“The Reasons for God’s Wrath!”

I’d like to begin with a quote from John Stott:

The Message of Romans A. The Wrath of God against All Humankind (Romans 1:18–3:20)

Nothing keeps people away from Christ more than their inability to see their need of him or their unwillingness to admit it.

Jesus said it this way:

Mark 2:17 CSB

17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus certainly didn’t mean that there were some who were righteous, but rather that they thought they were righteous!

In that condition of self-righteousness they will never come to Christ!

The Message of Romans A. The Wrath of God against All Humankind (Romans 1:18–3:20)

Our

This is the principle behind the first three chapters of this letter (Romans 1:18-3:20)!

Before Paul can continue to show that salvation is for “…everyone who believes” (v.16), both Jews and Gentiles, he must prove that they are equally in need of it!

Not only does Paul bring an indictment that ALL, Jews and Greeks alike, are under the power of sin and the wrath of God!

The NORMATIVE outline (taught in the majority of study guides and commentaries) of Romans 1:18-3:20 is as follows:

I. The Sinfulness of the GENTILES! - (1:18-32)

II. The Sinfulness of the JEWS! - (2:1-3:8)

III. The Sinfulness of EVERYBODY! - (3:9-20)

I believe John Stott provides the BEST outline of this pericope:

First (1:18–32), he portrays depraved Gentile society in its idolatry, immorality and antisocial behavior.

Secondly (2:1–16), he addresses critical moralizers (whether Gentiles or Jews), who profess high ethical standards and apply them to everybody except themselves.

Thirdly (2:17–3:8), he turns to self-confident Jews, who boast of their knowledge of God’s law, but do not obey it.

Fourthly (3:9–20), he encompasses the whole human race and concludes that we are all guilty and without excuse before God.

Throughout this long passage, in which the apostle gradually but relentlessly builds his case, he never loses sight of the good news of Christ. Indeed, ‘the righteousness of God’ […] is the only possible context in which he could dare to expose the squalor of human unrighteousness.

The only slight challenge I would add is my conviction that (1:18-32) is not just for Gentiles only, but rather, also is an indictment all humanity!

My REASON is that Paul does not use the word, “Gentile” (ἔθνη) or “Greek” (Ἕλληνι) in this passage, but rather, “people/men” (from ἀνθρώπων), but this is a very minor point.

It is also clear from the history of Israel that at times, they were clearly guilty of idolatry (and all of the other sins described in this section)!

Jeremiah 2:11 CSB

11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (But they were not gods!) Yet my people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.

LET’S BEGIN by reading our passage: (Romans 1:18-23)

PRAYER

Introduction - (1:18a)

“For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven…”

As I stated last week, whenever a verse begins with “For” you are looking at a GROUND: A statement to be believed or obeyed and the evidence for it. The evidence must follow the statement!

The STATEMENT to be believed is (v.15) - “So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

The EVIDENCE to be believed is a series of GROUNDS found in (v.16a) - “For I am not ashamed…”, (v.17a) - “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed…”, and (v.18a) - “For God’s wrath is revealed…”

Paul is now explaining why he is “…eager to preach the gospel” (v.15), OR, if the GROUND connects to (v.17) “…the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,” he is demonstrating (all the way to 3:20) the reason we need the righteousness of God by faith!

Namely, that humanity’s actions deserve God’s wrath rather than God’s righteousness!

The argument is this: ὀργὴ θεοῦ (wrath of God) is parallel to δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ (righteousness of God) in 1:17. Both are also, ἀποκαλύπτεται - “revealed.”

BOTH explanations are accurate: “For God’s wrath is revealed…”

A FEW MORE observations before we look at the REASONS for God’s wrath…

FIRST, the verb, ἀποκαλύπτεται - “revealed” is indicative mood, which means it is a statement of fact and is sure, and is present tense—not PAST or FUTURE, but right now!

It is a fact that there is never a time when God’s wrath is not being revealed from heaven!

The battle between God and sin is constant and will continue until Jesus returns!

Ephesians 2:1–3 CSB

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.

Galatians 6:7 CSB

7 Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap,

SECOND, God’s “wrath” (ὀργὴ) is another recurring theme in this Letter to the Romans!

Of the 36 times this word is found in the NT, it is used twelve times in Romans, all denoting divine indignation directed at injustice, cruelty, and corruption.

The challenge for us is to understand the difference between divine indignation and human wrath/anger!

From John Stott:

Human anger, although there is such a thing as righteous indignation, is mostly very unrighteous. It is an irrational and uncontrollable emotion, containing much vanity, animosity, malice and the desire for revenge. It should go without saying that God’s anger is absolutely free of all such poisonous ingredients.

The wrath of God, then, is almost totally different from human anger. It does not mean that God loses his temper, flies into a rage, or is ever malicious, spiteful or vindictive. The alternative to ‘wrath’ is not ‘love’ but ‘neutrality’ in the moral conflict. And God is not neutral. On the contrary, his wrath is his holy hostility to evil, his refusal to condone it or come to terms with it, his just judgment upon it.

THIRD, this revealing is “…against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people!”

ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων

According to J. B. Lightfoot, asebeia is ‘against God’ and adikia ‘against men’.

In other words, “godlessness” (ἀσέβειαν) relates to our vertical relationship with God, and “unrighteousness” (ἀδικίαν) relates to our horizontal relationship with people!

AND there is a strong connection!

According to Robert Mounce, “Lack of respect for God leads to a lack of justice for people. History demonstrates that nations that forsake God lose their concern for the rights of the individual. To forsake God is to forsake his creatures. As a national policy, atheism grinds its people under the collective heel of ‘what’s best for society.’”

IN THE PARAGRAPH before us (1:18-23), there are three sentences in Greek that provide our outline answering the question, “Why is God’s wrath being revealed?”

I. Because Humankind Unrighteously Suppresses God’s Truth! - (1:18–19)

(v.18b) - “…of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth”

Truth cannot be changed, but it can be held down or stifled. And the way people suppress truth is by their unrighteousness behavior!

Our culture today DARES anyone to say what they are doing is wrong! And if you DO dare to call something “unrighteous” you run the danger of being CANCELLED!

It is not just that they do wrong, though they know better. It is that they have made an a priori decision to live for themselves, rather than for God and others, and therefore deliberately stifle any truth which challenges their self-centeredness.

It may be some comfort to know that this is NOT NEW! Paul was writing of the same issue 2,000 years ago!

Humanity does so…

1. Despite Knowing About God - (1:19a)

“since what can be known about God is evident among them…”

Ultimately REALITY is not affected by DELUSION; TRUTH is not changed by a LIE! Truth may be suppressed, but can never be changed!

The most avowed atheist is without excuse. The more they fight against Theism, the their actions reveal that they actually do believe in God. Otherwise, where is the logic in fighting something that you say doesn’t exist?

Hebrews 9:27 CSB

27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—

Romans 14:10–12 CSB

10 But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God. 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

2. Despite God Making Truth Manifest - (1:19b)

“…because God has shown it to them.”

From ἐφανέρωσεν - ‘to make known, to make plain, to reveal, to being to light, to disclose, revelation.’

The next sentence (in Greek) gives the SECOND reason why God’s wrath is being revealed:

II. Because Humankind Inexcusably Ignores His Power and Divine Nature! - (1:20–21)

1. Although Seeing it Clearly in Creation - (1:20)

Acts 14:15–17 CSB

15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own way, 17 although he did not leave himself without a witness, since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.”

CREATION requires a CREATOR!

The presence of an INTELLIGENT DESIGN necessitates an INTELLIGENT DESIGNER!

If you woke up in a HOME, and got out of BED, somewhere there was a CARPENTER and FURNITURE MAKER involved.

If you drove here in a CAR, then you can be assured there was an ENGINEER and FABRICATOR involved. We could go on and on…

AND YET, our culture (and sometimes liberal Christianity) constantly attempts to convince us that EVERYTHING WE SEE came from NOTHING, and that it all came into being, not by the DECISION of a loving God, but through CHANCE and random CHEMICAL REACTIONS!

And that DNA can marvelously CHANGE, not just from one organism to another, but change to the point of ONE SPECIES becoming a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SPECIES—an estimated 8.7 million different animal species on Earth!

And we haven’t even considered the diversity of PLANT LIFE—that the 390,900 known types of plants—every different kind of grass, plant, weed, flower, vegetable, shrub, and tree ALL came about through random selection, and that it ALL CAME FROM THE SAME NOTHING that the Animal Kingdom came from!

WHICH is in direct contradiction to the Genesis account of creation:

Genesis 1:11–12 CSB

11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:21 CSB

21 So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24–25 CSB

24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

TEN TIMES in Genesis 1 we are told God created everything, “…according to their kinds!”

Paul’s summation in the last part of (v.20) is DEVASTATING:

“…as a result, people are without excuse.”

2. Resulting in Foolish Thinking and Darkened Hearts - (1:21)

“For though they knew God…”

When did they “know” God? The text doesn’t say. Since he has been referencing Creation, perhaps Paul is thinking of the beginning:

Genesis 1:27 CSB

27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

Perhaps the better answer is in the PRESENT testimony of Creation seen by every person ever born!

Psalm 19:1–4 CSB

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.

“…they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude”

In spite of Creation’s testimony, neither worship or gratitude resulted!

WHAT DID result was…

“…Instead, their thinking became worthless (futile), and their senseless hearts were darkened.”

διαλογισμοῖς - to think or reason with thoroughness and completeness—‘to think out carefully, to reason thoroughly, to consider carefully, to reason.’

ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία - Lit. ‘senseless their heart’

ἀσύνετος - pertaining to a lack of capacity for insight and understanding—‘without understanding, senseless, foolish.’

καρδία - Occurs more than fifty times in Paul’s epistles and is “…the hub of the wheel of man’s existence, the mainspring of all his thoughts, words, and deeds” - William Hendriksen.

The really BAD news is that because of the fall of man, our hearts are already in deep trouble!

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

Matthew 15:18–19 CSB

18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.

I like the NLT:

Romans 1:21 NLT

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

The THIRD reason why God’s wrath is being revealed:

III. Because Humankind Foolishly Discards His Glory! - (1:22–23)

The third sentence in our paragraph reminds me of the saying, “De-Nial is not just a river in Egypt!”

1. Although Claiming to be Wise - (1:22)

From ἐμωράνθησαν - a derivative of μωρός - ‘unwise, foolish’ (English, “morons”)

Romans 1:22 NLT

22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

2. Exchanging Incorruptible Reality for Copies of the Corruptible - (1:23)

Even in our REBELLION, humanity lacks an original thought—all he or she can do is “exchange” truth for a lie!

It seems often that humanity’s PRINCIPLE act of rebellion is to break the FIRST TWO COMMANDMENTS!

Exodus 20:3–5 CSB

3 Do not have other gods besides me. 4 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,

Deuteronomy 4:15–19 CSB

15 “Diligently watch yourselves—because you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb— 16 so you don’t act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of any figure: a male or female form, 17 or the form of any animal on the earth, any winged creature that flies in the sky, 18 any creature that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the waters under the earth. 19 When you look to the heavens and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the stars in the sky—do not be led astray to bow in worship to them and serve them. The Lord your God has provided them for all people everywhere under heaven.

How did Israel do? Did they learn their lesson and abandon idolatry? - NO!

Isaiah 46:5–7 CSB

5 “To whom will you compare me or make me equal? Who will you measure me with, so that we should be like each other? 6 Those who pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales— they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god. Then they kneel and bow down to it. 7 They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands; it does not budge from its place. They cry out to it but it doesn’t answer; it saves no one from his trouble.

Wisdom of Solomon 13:11–19 RSV

11 A skilled woodcutter may saw down a tree easy to handle and skilfully strip off all its bark, and then with pleasing workmanship make a useful vessel that serves life’s needs, 12 and burn the castoff pieces of his work to prepare his food, and eat his fill. 13 But a castoff piece from among them, useful for nothing, a stick crooked and full of knots, he takes and carves with care in his leisure, and shapes it with skill gained in idleness; he forms it like the image of a man, 14 or makes it like some worthless animal, giving it a coat of red paint and coloring its surface red and covering every blemish in it with paint; 15 then he makes for it a niche that befits it, and sets it in the wall, and fastens it there with iron. 16 So he takes thought for it, that it may not fall, because he knows that it cannot help itself, for it is only an image and has need of help. 17 When he prays about possessions and his marriage and children, he is not ashamed to address a lifeless thing. 18 For health he appeals to a thing that is weak; for life he prays to a thing that is dead; for aid he entreats a thing that is utterly inexperienced; for a prosperous journey, a thing that cannot take a step; 19 for money-making and work and success with his hands he asks strength of a thing whose hands have no strength.

Sounds pretty “moronic” to me!

CONCLUSION:

ROBERT MOUNCE: “To turn from the light of revelation is to head into darkness. Sin inevitably results in a darkening of some aspect of human existence. In a moral universe it is impossible to turn from the truth of God and not suffer the consequences. Ignorance is the result of a choice. People who do not “know” God are those who have made that choice. Understanding God requires a moral decision, not additional information.”