Romans 1: 18-25 Evidence Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Paul is a good lawyer here. He’s laying a foundation for his case for the Gospel =
Res Ipsa Loquitur = (latin) The thing speaks for itself = (Wheelbarrow case)
The obvious order of the universe… (EXPAND UPON )…
It takes a stricken conscious to understand and embrace the Gospel
Speed kills (Alive at 25)
18(a) For the wrath of God
Wrath = Orgeo = (slow burning/seething below the surface) - righteous/patient indignation
Wrath is not just anger/ it’s deeper: the holy revulsion of God’s being against that which is the contradiction of his holiness.”
Kenneth Wuest writes that…
"There are three words speaking of anger, thumos, indicating a sudden outburst of anger that cools off quickly, orge, defining an abiding and settled habit of mind, not operative at all times, but exhibiting itself in the same way when the occasion demands it, and parorgismos which speaks of anger in the sense of exasperation. The latter is forbidden in Scripture, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (see Ep 4:26-note); the second, orge is permitted, but the qualification is that no sinful element be included in it."
Romans 9: 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
Christian philosopher Stephen T. Davis. Keep this quote handy when you preach or teach on the subject of holiness, judgment, and God’s wrath. "I think we ignore the concept of the wrath of God at our own cost. Indeed, I would argue for the radical proposition that our only hope as human beings is the wrath of God. (It is also true, of course, that our only hope is the grace of God, but that is another matter). The wrath of God shows that we do not live, as so many today suppose that we do, in a random and morally neutral universe. God wrath shows us that right and wrong are objectively real, they are to be discovered, not created. The wrath of God is our only hope because it teaches us the moral significance of our deeds and shows us how life is to be lived."
18(b) is revealed
(Example Covid smell test) stink is the residue of it being spoiled, not the other way around - must remove the spoiled item or remove the bacteria from it.
Discussion of Atheists construct of arbitrary Morality vs. Theistic imputation
“It’s the rare atheist who will honestly admit what their worldview would wreak, taken to its logical conclusion. To know that you are simply an accidental conglomeration of chemicals at the same time that such a thing as morals even exist is an oxymoronic statement and yet I hear it all the time from fellow atheists. …Be consistent. Acknowledge that the Universe is an uncaused accident, ethics is an illusion, and act accordingly. Or acknowledge the possibility of another possibility. Stop trying to have it both ways. Can you be an ethical atheist? Yes. But you won’t be a logical one.”
God decides what is right or wrong and therefore its arbitrary and can change, e.g., mormonism and polygamy (1890 revelation)
God “adopts” pre-existing moral laws and orders them followed / problem is who created the pre-existing laws?
God is true and morally righteous by Nature - He cannot act inconsistent with who He is (Immutable) and imputed a moral code in our spiritual DNA
Numbers 23:19
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
18(c) from heaven against all ungodliness
(asebeia from a = without + sébomai = worship, venerate)
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” ...
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.” ...
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” …
18(d) and unrighteousness of men,
(adikia from a = without + díke = what is right)
Moral law unchangeable vs. ceremonial (sabbath) and dietary (Peter kill and eat)
Lord Jesus Himself, when He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
18(e) who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2).
Winston Churchill, although not a theologian, certainly hit the mark with this thought: Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.
Is cow tipping a thing? Suppress the truth / Holding down barbed wire
The law cannot save it simply functions as barbed wire notifying you of trespassing
John Piper writes that unrighteousness is…
Loving sin (i.e., unrighteousness) more than loving God and His truth (i.e., ungodliness). So you see that the issue of truth is an issue of the heart before it is an issue of the head. When the heart is in love with self-exaltation and independence and the pleasures of sin, the mind will inevitably distort the truth or suppress the truth in order to protect the idols of the heart. What is needed is not just new ideas or more information, but a new heart. And a new set of passions and desires and pleasures
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
Evident (5318) (phanerós = manifest, visible, conspicuous, from phaino = give light; to make to shine, to cause to become visible from phos = light; Study verb phaneroo) means made visible as an external manifestation to senses. Phaneros stresses what is visible to sight.
H A Ironside - That the apostle’s picture of heathenism is still true the following clipping bears witness: “A Chinese Teacher once told a missionary that the Bible could not be so ancient a book after all, because the first chapter of Romans gave an account of Chinese conduct, such as the missionary could only have written after full acquaintance with the people. The mistake was not an unnatural one, but it is a heathen’s testimony to the truth of the Bible.”