Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. 

Reading the A Year with C.S. Lewis this morning he writes about the essential vice.  This vise is pride.  After a lengthy discuss on the subject of pride he summarizes pride as a spiritual cancer that will eat up the very possibility of love or contentment, or even common sense.  This is the pride that Paul is writing about here in Romans chapter one.  God invisible attributes, his eternal power, and divine nature has been clearly seen and understood through his creation.  So since God has revealed himself clearly man is without excuse to honor or give thanks to Him.  But instead they profess themselves to be wise and exchange the glory of God to meet their lusts.  This is the pride that Satan exhibits. 

In his book Holiness by Henry Blackaby He gives six examples of demons knowing the truth in their head about Jesus.  They know he died for the sins of the world, he was the sinless son of God, he was raised again, he has given this power to everyone that believes, he is interceding for believers, and he is coming back again.  These are the same truths that those who reject Christ also know, but reject him as savior.  Why!  Because they profess themselves wise.

In Luke chapter eighteen verse ten through fourteen Christ gives us a great example of what Paul is writing about in Romans chapter one.  The parable is about a Pharisee and a tax collector.  The Pharisee saw himself as righteous (self-righteousness) whereas the tax collector saw himself as a sinner in need of mercy.  Because the tax collector saw his true nature and the need for mercy he was forgiven and justified, however the Pharisee lifted himself up like Satin not seeing the need to be forgiven or to seek mercy.  This pride is the foolish that those that reject the preaching of the cross that Paul writes about in both Romans chapter one and I Corinthians chapter one.