The Lie We Keep Buying

Read

Romans 1:25 "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen."

Think

You can’t talk about Romans 1 without coming face to face with the word exchange. Paul has been building toward this moment. People saw the truth. They knew God’s power. They glimpsed his glory. But instead of worshiping him, they traded that truth for a lie. That’s the essence of sin. It’s not just doing bad things. It’s believing the wrong story.

Every time we choose something over God—approval, success, pleasure, comfort—we are making a spiritual exchange. We are saying, "This will give me what God cannot." And in doing so, we take what is infinite and trade it for something breakable. We swap the Creator for created things. We settle for shadows and wonder why we feel empty.

It’s like walking into a jewelry store and exchanging a diamond ring for a plastic one from the dollar bin. It might look similar for a second. It might shine under the lights. But it will not last. And it cannot carry the same weight.

That’s what happens when we worship anything other than God. Created things are not bad. God made them. But they were never meant to be central. They were never meant to hold your identity, your security, or your future. When you take something good and make it ultimate, it will always disappoint you.

Paul says we "worshiped and served" created things. That word serve implies devotion, effort, loyalty. This wasn’t casual. It was costly. We didn’t just like the lie. We gave our lives to it. And that’s still happening. Every day.

You might not bow to a statue, but maybe you bow to the pressure to be perfect. Maybe you serve the idol of productivity, constantly trying to prove that you matter. Maybe you worship comfort, arranging your life to avoid anything that feels hard or uncertain.

These idols do not live on altars. They live in calendars, habits, and hearts. They live in how you spend your money, how you make your decisions, and where you turn when you’re tired, angry, or afraid.

The lie we keep buying is that created things can save us.

But they can’t. They were never meant to. They’re not strong enough. They can’t redeem your past. They can’t heal your shame. They can’t secure your eternity. Only the Creator can do that.

And here’s the heartbreak: while we were exchanging truth for lies, God was making a different exchange. One that no one expected. One that changed everything.

Paul will go on to explain it in Romans 3. But we already know how the story goes: Jesus took our sin and gave us his righteousness. He took our punishment and gave us his peace. He took our rebellion and gave us redemption. We gave him rejection. He gave us rescue.

That’s the real exchange. That’s the one that undoes all the others. And that’s why Paul ends this verse with a line of worship: "...the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." Even after all the rejection, even after all the false worship, Paul cannot help but glorify the One who is still worthy. The One who never traded us in, even when we ran the other way.

So, the question today is simple, but life-altering: what are you worshiping? Not in theory, but in practice. What is shaping your thoughts, guiding your choices, and capturing your heart? Where do your eyes go when you're desperate for help, hope, or meaning?

If it is not the Creator, it will eventually let you down. But if it is the Creator—if it is Jesus—you will find that the truth you were made for is still available. And no matter how many false trades you’ve made, you can always trade back.

Apply

Ask yourself this question today and answer it honestly: what lie am I still believing about where life, worth, or security comes from? Then confess it. Call it what it is. And choose, again, to worship the One who is forever praised. Take time to actually say it out loud: "God, you are my Creator. You are my truth. You are my only source."

Pray

Jesus, I have believed the lie. I have given my heart to things that cannot hold it. I have exchanged your truth for promises that do not deliver. But I want to trade back. I want your truth to shape me again. I want to worship you, not your creation. Thank you for not walking away. Thank you for offering me a better exchange—your righteousness for my sin. I receive it again today. And I praise you, my Creator, forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.