²⁸And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. ²⁹They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, ³¹foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die – yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.

¹Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. ²You say, “We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.” ³Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: ⁷to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹⁰but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹For God shows no partiality.

The problem with following the world is that the fruits — the products — of the world consists of envy, ambition, strife and all kinds of discord. There was no way the pagans would accept that behaviour. For the natural law was in their hearts…

And yet, when we (like the Romans, or Greeks) remove from a part of society the need to work, the need to take responsibility… it is bad for us. No one likes it when they are fired, or their own unrighteousness is mentioned. (Which Paul, by generalizing, does to us here).  In my society, the social welfare system has harmed, deeply harmed, the minorities within society.

Which brings me to the groups who get a pass in Church and should not do so. In modern evangelical circles, they are women, particularly divorced or solo women. The men do not get a pass — they are held to account. But the women are all seen as good. And this is not only incorrect, but it shuts down a needed debate.

There are some excellent mothers. Many of them are also superb wives, because they use the same ability to discern the emotional and physical needs their husband has with their children.  Some of these women do end up divorced, or solo. But many of those then spend hours examining themselves, and, interestingly, they have no problem finding (in evangelical circles) a spouse. But many of them concentrate on their children for a season.

However, some women are awful, damaging, and abusive. To their husbands (which they generally do not keep, instead having serial partners) to their children, and to society in general. These women are not called to account until their bahaviour, at least where I live, is putting them or their children at risk. And then… they end up detained (generally within psychiatry not the prison, but both happens), often lose their children (if someone in the family will no raise them, they end up in foster care) and they do not know why.

For they were never called on the minor stuff. They were told they were princesses. They were given a pass on their behaviour. And that is bad for them. Bad for society, and bad for their children.

God shows no partiality, so we should not give free passes