Gentile Society - Romans 1:18 - 32

You know when your mom or dad is on a rampage and runs down a list of accusations against each person in the room? You’re just bracing knowing your turn is coming?

That’s what Paul is doing here.

Recap

Intro to Romans, a book to the church in Rome. A blend of Jews and Gentiles with the messy cultural differences. The first part of the book is doctrinal (chapters 1 - 11) and the second part is practical (chapters 12 - 16).

Why is doctrine important?

An American Dictionary of the English Language DOCTRINE

DOC̵´TRINE, n. [L. doctrine, from doceo, to teach.]

1. In a general sense, whatever is taught. Hence, a principle or position in any science; whatever is laid down as true by an instructor or master.

The doctrines of the gospel are the principles or truths taught by Christ and his apostles.

Doctrine is knowing what God teaches - from which we may act accordingly. Thus a solid understanding of the first part of Romans and its doctrine will inform how we apply the latter part.

The connection between the introduction and argument of all condemned.

Notice the successive argument that goes from v16 - v20.

The power of God (for salvation)

The righteousness of God (faith)

The wrath of God (against sin)

The glory of God (in creation)

Read Text - then explain

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven

Do you consider the wrath of God? Does this concept seem foreign? I’ve heard from many Christians that the wrath of God was satisfied at the crucifixion of Jesus. They say he no longer has wrath, but has transitioned to love and grace.

What about Ananias and his wife, Sapphira? They sold their property and kept back a bit of the money for a nice vacation. They died instantly.

See, we like the idea that God is LOVE. Rainbows remind us of this, butterflies and ponies. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. God’s love is one of my favorite things!

But we forget that God has wrath, expressed throughout the whole bible and it is an active and settled anger towards sin, stemming from his holiness and justice. He can no more overlook his vehement, wrathful response to acts which drive us from him than he can sin himself. While wrath does not define him, like love does, it is his love for us that give way to wrath against sin that separates us.  

Verse 18

notice the wrath of God is revealed against...

All ungodliness

and unrighteousness of men

who hold truth in unrighteousness.

So basically they know the truth and ignore it.

Anyone have experience with someone like that? Maybe defendants in court. The problem I have is, they often try to explain the situation so that it appears they had no idea what the truth actually is!

It was dark, I didn’t know where I was, I had no idea what the speed limit was, it was raining, there was ice everywhere, people were in the road… etc.

When we hear of God’s wrath, we usually think of ‘thunderbolts from heaven, and earthly cataclysms and flaming majesty’,

which has happened, but it can also go ‘quietly and invisibly’ to work in handing sinners over to themselves.

John Ziesler writes, it ‘operates not by God’s intervention but precisely by his not intervening, by letting men and women go their own way’.

God abandons stubborn sinners to their wilful self-centredness, and the resulting process of moral and spiritual degeneration is to be understood as a judicial act of God. This is the revelation of God’s wrath from heaven

Verse 19 - 23

Here Paul is explaining why the ‘wrath of God is revealed’

Because!

that which may be know of God

is manifest in them.

For God has showed it (what can be known of him) to them.

For the invisible things of him (what are these?)

from the creation of the world are clearly seen.

being understood by the things that are made

even his eternal power and Godhead.

They have no excuse!

after the satellite detection of the birthpangs of the universe was announced to the American Physical Society in April 1992, an anonymous Guardian contributor wrote:

‘It is difficult to know what the appropriate reaction to such mind-expanding discoveries should be, except to get down on one’s knees in total humility and give thanks to God or Big Bang or both, for cunningly contriving to allow this infinitesimal part of the universe called Earth to be bestowed with something called Air.’

It was perhaps a rare moment of honesty.

Because....

that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God

neither were thankful (well that is interesting, isn’t it?)

Let’s pause there for a moment.

Are you a thankful person? Do you let words of thanks flow out of your mouth? Does your facebook page, your text messages, your conversations with others wreak of thankfulness? OR… are you a drag on those around you with complaining?

Thanksgiving is a practice of honoring God by recognizing his blessings and focusing on his goodness over the things that seek to distract us from him. It is easy right now to grumble about winter, but what if we purposed to become thankful about every aspect it gives us? Warm, cozy homes. Beauty. Killing ticks. Nourishing the soil. Memories. Exercise in shoveling (or patience).

Each moment of thanksgiving is an opportunity to GLORIFY God.

… Became vain in their imagination,

and their foolish heart was darkened. (The gracious presence of

Profession themselves to be wise,

they became fools.

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

The World Today - and Environmentalism

Monk seals in Hawaii (5 years and $50,000).

That’s great, they’re cute and few, but why do we value the life of Monk Seal more than an unborn baby who is created in the image of God? We have turned creation into a god. The absence of the one, true God creates a void which mankind willingly fills with fake, meaningless, little gods and we’ve been doing it since creation began.

Notice the result of the rejection of God -

Wherefore, God gave them up (delivered them to, or to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts.

To dishonor their own bodies between themselves.

Paul lambasts homosexual behavior which some scholars and teachers try to wiggle out of by defining the word “natural”.

The Message of Romans 3. How Is God’s Wrath Revealed?

First, he asserts the people’s knowledge of God: they knew God (21), the truth of God (25), and the knowledge of God (28).

Secondly, he draws attention to their rejection of their knowledge in favour of idolatry: they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him (21); they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator (25); they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God (28).

Thirdly, he describes the reaction of God’s wrath: he gave them over … to sexual impurity (24); to shameful lusts (26); and to a depraved mind (28), leading to antisocial behaviour.

These are the three stages of the downward spiral of pagan depravity.

Notice the list of behaviors at the end here. And not only do these people who have rejected the general revelation of God do these things, but they have pleasure in doing them.