we honor something above God. The more we worship that thing, the more we begin serving it. Some people worship money and organize their entire lives around acquiring more. Some worship pleasure and make every decision according to what satisfies the flesh. Some worship nature while refusing to acknowledge the God who created it. Some place animals above human life and above the Creator Himself.

The object can change, but the exchange remains the same: the creature receives what belongs to the Creator. Everyone gives his life to something. If our lives revolve around serving anything more than God, there is a serious problem that must be addressed.

Paul ends the verse by declaring that the Creator “is blessed for ever. Amen.” Mankind may reject God, redefine Him, and give His glory to creation, but none of that changes who God is. God does not lose His glory because people refuse to recognize it. Every idol will pass away, every creature will die, and every lie will eventually be exposed, but the Creator remains blessed forever.

Conclusion: The Greatest Exchange of All

It is easy to read Romans 1 and think only about what “they” have done. They rejected the truth. They exchanged the glory of God. They worshipped the creature more than the Creator. Paul, however, is leading us toward the truth that every one of us is guilty before God.

Romans 3:9–10 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

We have not always glorified God as God. We have not always been thankful. We have allowed created things to become more important than our Creator. If creation leaves mankind without excuse, consider our responsibility when we also possess the written Word of God, have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and still refuse to obey His commands.

None of us can stand before God and boast. We have all sinned and deserve His righteous judgment. Saved people are not morally superior people who never made the wrong exchange. We are sinners who have received the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

Romans 1 shows us the exchange that condemned mankind, but the gospel reveals the exchange through which mankind can be saved.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus Christ never rejected the truth, never dishonored the Father, and never committed a single sin. Yet upon the cross, He gave His sinless life, bore our sins and the judgment we deserved, and endured the forsaking of the Father. He took our sin and our punishment so that we could receive His righteousness and everlasting life.

Mankind exchanged the Creator for the creature, but the Creator entered His creation and gave His life to save us. That truly is the greatest exchange of all time.

Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Everlasting life is not earned through good works, religion, or personal reform. It is the free gift of God received by believing on Jesus Christ.

As Christians, let us glorify God, thank Him, and stop allowing created things to take the place that belongs to our Creator. Let us serve Him with everything we have. If you have never been saved, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the gift of everlasting life.