Letter 148

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Polychronius
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore explains Romans 1:28 — "God gave them over to a depraved mind" — showing that this was a withdrawal of grace, not a positive act of corruption.

On the Epistle to the Romans: "God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done" [Romans 1:28].

Since you have written asking why God gave them over to a depraved mind, I tell you: read what comes before this verse, and you will understand, and your doubt will dissolve.

The Apostle has made clear that these people first refused to honor God, though they knew him. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie. They rejected knowledge of him. It was only after this rejection — only after they refused what was offered — that God withdrew the restraining influence of his grace and left them to the consequences of their own choice.

He did not make them depraved. He stopped preventing the depravity they had already chosen. The difference is everything.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.