Romans 1:23 Meaning and Explanation
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →People exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal creatures.
What Does Romans 1:23 Mean?
Paul names the great exchange at the heart of this folly. People traded away the glory of the imperishable God, swapping it for images shaped like perishable man, birds, animals, and crawling things. The worship owed to the Creator was redirected toward created forms.
This is the tragedy of idolatry: the matchless glory of the eternal God bartered for figures of things that decay. Echoing the descending order of the creation account in reverse, the list falls from man down to creeping things, picturing how worship sinks when it leaves its true object. The heart was made to glory in God; when it fixes on lesser things, it loses the very splendor it was meant to behold.
Frequently Asked Questions About Romans 1:23
What does Romans 1:23 mean?
People exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal creatures.