and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text highlights that the "recompense of their error" wasn't just an external punishment, but the internal reality of being given over to unnatural desires themselves. This reveals a profound truth: the deepest penalty for turning away from God is often being trapped within one's own corrupted desires, a stark contrast to the freedom found in aligning with His design.
and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In Romans 1, Paul is detailing humanity's widespread rebellion against God, showing how people, by rejecting God's truth, were given over to their own sinful desires. This includes detailing both the perversion of sexual relationships and the broader societal decay that follows such a turning away from divine order. The verse sits within this larger argument, illustrating the consequences of humanity's deliberate spiritual blindness and the subsequent degradation it brings upon itself.
Paul describes men leaving the 'natural use' of women. What does he mean by 'natural' in this context, and what happens when that natural order is abandoned?
Paul uses strong language to describe the inversion of God-ordained sexual relations. He speaks of men abandoning the 'natural use of the woman' and engaging in acts 'against nature.' This isn't just about physical acts, but a deeper spiritual rebellion.
A Divine Order
Scripture presents a clear design for human sexuality within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. This isn't an arbitrary rule, but reflects God's created order and His design for procreation and the unique intimacy of marriage.
The Consequence of Turning Away
When people turn away from God, suppressing His truth, the consequences permeate every aspect of life, including their understanding and practice of sexuality. Paul describes this as being 'given over' by God to their desires. This isn't God causing sin, but rather Him justly allowing people to reap the destructive consequences of their chosen rebellion. The verse highlights that these unnatural acts are not only physically harmful but are also a 'recompense of their error'—a fitting consequence for rejecting the Creator.
Paul states that those engaging in these acts are 'receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.' What is this penalty, and how does it relate to their error?
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The phrase 'recompense of their error' points to a critical theological concept: the natural, inherent consequences of rejecting God. This isn't necessarily about immediate, visible punishment in every case, but about a deeper, internal decay that results from sin.
The Error: Rejecting God
The fundamental 'error' Paul addresses throughout Romans 1 is the suppression of God's truth. Humanity knows God exists through creation, yet suppresses this knowledge, choosing instead to worship created things. This rejection of the Creator is the root error.
The Recompense: Internal Decay
The penalty is not an external infliction as much as it is an internal consequence. By turning from the true God, people become internally disordered. Their desires become distorted, leading them to seek fulfillment in unnatural and ultimately destructive ways. This 'recompense' includes:
Paul is addressing the Gentile world's departure from God, pointing to a pattern of moral decay. The 'recompense of their error' refers not just to future punishment, but the immediate consequence of being given over to unnatural desires and acts, which degraded them from the very nature God created them to reflect.
c. 3rd century BC - 1st century AD
Pagan Greco-Roman Society
The Roman Empire, where Paul was writing, was deeply influenced by Greek culture. In many parts of this society, same-sex relations, particularly between older and younger males, were not only tolerated but sometimes integrated into social and educational practices. However, the line between consensual relationships and exploitation was often blurred, and the legal and social acceptance varied.
c. 2nd century BC - 1st century AD
Rise of the Roman Empire
As the Roman Empire expanded, it incorporated diverse cultures and practices. While Roman law initially condemned certain homosexual acts, particularly those involving citizens in certain contexts, the influence of Greek culture and the perceived decadence of later imperial periods saw a broader tolerance and sometimes open practice of same-sex relations among various social classes.
c. AD 40-60s— this verse
Paul's Ministry in Corinth and Rome
The Apostle Paul ministered in major centers of the Roman world, including Corinth and Rome, where he observed and addressed the moral and spiritual conditions of the time. His letters, like Romans, were written to Christian communities in these cities, reflecting the specific challenges and temptations they faced within their cultural context.
c. AD 95
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple by the Romans marked a pivotal moment for Judaism. This event, occurring after Paul's epistles, further solidified the separation between Judaism and the emerging Christian faith, and set the stage for Christianity to spread more independently throughout the Gentile world.
This passage describes the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, which is explicitly referenced by commentators as a parallel to the actions described in Romans 1, highlighting a divine judgment for unnatural sexual practices.
Leviticus 18:22This Old Testament law directly prohibits male homosexual acts, stating they are an 'abomination,' aligning with Paul's description of these actions as 'unseemly' and against nature.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10This passage lists various sins that will prevent people from inheriting the kingdom of God, including 'men who practice homosexuality,' showing that Paul considered these acts to be disqualifying for believers.
Jude 1:7Jude speaks of Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of those suffering eternal fire for their 'sexual immorality and unnatural lust,' further linking these specific sins to divine retribution.
ellicottRomans 1:27: "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."
(27) In themselves — i.e., upon themselves, upon their own persons thus shamefully dishonoured. That recompence of their error which was meet.—The “error” is the turning from God to idols. The “recompence of the error” is seen in these unnatural excesses to…
barnesRomans 1:27: "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."
And likewise the men ... - The sin which is here specified is what was the shameful sin of Sodom, and which from that has been called sodomy. It would scarcely be credible that man had been guilty of a crime so base and so degrading, unless there was ample a…
The text highlights that the "recompense of their error" wasn't just an external punishment, but the internal reality of being given over to unnatural desires themselves. This reveals a profound truth: the deepest penalty for turning away from God is often being trapped within one's own corrupted desires, a stark contrast to the freedom found in aligning with His design.
In Romans 1, Paul is detailing humanity's widespread rebellion against God, showing how people, by rejecting God's truth, were given over to their own sinful desires. This includes detailing both the perversion of sexual relationships and the broader societal decay that follows such a turning away from divine order. The verse sits within this larger argument, illustrating the consequences of humanity's deliberate spiritual blindness and the subsequent degradation it brings upon itself.
In Romans 1, Paul is detailing humanity's widespread rebellion against God, showing how people, by rejecting God's truth, were given over to their own sinful desires. This includes detailing both the perversion of sexual relationships and the broader societal decay that follows such a turning away from divine order. The verse sits within this larger argument, illustrating the consequences of humanity's deliberate spiritual blindness and the subsequent degradation it brings upon itself.
"and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." — The text highlights that the "recompense of their error" wasn't just an external punishment, but the internal reality of being given over to unnatural desires themselves. This reveals a profound trut…
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Last reviewed October 2026