Where Did We Go Wrong? America Is Not Named in Romans 1 - but the Pattern Is Clear

By - Pastor-Teacher Freddy Cortez, National Capital Bible Church
Steadfast in the Word…

Adapted and expanded from our recent Men’s Prayer Breakfast study.

Romans 1 was not written specifically about America. Paul did not name our country or predict our political parties. Yet the spiritual pattern he records is recognizable. When people suppress God's truth, worship becomes distorted, desires become disordered, thinking becomes corrupted, and relationships begin to break down.

BIG IDEA: A culture does not collapse spiritually all at once. Romans 1 traces a progression from rejected revelation to celebrated rebellion.

SEE WHAT'S THERE : A moral and spiritual pattern that can appear in any person, culture, or nation.

SEE WHAT'S NOT THERE: The word America, a modern political party, or permission for believers to condemn others while ignoring their own sins.

The Gospel Is God's Answer

Paul begins with good news before describing bad news. He writes, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). God's saving message is offered to everyone who believes.

Verse 17 says that God's righteousness is revealed "from faith to faith." It is received by faith, not earned by moral reform, religious effort, baptism, law-keeping, or perseverance. The answer to human rebellion begins with Jesus Christ and His promise of everlasting life.

BIG IDEA: God's answer to a dark world is the gospel of Christ.

SEE WHAT'S THERE: God's power to save everyone who believes.

SEE WHAT'S NOT THERE: A requirement to reform society before a person can receive everlasting life.

Truth Suppressed and Worship Distorted

Romans 1:18-23 explains that people know something of God through creation, yet suppress the truth in unrighteousness. God's eternal power and Godhead are clearly seen through what He has made, but people refuse to honor Him as God or give Him thanks.

Once the Creator is rejected, worship is redirected. People serve created things rather than the Creator. Modern idols may include power, pleasure, possessions, politics, and personal autonomy.

BIG IDEA: Rejecting the Creator inevitably distorts the way people view creation and themselves.

SEE WHAT'S THERE: Known truth suppressed, gratitude abandoned, and worship redirected.

SEE WHAT'S NOT THERE: People who lack all evidence of God or who are morally neutral toward Him.

God Gave Them Over

Three times Paul says that God "gave them up" or "gave them over" (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). God permits persistent rebels to experience the direction they have chosen. He does not force anyone to sin; human beings remain responsible for their desires and actions.

The phrase marks a sobering progression. Rejected truth leads to dishonoring desires, and those desires are eventually defended by a debased mind.

BIG IDEA: Persistent rejection of God carries consequences within human desires and thinking.

SEE WHAT'S THERE: God permitting persistent rebels to follow the course they have chosen.

SEE WHAT'S NOT THERE: God creating sinful desires, forcing anyone to sin, or removing human responsibility.

The Breakdown Spreads

Romans 1 does not isolate one category of sin. Verses 29-31 name greed, envy, murder, strife, deceit, gossip, pride, disobedience to parents, and the absence of mercy. Rebellion against God spreads into human relationships.

Verse 32 reveals the final stage: people know God's righteous judgment, continue practicing what is wrong, and approve those who practice it. Sin is no longer merely committed or tolerated. It is celebrated, defended, and encouraged in others.

BIG IDEA: The rejection of God eventually affects the whole moral life of a culture.

SEE WHAT'S THERE: Many social sins, including greed, pride, gossip, deceit, disobedience, and lack of mercy.

SEE WHAT'S NOT THERE: Permission to isolate one group while excusing the sins that are more acceptable to us.

Where We Must Begin

Romans 1 gives us a lens for examining our country, but first it gives us a mirror for examining ourselves. Believers should speak truth without self-righteousness, refuse to celebrate sin, show mercy to people caught in deception, and live with gratitude toward the Creator.

Our confidence cannot rest in a political party, election, court, or cultural movement. None can give everlasting life or transform the human heart. We should pray for our country and speak clearly, remembering that only the gospel is God's power to salvation.

Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. He promised, "He who believes in Me has everlasting life" (John 6:47). Everlasting life is God's free gift, received the moment a person believes in Jesus Christ for the life He promises. Christ completed the saving work; no ritual or moral reform can add to it.

Those who already possess everlasting life should allow Romans 1 to shape daily choices. Honor God as God. Give thanks. Refuse the idols of the age. Test cultural claims by Scripture. Speak the truth with humility and show the grace that we ourselves have received.

FINAL BIG IDEA: America is not named in Romans 1, but the pattern is clear. Our deepest need is not merely national reform. We need the truth of God, the gospel of Christ, and believers who will live faithfully in a culture that has lost its way.

This post was written by Pastor Freddy Cortez of National Capital Bible Church in Springfield, VA. If you have questions about this post or Christianity in general, please contact us today!