Without Natural Affection and Covenant Breakers – Rom.

1:31

Most of us prefer a version of the Bible today that is a little more up to date in its
language than is the old original American Standard Version of 1901 or the King
James Version thus making the Bible a little easier to read and understand.
However, in a few passages scattered about the Bible even the new literal
translations like the ESV, NASB, and the NKJV, all excellent translations when taken
as a whole, have led us slightly astray with inferior translations in an attempt to
make reading easier for us.

One such example is found in Rom. 1:31. In Romans 1 Paul toward the middle of
the chapter begins to talk about the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (v.
18) and then in the last few verses lists a series of sins into which mankind had
fallen. Verse 31 is a part of this listing and reads as follows from the New King
James version, “undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful.”

However, read this same verse from the King James Version and it reads as follows,
“Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful.” The ASV of 1901 reads the same as the KJV except that it omits the
word “implacable.”

Here is a case where both of these older translations are more accurate than any of
the newer ones, more accurate in exactness of the meaning of the original Greek
words used (feel free to do your own research).

For covenant breakers the ESV has faithless, the NAS and the NKJV have
untrustworthy. These words are close enough you can see where the modern day
translators were coming from but they still stray in my mind from the exact intent of
the original. The original is not talking about general untrustworthiness but specific
untrustworthiness in being a breaker of a covenant one has made with another.

Hear the words of Malachi 2:13-16 and for this I will use the NKJV simply because it
reads easier and is still accurate. “And this is the second thing you do: You cover
the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying; so he does not regard the
offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, ‘For
what reason?’ Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of
your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion
and your wife by covenant. But did he not make them one, having a remnant of the
Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit,
and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. ‘For the Lord God of
Israel says that he hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,’ says
the Lord of hosts. ‘Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal
treacherously.’”

When a man and woman marry they make a solemn covenant between each other
and God. To break that covenant would be exactly what the Greek word used in
Rom. 1:31 is talking about. But, there is more. How many times in reading the Old
Testament do you run across the word covenant in connection with covenants God
made with his people and they with him? How many times did his people break
those covenants?

I did a quick e-sword search on the NKJV concordance for the word covenant in the
New Testament and the word popped up 31 times in 28 total verses. The New
Testament is sometimes called the New Covenant (it is listed as that on the title
page of the copy I have of the original American Standard Version of 1901).

As Christians we have entered into a covenant relationship with God. When Jesus
died on the cross and we come to accept him as Lord, Savior, and King of our life by
gospel obedience we have entered into a covenant relationship with him.
Remember his words, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins.” (Matt. 26:28 NKJV)

Paul spoke of himself and his cohorts as “ministers of the new covenant.” (1 Cor.
3:6 NKJV) “Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant” (Heb. 722 NKJV) says
the Hebrew writer. It is said to be a “better covenant” than that which was under
the law of Moses with better promises. (Heb. 8:6) To be a covenant breaker
whether between husband and wife or a Christian and his God is a serious matter.

“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who
has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which
he was sanctified a common thing…,” says the Hebrew writer (Heb. 10:29 NKJV).
We must be as good as our word and if we are not we need to repent and get to
being that good. This easy covenant breaking we have today is not going to get it
with God whether the covenant we are breaking is with our wife or husband or with
God.

The other phrase I want to talk about from Rom. 1:31 is the words, “without natural
affection.” In the ESV the Greek is translated by one word, the word “heartless,”
the NAS has “unloving,” and the NKJV also uses the word “unloving.” As said
earlier, if you will do your homework you will find the old King James Version has it
correct as to the exact meaning of the Greek. A person might be heartless and
unloving in general and still not be “without natural affection.”

Vine’s, “An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,” a standard work Bible
scholars consult regularly in order to see what the original Greek behind the English
word means says this, “signifies without natural affection…love of kindred,
especially of parents for children and children for parents.” The Greek is the word
“astorgos.”

An example of natural affection is found in the story of the two women (harlots) who
while living together gave birth to sons 3 days apart. The one woman lay on her
son in the night killing him by accident. She then claimed the other woman’s son as
her own. The matter was taken before King Solomon who heard both women
claiming the boy as their own. In his wisdom King Solomon proposed to have the
son killed by the sword and both women given a half knowing the real mother would
be willing to give up the child to have his life spared. Natural affection led to this
very result with the real mother pleading for the life of the son willing to give him up
to the other woman to save his life. “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no
means kill him!” (1 Kings 3:26 NKJV)

What is natural affection if it is not God given, natural, by nature? It is hard for
most of us to understand how this can be, that one would not have natural
affection, and yet Paul says some have this sin in their life. In writing Romans 1 he
includes it with a long list of many sins about which he says in closing, “that those
who practice such things are worthy of death.” (Rom. 1:32 NKJV) We read in the
Old Testament of some offering their babies up for burnt sacrifices. In 2 Kings 17
one reads of the sins that caused God to allow Israel to be carried away into
captivity. One of these sins was that, “they caused their sons and daughters to
pass through the fire.” (2 Kings 17:17 NKJV) This was a sin associated with the
worship of idols.

Manasseh, the king of Judah, became guilty of the same thing, “he caused his sons
to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom.” (2 Chron. 33:6 NKJV)
God in the book of Jeremiah said, “And they have built the high places of Tophet,
which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters
in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my heart.” (Jer. 7:31 NKJV)

This shows me at least two things. (1) The depth and degree to which men can sink
when they get involved with false doctrine. Radical Islam comes to mind where
men can slit a man’s throat with a knife while he is living, the burning of Christians
at the stake, feeding them to the lions, etc.. (2) The lack of natural affection of a
father or mother for their child.

However, it can work the other way as well, children against the parents. About
every Bible reader is acquainted with the attempt by David’s son Absalom to
overthrow him. One can read about Absalom’s revolt beginning in 2 Sam. 15 and
every indication is that David felt Absalom would put him to death if he had the
opportunity and could capture him.

Many years later Jesus spoke of a time not far distant from when he spoke that,
“brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up
against parents and cause them to be put to death.” (Mark 13:12 NKJV) From time
to time we read or hear in the news of children abusing aged parents. In fact, Jesus
talked about this very thing, although not speaking of physical abuse, in Matt. 15.
He accused the scribes and Pharisees of not honoring their parents, not be willing to
help them (Matt. 15:1-6).
Yes, these are all extreme cases but if men can fall into the depth of sin to the
degree they are willing to do these things then certainly there is such a thing as
lack of natural affection which none can deny. The lack of natural affection can
manifest itself in many ways. But, in whatever way it manifests itself the sin of the
heart remains the same. The sin of lacking natural affection is simply the sin of not
loving.

“For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one
another.” (1 John 3:11 NKJV) “He who does not love his brother abides in death.” (1
John 3:14 NKJV) One would do well to read the book of 1 John where the word love
is used 36 times in the New King James Version.

What is the lesson for you and me? If we lack natural affection it is not something
we are incapable of doing anything about. All sin begins in the heart unless one is
talking about sins of ignorance. If the Bible teaches anything at all it teaches that
men and their hearts can be changed. Saul had a hand in seeing Christians put to
death (Acts 26:10) but God and his word changed him into the apostle Paul. Paul
said there was a reason for that – that he might be an example.

I use the New Living Translation here not because I think it is the most accurate
translation of the passage but because I think as a commentary it has hit the nail on
the head of what the verse teaches. I refer to 1 Tim. 1:16 where Paul says, “But
God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his
great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too,
can believe in him and receive eternal life.” (NLT)

It is not a matter of saying I was just born without it, without natural affection, what
can I do? We are the way we are because of attitudes we have developed over
time. Saul was not loving toward those families he tore apart casting a mother,
dad, son, or daughter into prison and possibly seeing them put to death depending
on the case. Even so he became a changed man.

The apostle John reached a point where he no longer had any desire to have fire
called down from heaven to consume those who rejected them (Luke 9:54) but
given a lifetime came to be known to us today as the apostle of love.

Those 3,000 converted on the day of Pentecost who yelled for the Son of God to be
put to death had their hearts changed from hatred and murder to love and
compassion. Christ can change us. It all comes down to a matter of our wills. Do
we want to be known as the man or woman who lacked natural affection or the man
or woman who truly loved his/her family deeply? It is a matter of personal choice
just as much as salvation is. Natural affection goes with salvation as much as the
lack of it goes with condemnation.

Love is a choice. I cannot emphasize that too much. Love is a choice and
remember we are talking here about natural affection. When you begin to love
rather than hate you will find life to be much happier. Where do you begin? You
begin from within, within your heart. You begin with your will. God can change
your heart, your life, but you have to want it first. When you want it you will begin
seeking it and when you seek you shall find (Matt. 7:8).