Romans 1:21

Memory Verse

because they, knowing the God, did not as God express a proper opinion [of Him] or were thankful, but were rendered worthless in their reasoning and their foolish hearts were caused to be darkened.

Although the invisible things of God are clearly perceived by men, when all of the human race knew God, they still chose to reject who He was. The term “glory” means “to have or hold a proper opinion.” When men determine to modify who God is, they negatively impact their minds because they have to reject the truth.

This same mentality is seen today among the unbelievers, including many who claim to be religious and even Christians. Although they will take aspects of who God is, for His invisible attributes are clearly manifested, they will modify Him to fit their narrative. “God is love” is a true statement. Implying that He loves everyone and therefore he will overlook the perversion of men rejects the truth, and perverts the concept of love. There are many of these types of instances present in false religions by which truth is modified to fit their belief system, including statements implying that God is like a man, woman, or beast.

All of these false beliefs result from humans rendering their own reasoning worthless. As a result of their rejection of God, they lose their objective grounds to think, understand, and form proper judgments by a process of logic.

Along with their reasoning becoming worthless, their foolish hearts are darkened. The heart is the center of a man, where the body, soul, and spirit collide. It is the place where the person (individuality) inhabits within a human being and thus where the determinate will and the mind reside. “Foolish” denotes a lack of capacity to discern. Their hearts lack the capacity to integrate moral or spiritual truths, leading them to be unable to comprehend truth due to their own rejection of it and the resulting darkness in their hearts.