009 - 03 - Lesson 3: The Necessary Being
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Lesson 3: The Necessary Being
Lesson 3: The Necessary Being
Review: Romans 1:18-23 says that God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly revealed in creation. In the next few lessons we will take a step-by-step look at what we can learn about God from nature.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
God’s wrath is revealed (present tense verb that indicates an ongoing process) “from heaven” (God’s indignation is continuously being seen in even casual observance against those who would live ungodly).
God’s wrath is expressed toward the following (1:18):
The ungodly (asebeian) ἀσέβειαν “impiety, ungodliness; improbity, wickedness” (Moulton 55).
ἀσέβεια, ἡ, ungodliness, impiety, opp. ἀδικία, διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων περὶ μὲν θεοὺς ἀ. περὶ δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἀδικίαν X.Cyr.8.8.7; ἀ. εἰς τοὺς θεούς Antipho 5.88, cf. Pl.R.615c, etc.; also ἀ. ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ Lxx2Ki.22.22; ἀ. ἀσκεῖν E.Ba.476; δίκη ἀσεβείας πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Lys.6.11; ἀσεβείας γράφεσθαί τινα Pl.Euthphr.5c: at Rome, disloyalty to the Emperor (as θεός), D.C.57.9; of Christianity, Id.68.1: in pl., ἀσέβειαι ἀνθρώποις ἐμπίπτουσι νέοις Pl.Lg.890a.
LSJ
The unrighteous (adikian) ἀδικίαν “wrong doing, injustice” (LS 13).
✪ ἀδικία, Ion. -ίη, ἡ, wrongdoing, injustice, ἀδικίης ἄρχειν Hdt.1.130, cf. 4.1, E.Or.28, Pl.Grg.477c, al.; τύχῃ μᾶλλον ἣ ἀδικίᾳ Antipho 6.1; ‘foul’ in racing, Anon.in SE30.15.
LSJ
Those who “hinder the truth in unrighteousness” are due God’s wrath. To “hinder” (katechonton) = “to hinder (to obstruct or delay the progress of), restrain, hold down” (Moulton 224). That which is “hindered” is “the truth” (the revealed word of God). The ungodly obstruct the progress of the truth with their error (both teaching and practice). Note that “ungodliness” and “unrighteousness” is in contrast to living righteously by faith in verse 17.
✪ ἀδικία, Ion. -ίη, ἡ, wrongdoing, injustice, ἀδικίης ἄρχειν Hdt.1.130, cf. 4.1, E.Or.28, Pl.Grg.477c, al.; τύχῃ μᾶλλον ἣ ἀδικίᾳ Antipho 6.1; ‘foul’ in racing, Anon.in SE30.15.
LSJ
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
The ungodly that obstruct truth’s objective of forgiving men of their sins are due God’s wrath because God’s truths have been made “manifest” to them by God.
Paul goes on to explain how truth has been made manifest and why the ungodly are rightly due God’s wrath.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
The wrath of God is due the ungodly because they hinder truth through false teaching and ungodly practices. Furthermore, they make it manifest that they have clearly ignored the obvious signs of God’s “invisible things” (i.e., “His power and divinity”). Though invisible, God’s power and divinity are made manifests by “the things that are made.”
The Gentile who rejected God’s laws for his own religious practices is without excuse because the material universe proves that God is (see Ps. 19:1ff).
God has manifested (made known to man) His attributes by His creation. When one so accepts God through creation then said individual will fear God and thereby seek Him and His laws out. Solomon said, “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7).
Man has the ability to reason and should have concluded that God exists based upon the creation itself. Said faith would have caused them to move to revelation and gain a greater incite into God. So it is that creation (Ps. 19:1ff; Rom. 1:20) and revelation (I Cor. 2:6-13; Gal. 1:11-12) reveal the “power and divinity” of Jehovah God. For man to lay his eyes on the orderly universe and proclaim “there is no God” is to truly be foolish (Psalms 14:1).
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Note that Paul first exclaims that the Gentiles had knowledge of God made manifest to them through the creation yet they rejected Him and so are due His wrath (Rom. 1:19ff). Again, Paul tells us that the unbelieving Gentile who practices and teaches error in relation to spiritual matters is without excuse because they did not glorify God as the one true God. They could have brought God glory by bearing fruits of righteousness revealed in His revelation; however, they chose rebellion (cf. Jn. 15:8ff; Gal. 5:22ff).
Neither would they give God thanks (“to return thanks” {AG 328}). It is an act of rebellion to not acknowledge the blessings of this life and give God glory for them (cf. Acts 14:15-17). Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was that they would be thankful for the good blessings (the forgiveness of sins) that come through Jesus Christ (Col. 1:12).
Instead of acknowledging God, giving him glory, and thanks the Gentiles, “became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened” (1:21b).
The Gentile’s thoughts and reasoning were “vain.” The word “vain” simply means useless and worthless. The inference is obvious, they had sought after dumb lifeless idols to offer their worship to (cf. I Cor. 3:20).
One great example of this very thought is found in Jeremiah. The prophet states, “And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands” (Jeremiah 1:16). Again, the prophet states, “Thus saith Jehovah, What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” (Jeremiah 2:5).
The vanity or worthlessness was revealed in their “reasoning” = “thought, opinion, reasoning, design (AG 185). They took the unseen (God’s power and divinity) and assigned meanings dreamed up in their own minds rather than taking His divine revelation. God warned the Hebrews about doing this at Exodus 20:4-6; Deut. 4:15ff. Creation and revelation must be taken together. The Gentiles; however, took the creation, believed in a god, and worshipped things made with hands. This typology of thought was prophesied by Isaiah and again by Jesus (Matt. 13:10-15). Paul commended divine revelation to the Corinthians as opposed to “fleshly” reason (II Cor. 1:12; 2:17). All who do the same today must realize that the source of any religious practice must be from God’s authoritative revelation.
Next, Paul says their “senseless hearts were darkened” (1:21c). “Senseless” (asunetos) = “void of understanding, stupid, not to be understood, unintelligible” (LS 127). The disobedient Gentiles’ minds were stupid and in the “dark.” The word “darkness” is defined at Acts 26:18 as the “power of Satan”. Again, these Gentiles had not used their mind as God intended it to be used. His creation should have produced an acknowledgement of God and a thirst for divine revelation.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Here again we see a contrast between how the Gentiles viewed themselves and what they truly were (see Jer. 2:35; 8:8; 16:10) (see study # 16; Self Delusion). They considered themselves to be wise (educated). Paul uses the same terminology in I Cor. 1:19-25. Through their proclamation of their intelligence they actually pronounced their true ignorance in relation to true wisdom. They were deluded by the devices of craft and deceit of Satan (II Cor. 2:11; 4:2).
Their assessment of their own self was ridiculously in error.
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
The glory of Jehovah God is His divinity and everlasting power (cf. Rom. 1:20). The Gentile traded Jehovah’s revelation for his own fleshly wisdom in effect handed over all power and divinity to a piece of wood or stone carved in the fashion of a man, beast, or fish.
Jeremiah said of the idolaters of his day, “My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit” (Jeremiah 2:11b).
The Type of Revelation We Are Considering
The Type of Revelation We Are Considering
Paul is not talking about something revealed scientifically.
The scientific method is not the only reliable source of knowledge.
Paul is talking about something revealed logically.
Contingent Versus Necessary
Contingent Versus Necessary
Contingent = depends on something else. It might be or might not be.
Necessary = does not depend on something else. It must be.
Why does anything that is contingent exist at all?
Anything that exists is either contingent or necessary.
Some contingent things exist.
The existence of contingent things cannot be ultimately explain by other contingent things, since they also depend on something to exist.
Therefore the existence of contingent things can only be explained by something that exists necessarily.
(Peak ahead to Scripture – Exodus 3:14)
Your Notes and Questions
Your Notes and Questions