Romans 1:18-32a

Thought: The Gentiles are under condemnation  from God because of defection from the truth.

Wrath of God: Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
What if, back in the day, Western Union had said “we only carry  good messages.”

But as we noted before, you cannot have the medicine without the diagnosis.(talk about an inconvenient truth)

Today we will  look at the first part of this section and see the revelation of God’s Wrath and the Reasons for God’s Wrath’ Then Next time, God willing, we will see the Reasons for no excuse and The Result of man’s rebellion.

Look with me at verse 18 as we note the Revelation of God’s Wrath.  Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
 
For… Goes back to “The righteousness of God in verses 16-17. Saying  The reason the gospel is available and needed is because mankind is under judicial condemnation and because God hates sin.

The reason that only a grace through faith salvation works is because God has investigated, judged and found us lacking.

Here in verse 18, the salutation is over and the announcement of the gospel is over, now Paul begins the charge of prosecution in the  case against man (Dr. D.G. Barnhouse)

Before there can be a remedy there has to be a diagnosis and God’s diagnosis was and is this:

Mankind, individually and collectively is under God’s wrath. A.T. Pierson, a commentator says “This is not a passion but a principle. The eternal hatred of wrong which corresponds with the eternal love of right and which is only another aspect of love.”

During chapters 1 & 2 we will see that unregenerate and degenerate man, religious or unreligious man are equally lost and only upon accepting the diagnosis can the prescription be delivered.

When we mention the wrath of God it should chill the blood of those who do not realize that it has been forever stilled in regard to believers. People are uncomfortable when we speak of that part of God’s character and attributes.

But as for God, his way is perfect (Psa 18:30  ) Matthew 5:48 says “be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

(Deu 32:1-4  Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.   My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:  Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

God has the right to judge man and condemn him, man does not have the right to judge God and condemn him. Yet we have heard it said “God wouldn’t send a person to Hell, he is love.”

Yet even in his wrath he is perfect.   Heb 10:28-29  He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:   Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
 
But in our humanity we are disturbed by the idea of a loving God having wrath

Any God who doesn’t have wrath isn’t our God. God’s attributes are balanced by his perfection. God is perfect in his love but also in his holiness And justice.
God’s hatred of sin as much as his love for sinners is what sent Jesus to the cross in my place.

Hebrews 1:9 speaking of Jesus, the God man says “you have loved righteousness and hated iniquity…”

Hab 1:13 a Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity /

Because of a tendency in our world to preach only the love of God  and exclude the equally true teaching of his hatred of sin, many have refused to acknowledge their need of salvation. Love is the attribute, the characteristic of God that rescues us from his totally justified wrath.

Note also that the wrath of God is revealed. There are two Greek terms for wrath, one(thumos) is a hot instant fire, the other ( orga )is a slowly building and rising indignation that has become settled. That is what is used here. The thing opposed to man’s disobedience (Thayer).

But our text says “it is revealed.” “Man has always had an inbuilt sense of God’s displeasure with sin and the need for it’s satisfaction“. Says Dr. Barnhouse, “It is not a new revelation that God hates sin, but the coming of Christ to die is the highest revelation of God’s Wrath against sin.”

God so hated sin that he gave  his only begotten son. So in the gospel of God’s righteousness is revealed the God’s wrath against sin. Note here “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness.

This Can mean have an unrighteous view of the truth, snubbing God and his ways. Knowing God and turning their back, or holding back the truth. Against such people God’s wrath is full. And in verses 19&20  we will see The reason for God’s wrath. 19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
19  is explained in verse   20,  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:    

2 things can be known by every man.

1. God’s power.
Ps. 8 “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth (read that Psalm please)” Genesis 1:1

2. His deity That he is a God type being. From the creation these things can be surmised, that’s called natural revelation and it shows these aspects are of God.

We know that a closer relationship comes by faith (Heb. 11:3 by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.)

Bu just looking around us indicates to a rational mind, one without an anti God bias, that this just didn’t happen. Many creation scientists do not hold to a personal God but they do see or understand some god type being or force that began all this.

In the 70’s the 200 inch telescope at Mount Palomar photographed a spot in the sky which seems empty to the naked eye. The Schmidt camera saw many dots of light that man had never seen.

A tiny oblong in the first picture was enlarged  and hundreds of other points of light were seen. A still smaller rectangle  was further enlarged until one of those points of light was shown to be  a galaxy as vast as our Milky way 150,000,000 light years across.

Going the other way, to smallness. Many yet unexplored and unseen thins exist and atomic science has been developed based on the things which we can’t see based on the effects of the unseen (for you scholars that’s the Heisenberg uncertainty principle and I have drastically oversimplified it here).

God is telling us that same principle exists in regard to himself in nature. All of creation from micro to macro reveals the fact of his being and that he is powerful. So God states here that mankind has no excuse.

Push this idea into a classroom. Suppose the physics professor is lecturing on atomic science. A student shakes his head and says “,I can’t see an atom so I won’t believe it.”

The professor then explains the observable effects  of the movement of atomic components but the boy stubbornly refuses to admit to this evidence. On exam day he flunks the course.

He comes to the professor to explain but he is without excuse. That which may be known about atoms and their parts is shown because physical investigation has revealed it. “For the invisible things of atomic components are clearly seen, being understood by the effects that are manifested so that the student is without excuse.”

No man has seen God at any time, writes John in John 1:18, yet we can know that he is and that he is a rewarder of diligent seekers.

Creation is a witness to “a god.” And on judgment day God will be able to say “I painted my portrait in the heavens, I signed my name in the sunset, I left my footprint in the canyons and my handprint on a cross, yet you would not acknowledge me, you have no excuse.

Next time we will see the reasons why there is no excuse and the result of rebellion, but for now let’s focus on our faith.

Are you prepared to face Almighty God and answer his wrath?

Old song: Someday you’ll stand at the bar on high, someday your record you’ll see, someday you’ll answer the question of life, what will your answer be? What will it be?

Have you seen evidence that God exists?

Heb 11:6a  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,

Have you gone beyond natural revelation and looked at the special revelation of God?

6b…and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

John 3:16-17; Romans 3:23 ( For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  ) 6:23 (For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

   Rom. 5:8(while we were yet sinners Christ died for us)

10: 9-10 (confess/believe )

 John 1: 12 Urges us to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Will you take that step? Will you surrender to Him? Have your sins forgiven and follow Jesus?