New

because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Darkness is to be without God

What happens to a person at this point, is that their understanding is darkened.

For your understanding to be darkened, means that it doesn’t include God, because God is light.

1 John 1:5

1 John 1:5 NKJV

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

In Romans, Paul calls them fools. A fool is defined as one who doesn’t believe in God.

Psalm 53:1

Psalm 53:1 NKJV

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.

These people don’t know the “life of God”. All they can know is condemnation, death and destruction.

John 3:18

John 3:18 NKJV

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

ignorance and blindness keep them from the truth.

This is the beginning of what happens when one becomes futile in their thoughts. It opens you up to all kinds of wickedness.

v.19:

Those in darkness sin without remorse

They no longer feel, their conscience has been seared.

1 Timothy 4:2

1 Timothy 4:2 NKJV

speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

As they continue to sin and turn away from God, they become still more apathetic about moral and spiritual things .

Romans 1:32

Romans 1:32 NKJV

who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Unbelievers are behaviorally depraved. They willingly succumb to wickedness.

Lewdness

Lewdness is sexual depravity, which includes such things as:

Homosexuality

Adultery

Pedophilia

Sex outside of marriage

Pornography

Homosexuality is fast becoming normalized in our society. In some circles it is both fashionable and celebrated.

It has become taboo to speak out against homosexuality.

People are ostracized and “cancelled” for calling it the moral depravity, perversion, and abomination that it is, even though the Bible repeatedly condemns it.

Leviticus 18:22

Leviticus 18:22 NKJV

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

Leviticus 20:13

Leviticus 20:13 NKJV

If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

Romans 1:26-27

Romans 1:26–27 NKJV

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 NKJV

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Jude 7

Jude 7 NKJV

as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Genesis 19:4-5

Genesis 19:4–5 NKJV

Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”

Adultery is rarely discussed, but it is clearly a devastating sin.

It defiles one of God’s most sacred institutions - marriage, and it destroys families.

God specifically forbids it in the seventh commandment.

Exodus 20:14

Exodus 20:14 NKJV

“You shall not commit adultery.

Pedophilia is about as heinous as it gets, and God issues a strong warning to anyone who would harm a child.

Luke 17:2

Luke 17:2 NKJV

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Sex outside of marriage is referred to fornication. This is another one that is rarely spoken of.

Sex was designed to be part of the marriage covenant, and any sex outside of that covenant is a sin, and requires repentance.

The Bible mentions it a number of times, many of which are in revelation, and are linked to God’s judgements.

2 Corinthians 12:21

2 Corinthians 12:21 NKJV

lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Revelation 19:2

Revelation 19:2 NKJV

For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.”

Pornography is yet another rarely mentioned lewd behavior.

Pornography breeds lust, and that is bad news.

If you are married, it is akin to adultery.

Matthew 5:28

Matthew 5:28 NKJV

But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The tenth commandment forbids it.

Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17 NKJV

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Impurity is inseparable from greediness.

When you get entangled in these sins, you are never satisfied, you’ll always want more and more.

This greed will become your focus, which means that it becomes a form of idolatry.

Repentance is necessary

Ephesians 5:5

Ephesians 5:5 NKJV

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Colossians 3:5

Colossians 3:5 NKJV

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

vv.20-21:

Christians think differently from the unsaved, and the emphasis here is on thinking.

v.17 - “Futility of their mind”

v.18 - ignorance

v.20 - “learned Christ”

Sin always starts in the mind, it begins with a thought. Thats is why what a person learns is important.

The unsaved have not learned Christ, so the thoughts of their minds are futile.

People are being taught many things, every day that feed this futility.

education’s false religion of evolution

the “love is love” ideology

the celebration of witchcraft, the occult, and illicit sexual activity that plagues our popular media

The barrage is constant.

Without the knowledge of Christ to counteract these things, the unsaved don’t stand a chance.

However, if you have learned Christ, you have learned the truth.

It starts in the mind

John 14:6

John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

When you know the truth, you have true understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

Proverbs 9:10 NKJV

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

This is why scripture tells us to keep our minds on Godly things.

Colossians 3:2

Colossians 3:2 NKJV

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

The more we do this, the less place the ungodly things will have.

vv.22-23:

That means that that our old self (and conduct) will be pushed away by the new, rather than growing and consuming us.

We will be renewed.

Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1–2 NKJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This starts by renewing your mind. Refill it with the Godly, so that there is no room for the ungodly.

v.24:

The renewal of the mind in salvation brings not simply a renovation of character, but transformation of the old to the new self.

Faith in Christ transforms you into a new creation

2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

In Christ, the old self no longer exists as it had in the past; the new self is created in the very likeness of God.

Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 NKJV

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

When we decide to accept Christ’s gift of salvation, it is both a one time decision, as well as a daily conscious commitment.

Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8–10 NKJV

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We are not to be driven by desire and impulse.

We must put on the new man, head in the new direction, and have the new way of thinking that only the Holy Spirit can give.

People should be able to see a difference between Christians and non-Christians, because of the way we live.

Paul told the Ephesians to leave behind the old life of sin, since they were followers of Christ.

Living the Christian life is a process.

Although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts and express all right attitudes when we become new people in Christ.