Romans 1:22

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools

Romans 1:22 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 1:22

Professing themselves to be wise
The learned men among the Gentiles first called themselves (sofoi) , "Sophi", wise men: and afterwards, to cover their wretched pride and vanity, (filosofoi) , "Philosophers", lovers of wisdom; but notwithstanding all their arrogance, their large pretensions to wisdom, and boast of it

they became fools;
they appeared to be so; they showed themselves to be such in those very things they prided themselves with the knowledge of: as, for instance, Socrates, after he had asserted the unity of God, and is said to die a martyr for the truth; yet one of the last actions of his life was sacrificing a cock to Aesculapius, at least he desired his friend Crito to do it.

Romans 1:22 In-Context

20 For the invisible things of him, his eternal power and divinity, are clearly understood by the creation of the world and by the things that are made so that there is no excuse;

21 because having known God, they did not glorify him as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools

23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and of fourfooted beasts and of serpents.

24 Therefore God also gave them over to the lusts of their own hearts for uncleanness, to contaminate their own bodies between themselves,