What is the meaning of Romans 1:32?

Although they know God’s righteous decree

“Although they know God’s righteous decree…” (Romans 1:32).

Everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, stands under a revealed standard:

• Creation shouts God’s glory and leaves people “without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20).

• Conscience echoes that standard, either accusing or defending (Romans 2:14-15).

• God’s written Word clarifies the decree in black and white (Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19:7-11).

Paul reminds us that ignorance is not the issue; willful rejection is. Like Cain who was warned yet ignored God’s counsel (Genesis 4:6-7), sinners suppress what they know to be true.

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that those who do such things are worthy of death

“…that those who do such things are worthy of death” (Romans 1:32).

Sin’s penalty is not symbolic; it is literal:

• “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

• “In the day that you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

• “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Death here reaches beyond the grave to eternal separation (Revelation 20:14-15). God’s justice demands it; Christ’s cross satisfies it for all who believe (Romans 3:24-26).

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they not only continue to do these things

“…they not only continue to do these things…” (Romans 1:32).

Notice the progression: awareness → action → persistence.

• God “gave them over” to deeper rebellion (Romans 1:24-28).

• Hearts grow calloused through “the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).

• They “practice” sin, making it a lifestyle (1 John 3:4-10).

Habitual sin signals a hard heart, not a momentary lapse. Paul contrasts this with believers who, though they stumble, do not walk in darkness (1 John 1:6-7).

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but also approve of those who practice them

“…but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).

Endorsement marks the final stage of decline:

• “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).

• Celebrated sin spreads “like gangrene” (2 Timothy 2:17).

• Bad company “corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Applause for evil magnifies guilt, recruits others, and mocks God. The church is told, “Do not share in the sins of others” (1 Timothy 5:22) and to mourn, not boast, over open sin (1 Corinthians 5:1-2).

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summary

Romans 1:32 unveils the tragic arc of rebellion: people know God’s righteous decree, understand sin merits death, persist in wrongdoing, and finally celebrate it in others. The verse warns that knowledge without submission hardens the heart, and approval of evil multiplies judgment. Yet within the warning lies hope: the same God whose justice demands death offers life through the gospel (Romans 1:16-17). Turning from sin to Christ breaks the cycle and replaces condemnation with eternal life.