The condemnation of affirmation

Romans 1:32 - "And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things (see 1:18-31) are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."

John Murray observes, "However severe has been the apostle's deliniation of the depravity of men, he has reserved for the end the characterization which is the most damning of all. It is that of the consensus of men in the pursuit of iniquity. The most damning condition is not the practice of iniquity, however much that may evidence our abandonment of God and abandonment to sin; it is that together with the practice there is also the support and encouragement of others in the practice of the same.

"To put it bluntly, we are not only bent on damning ourselves but we congratulate others in the doing of those things that we know have their issue in damnation. . . Iniquity is most aggravated when it meets with no inhibition from the disapproval of others and when there is collective, undissenting approbation."

[The New International Commentary on the New Testament. . . The Epistle to the Romans]