Why does God allow people to go through what John Erickson calls the “stupid years”? To answer that, we must listen again to the message of Romans 1. The text repeats a poignant phrase that speaks volumes: “God gave them up … gave them up … gave them up” (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). The phrase does not mean God gives up on people. Just the opposite. It means he tries to get through to them by allowing them to play out the negative consequences of their idolatrous choices.
