Romans 1 Is a Rhetorical Trap. Here's How It Actually Works

Paul describes pagan idolatry in Romans 1 to get his audience nodding along in judgment — then catches them in Romans 2:1 with "therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others" — meaning that using Romans 1 to condemn people is literally the thing Paul condemns.

Romans is Paul's most carefully structured letter. It builds an argument across sixteen chapters. Pulling verses from chapter 1 without reading chapter 2 is like leaving a courtroom after the prosecution rests and assuming the trial is over.