Romans
1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because
what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their
thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
The reason for human guilt 1:18
The
downward spiral ...
Romans
1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because
what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their
thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
The reason for human guilt 1:18
The
downward spiral of man from sin to idolatry is shown from verses 18-32
1st
of all man knows God in verses 18-20
Next
he fails to glorify God in verses 21-23
Then
man changes the truth of God into a lie in verses 24-25
Lastly
man rejects any knowledge of God at all in verses 26-32
The
downward spiral of man from sin to idolatry is shown from verses 18-32
1st
of all man knows God in verses 18-20
Next
he fails to glorify God in verses 21-23
Then
man changes the truth of God into a lie in verses 24-25
Lastly
man rejects any knowledge of God at all in verses 26-32
Ro 1:18 For the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
The wrath of God is not
some sudden outburst of anger or impulsive thing; it is a predetermined and
rational act of a righteous God against sinful man.
It is revealed or more accurately constantly revealed. The
word means to uncover to make visible or make known
God has revealed His wrath
as well as His righteousness (v. 17) from heaven in the gospel.53 As Paul would
explain, the unfolding of history also reveals God's hatred toward sin and His
judgment of sin. The moral devolution of humanity is not just a natural
consequence of man's sinning but also a result of God's judgment of sinners.
The final judgment of sin will occur in the end times, but already God is
pouring out His wrath against sin to a lesser degree (cf. Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6).
Paul described wrath as revealed from heaven because it comes from God who is
in heaven.
"God's wrath is his
divine displeasure with sin. We call it 'wrath' because it shares certain basic
characteristics of human wrath. But because it is God's wrath it can have none
of the sinful qualities of its human counterpart.
God has two ways he reveals his wrath
1.
Indirectly through natural consequences of
violating his moral law
Galatians 6:7 Be
not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but
he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9
And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not.
2.
Directly through his personal intervention
or his decisive changing of events so that a price is paid for sin
·
The sentence passed on Adam and Eve
·
Sodom and Gomorrah
Deuteronomy
29:23 the whole land brimstone and salt,
and a burnt-out waste, unsown, and growing nothing, where no grass can sprout,
an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD
overthrew in his anger and wrath--
·
The Flood
2 Peter 2:5
and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
The
wrath of abandonment which is removing all restraint and letting people go to
their sins
Psalms 81:11 "But my people did not
listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me.12 So I gave them over to
their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
This is what God is doing
in this section of scripture:
The
wrath of God is revealed against
The
sinfulness of man
1st
in Ungodliness which is a lack of respect, devotion and true worship of God
2ndly in Unrighteousness which is a result
of Ungodliness means injustice toward other human beings
That is, their sinful
transgressions against God and their corrupted behavior exhibited within human
relationships. In short, all of human life is polluted with sin.
We
see it in any attitude or action that is not loving. Together these two words
show humankind's failure to love God and other people as we should, which are
our two greatest responsibilities (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:37-39).
Verses 19-27 demonstrate man's ungodliness, and verses 28-32 show his wickedness.
The "truth" refers to truth that people know about God (cf. v. 25).
They suppress this truth by their wickedness.
Further, people suppress or hinder the
truth by their unrighteousness Here
“unrighteousness” is not so much a general reference to the way in which they
suppress the truth, but a reference to the sinful acts themselves which are
used to hold the truth from one’s sight. Nothing could be more futile than to
think that we can extinguish or destroy the truth through the means of sin. In
the end, all we end up doing is confirming the truth.
The reason for his wrath
is because of their
· Unrighteousness is a lack of conforming to
the law of God with our thoughts words and our deeds
· Suppressing
revealed truth
But
what truth do they suppress? Undoubtedly it refers to the truth about God,
i.e., his power, authority, and the fact that we are accountable to him as
Creator (1:19-20
Even
though God has revealed Himself through their conscience, creation and God's
word they still choose to resist and oppose God's truth so they can live in
sin.
Whenever the truth starts
to exert itself and makes them feel uneasy in their moral nature, they hold it
down, suppress it. Some drown its voice by rushing on into their immoralities;
others strangle the disturbing voice by argument and by denial.
Next
we come to the age old question of is a person lost who has never heard the
Gospel of Jesus
"Napoleon,
on a warship in the Mediterranean on a star-lit night, passed a group of his officers
who were mocking at the idea of a God. He stopped, and sweeping his hand toward
the stars, said, 'Gentlemen, you must get rid of those first!'
Missionaries from all over the world testify
that they find no atheists or people who do not believe in God even in the most
primitive tribal settings. There is always a belief in a god whether it is a
correct belief or not.
All
of us have a conscience and a sense of morality whether we choose to obey it or
not. We know wrong from right.
Why they are without excuse
Because, Even though they
Knew God
1.
They did not glorify God.... Scripture
constantly demands it
Lev
10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when he said,
'Through those who are near me I will show myself holy, and before all the people
I will be glorified.'" And Aaron was silent.
2.
They were not thankful
3. They became futile in their thoughts or in
other words they tried to find meaning
in life by dreaming up ways to be satisfied without GOD
Therefore,
to suppress the knowledge of God is to engage in the futility of idolatry.
4. Their foolish hearts were darkened
John 3:19 "And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
If man will respond to the light or
revelation of God he has been given, even if he is in the middle of the jungle,
God will crash a plane and parachute a missionary in to him so that he can hear
the gospel and be saved.
Every one of us has a God shaped vacuum that
we try to fill with things such as money, drugs, alcohol, love, power, or sex.
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world--the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the
Father but is of the world.
