Romans 1:18 – 23
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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. 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. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
The previous 17 verses were Paul’s introduction to his letter to the Romans. He introduced the gospel, described the fact that Jesus was both God and man, and proclaimed in verses 16 and 17 that the gospel was the power leading to salvation for all nations and races (Jews and Gentiles), and that in this gospel the righteousness from God was revealed by faith, and that those that are saved by this gospel live by faith. Paul’s introduction, however, begs the question, why do we as human beings need this salvation? Why did Jesus have to come in the first place, and why did He have to die? Why is this message “good news?” In the next several chapters, from Romans 1:18 through Romans 3:26, Paul explains the human condition. In meticulous detail, Paul makes it abundantly clear that regardless of who you are or where you come from, all human beings are sinful creatures. We all sin by nature, are separated from God, and are destined for divine judgment. In order for Paul to fully explain the gospel and all of its glory, Paul must first explain sin.
In verse 17, Paul described a righteousness from God that is revealed by faith, from faith. However, in verse 18, Paul begins a description of the human condition that is disgusting. Contrasting verse 17, in verse 18 Paul explains the wrath of God is being revealed. The wrath of God is something that is not normally discussed much any more, but it is a key doctrine in the study of God and in this study of Romans. A quick search of the word “wrath” and its various Hebrew forms in the Old Testament results in about 200 hits, and about 50 hits in the New Testament for the Greek forms. Boice states that there are over 20 words in the Old Testament for wrath, and nearly 600 passages on the subject.[1] The word translated “wrath” in Romans 1:18 is the Greek word orge, the word from which we get our word orgy. It means strong displeasure or strong indignation directed at wrongdoing, with a focus on retribution.[2] The word orge in the New Testament is used almost exclusively with God as the subject or possessive, meaning God’s wrath. But God’s wrath is not the same as human anger. John Murray describes wrath as “the holy revulsion of God’s being against that which is the contradiction of his holiness.”[3] Wrath is God’s reaction to that which is not holy. It is not a flare up or an instance of God losing control and getting angry in a human sense. It is a strong and steady opposition to sin and all evil, and God’s wrath is a product of His divine and Holy nature. God must punish sin, and His wrath is His punitive justice. Read the rest of this entry »
