Romans 1: 17 – 32
Get Right Or Be Left
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 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. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
A man that I admire for his faithfulness to our Precious Jehovah Elohim is Chuck Smith. Through all the trials, temptations, and tribulations he has remained faithful to the calling our Lord has given him. As a result our Lord has done great things through him in the Calvary Chapel movement.
Today’s title is credited to him. On one speaking tour as the principal speaker he stated this famous line. Some people know he was the one who gave this impacting statement but few know the story behind it.
Prior to coming up to his time to teach there were other Pastors who took more than their allotted time to teach. I believe that by the time for Pastor Chuck to speak over an hour had elapse into his scheduled teaching time. So, after a praiseworthy introduction to the audience he got up to the podium, gave his classical smile, and said, ‘Get right, or be left.’ - and he then walked off the stage.
So, today we want to talk about being ‘right’ in all that we do. In religious terms it is referred to as ‘righteousness’.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
We should note immediately here the co-relation between ‘salvation’ and ‘the righteousness of God’. The Good News is ‘the power of God unto salvation in which we had learned in our last study from verse 16. Now verse 17 says ‘therein is the righteousness of God revealed.’ Salvation and God’s righteousness go hand in hand. The stress is not only on the fact that God saves, but also on the fact that He does so righteously in accordance with what He is. Paul then interprets that as signifying that if God had not brought us righteousness as a gift to be set to our account there could have been no salvation. For what is being underlined is that God Is Righteous, and that there could therefore be no salvation without righteousness. In other words, when thinking in terms of a righteous God salvation and divine righteousness, are ‘soul-mates’. If we are to be saved it must be in righteousness, and God must in some way bring to us righteousness, because God, being God, must save righteously.
So the content of the Good News is now made clear. Please look at the statement ‘from faith to faith’. It means that faith is the beginning of the salvation process and its goal as well. When a person first exercises faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, that person is saved from the penalty of sin and declared righteous. As the believer lives by faith, God continues to save him or her from the power of sin in order to live and do everything ‘right’. It reveals a righteousness of God resulting from faith (out of faith), which is offered to those who believe (unto faith).
Now a good question to consider is this, ‘what is this ‘righteousness of God’ to which Paul refers?’ It clearly has in mind that God is truly righteous, that is, is fully ‘right’ in all that He is and does.
But equally clearly there is more to it than that. For this ‘righteousness of God’ here referred to is not simply seen by Paul as an attribute of God, but as something which God actually applies to believers. This comes out in that it is immediately applied in terms of Scripture to believing man as a consequence of his faith. For Paul directly connects it with the Old Testament given by the prophet Habbakkuk in chapter two of his letter that declares that ‘the righteous by faith will live’. And as he will bring out later he sees this righteousness as a gift from God associated with the grace of God. It is a righteousness which is applied to man without him having to do anything towards it, while he is still ungodly. Yet that it is somehow God’s righteousness is equally very important, for only that righteousness could be truly acceptable to God. It is in no way the righteousness of men, or indicative of or resulting from, man’s actions, for if it were it would be defiled. It would come short of what God requires. Mankind’s part in it is only to receive it.
The Bible’s requirements are quite simple. You can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’; ‘I will obey’ or I will not obey’. The ‘righteousness that our Precious Holy Master demands on us either condemns if rejected or saves if accepted. It is that simple. Right?
So, we see in the movement from verse 17, dealing with the righteousness of God, to verse 18, dealing with the wrath of God, we are faced with the starkest of contrasts.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Do you notice two distinct and different words used by the apostle Paul – Ungodliness and unrighteousness. Here is the explanation of both;
1. Ungodliness is sin against God
2. Unrighteousness is sin against our fellow human beings.
People suppress the truth about our Holy Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High. The bible makes no attempt to prove that there Is A God. It is self evident as we will read about shortly. In addition, people need to realize that His wrath is kindled against all who;
A. Deny Him
B. Ignore Him
C. Resist Him
We move from brilliant light on the one hand into awful darkness on the other. In verse 17 all is light. Those who believe partake in and experience the righteousness of God. They are seen as righteous in His sight. Their future is bright and secure. In contrast those who do not believe are guilty of ungodliness and unrighteousness, and they are subject to the wrath of God. They walk in darkness. They have no light. Their future is bleak indeed. And this is because God has not come to them in righteousness.
Paul then goes on to detail how man’s state of ungodliness and unrighteousness came about. It came about because they did not believe, and it had awful consequences, for it resulted in God giving them up to uncleanness and to an unfit mind. Yet in spite of this man did not see himself as unrighteous, and so Paul sets about demonstrating that he is.
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.
God’s wrath is revealed against such people because they have no real excuse for not seeing the truth. For what is known of God is manifest (made clear) in them, because God has manifested it (made it clear) in them. They have the voice of conscience within, the law written in the heart. That makes clear the difference between moral good and bad. They have the testimony of creation around them which God makes clear in their hearts, testifying to His eternal power and Godhead. Note the assumption that what is known of God is made clear within them. God has put His witness within man. Then why do they not accept? It is not because of their intellectual superiority, but because their unrighteousness ‘holds down, suppresses’ the truth. That is why some are aware of it and respond wholly to God, while others fail to see it and respond.
It is not science properly which produces unbelief. Science is neutral with regard to God. It is man’s interpretation of that science, resulting from the unbelief that is the consequence of a sinful heart that leads him astray.
I do not know if you follow the news or not, but there has been some real nasty fighting by all those who will not bow the knee to our Lord Jesus Christ. In the discovery of DNA for example scientists know that there is a ‘Designer’ Who Created all things. However, if as a scientist, you openly speak up about this fact your will be excommunicated from the scientific society.
For what makes man totally inexcusable is that ‘the things that are made’ reveal to the open mind the invisible things of God (His goodness, wisdom, power, majesty, creativity, providential care) and have done so from the beginning. For in combination with man’s spiritual nature they make known His eternal power and Godhead. As we look at the wonders of creation, the evidence of ‘design’ in nature, its beauty, its diverse colors, its radiance, the scene from the mountain top, the wonder of men’s inexplicable bodies and minds (made even more inexplicable by the discoveries of micro-biology and the discovery of the human genome), and the wonders of outer space, we can only recognize that it is God Who has done this, a God Who is rational, interested in beauty, powerful, intricate, and yet Who brings comfort to the heart. As the Psalmist said in # 19, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork, day unto day utters speech, and the night-time is not silent’. These ideas of design, magnificence and beauty should therefore fill us with awe and point our hearts towards God, and would in fact do so were we not blinded by sin. But the problem is that men do not want to know God. So instead men try to explain them away.
Paul now demonstrates how man’s refusal to know God results in man’s fall into gross sin. We have already been told about the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men in verse 18. Paul now expands on that, dealing firstly with man’s ungodliness as manifested by his turning to idols, with its inevitable consequences.
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. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
One consequence of man’s turning away from the true God is that men have to seek an alternative which will satisfy their inner cravings, which will fill ‘the God-shaped void in every man’s life’. And for long centuries they did this by associating the supernatural with human and animal forms. If you look back now to the book of Exodus chapter 20 regarding the Ten Commandments when our Lord in #2 tells us to never make any graven image.
Please take special note that it was not that man did not ‘know’ God. There was something within all humans which makes us aware of Him. That is why there is so much religion in the world. But what they did not want was to be controlled by Him in their activities and behavior. Thus they closed their minds to the knowledge of God as He is, and refused to glorify Him as God. This is seen as deliberate. Nor did they render Him thanks.
They were ungrateful. They took what He provides for granted, but would not acknowledge it. So instead they became vain and empty in their thinking and in their reasoning’s as they sought to find ways to satisfy the emptiness within, without recourse to God. But the result of rejecting the light was that their senseless heart was darkened. They found themselves struggling in the dark and sought to come up with a solution which would satisfy their desires without having to face up to the truth.
Here are two questions for you to consider; ‘Why was our Holy Ruler so upset over Cain’s offering?’ and ‘why is God so upset over some stupid idols?’
Our Great and Wonderful Creator made all things. In the first two chapters everything was considered by Him as ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’. Then our parents Adam and Eve fell into sin. From that point on the earth was ‘cursed’ by our Holy Master. So, if we make anything or try to give anything from the earth not within His specifications, we are in effect saying, ‘Here Holy Lord I offer or worship this accursed thing for You!’ Can you see how horrible this is?
The consequence is that God gives them up, in the lusts (passionate desires for pleasure) of their hearts (minds, wills and emotions), to beastliness. They became what their gods were. And that involved them in uncleanness and dishonoring their bodies among themselves. The filthiness in man’s nature became unrestricted, and it soon became apparent in their ways of life. Sexual perversion and immorality became commonplace and it could all be justified as ‘worship’ because it was regularly connected with the Temple.
All this happens because man by his own choice exchanges the truth of God manifest in his heart for what was is a lie, a deceit, a pretence, and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator, the One Who Is blessed forever.
When a person becomes aware of God speaking within he or she quashes it, and finds a substitute. The addition of ‘Who is blessed for ever’ is typically rabbinic, but emphasizes the difference between the gods which will not last on the one hand, and the God Who is everlasting on the other. Only One is deserving of praise.
There is a chilling note to this statement, ‘God ‘gave them up’. This is something that must be totally understood. If you play around with mocking the One Who holds our very breaths in His control then you are potentially in danger that He will no longer strive with you. It’s over for you. So, then you might as well eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die!’ The emphasis of these verses is on the fact that judgment inevitably follows.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Many times we all just read the list and take for granted that we know what they mean. So, let us take a look at these horrible descriptions and ask yourselves (1) ‘Do you know what it means?’ And (2) ‘Do you pass mustard?’
. The first in the list is ‘wickedness’ (poneria). This word refers to those whose waywardness expresses themselves in deliberately hurting others. It has in mind the desire to do harm to people, either by corrupting them or by doing violence to them.
. Next in the list is ‘covetousness - the lust to obtain’ (pleonexia). The Greek word is built up of two words which mean to ‘have more’. Such people are out to get what they can for themselves, often without regard for the rights of others.
. ‘Maliciousness’ (kakia). Kakia is the common Greek word for general ‘badness’. It describes the case of a man who is destitute of every quality which would make him good. It has in mind ‘the degeneracy out of which all sins grow and in which all sins flourish’.
. ‘Full of envy’ (phthonos). This kind of envy blames all woes of everything to everyone. Such a person resents those who achieve what he/she cannot. This person resents those who work hard and build up wealth, while he cannot be bothered to stir himself. So the emphasis in the first four words is very much on man’s behavior and attitude towards his fellow-man.
. ‘Murder’ (phonos). We must remember that our Lord Jesus gave this word new meaning. It refers not only to the murderer, but also to the hater, and to the one who rages in his mind.
. ‘Strife’ (eris). What is in mind here is the contention which is born of envy, of ambition, of a desire for prestige and prominence. It always wants the best for itself and fights for what it wants regardless of others.
. ‘Deceit’ (dolos). The verb from which this comes is used of debasing precious metals and adulterating wines. It refers to the person who will happily use deceit to get his own way, the confidence trickster, the rogue builder, the dishonest salesman, the cheat.
. ‘Malignity’ (kakoetheia) has in mind having the spirit which puts the worst construction on everything. It means literally being evil-natured, having the spirit which always sees the worst in other people and interprets things in the worst way. It is the prime sin of the gossiper who destroys people behind their backs.
. ‘Whisperers and backbiters’ (psithuristes, and katalalos). These two words both describe people with slanderous tongues, but there is a difference between them. Psithuristes describes the man who whispers his malicious stories in the ear of anyone who will listen, who takes someone into a corner and passes on a character-destroying story. Katalalos, on the other hand, describes the man who shouts his slanders abroad, making his accusations quite openly. Again the emphasis in these words is on tendencies within man which make him behave as he does.
. ‘Haters of God’ (theostugeis). This describes the man who hates God because he is aware that he himself is living in defiance of Him. He sees God as interfering between himself and his pleasures, as the One Who wants to prevent him from doing what he wants. He would gladly eliminate God if he could, for to him the best world would be a godless one where everyone could do what they wanted (although he does not think of what the consequences of that would be).
. ‘Insolent’ (hubristes). Hubris refers to the pride that defies God, and to thoughtless arrogance. It has in mind the person who is sadistically cruel, and enjoys hurting just for the sake of hurting. It refers to the person who is so sure of himself that he has little regard for others.
. ‘Haughty, arrogant’ (huperephanos). This is the word which is used when we read that ‘God resists the proud’ Such a person has a contempt for everyone except himself. His whole life is lived in an atmosphere of contempt for others and he delights to make others feel small.
. ‘Boastful.’ (alazon). Alazon literally means ‘one who wanders about’. It then became the stock word for wandering quacks who boasted of cures that they had achieved, and for salesmen who boasted that their wares had an excellence which they were far from possessing. The Greeks defined alazoneia as the spirit which pretends to have what it has not. It has in mind the kind of man who boasts of deals which exist only in his imagination, of connections with influential people which do not exist at all, and of gifts to charities which he never actually gave. His sole aim is to impress others.
. ‘Inventors of evil things’ (epheuretes kakon). This phrase describes the man who is not content with the usual, ordinary ways of sinning, but seeks out new vices because he has grown blasé and is looking for a new thrill from some new sin. He continues to sink lower and lower.
. ‘Disobedient to parents (goneusin apeitheis). Both Jews and Romans set obedience to parents very high on the scale of virtues. Parents were seen very much as the first level of authority, controlling the waywardness of mankind. The honoring of the authority of parents was one of the Ten Commandments, whilst in the early days of the Roman Republic, the father's power, was seen as so absolute that he had the power of life and death over his family. It was important because once the bonds of the family are loosened, wholesale degeneracy necessarily follows.
. ‘Without understanding’ (asunetos). This word has in mind the man who is unwise, who never learns the lesson of experience, and who will not use the mind and brain that God has given to him.
.’Breakers of agreements’ (asunthetos). Here the idea is of someone whose word cannot be trusted. Whatever agreement you come to with them you can never be sure that they will fulfill their obligations.
. ‘Without natural affection’ (astorgos). ‘Storge’ was the special Greek word for family love. In Paul’s day family love was on the wane. Children were often considered a misfortune. When a child was born, it was taken to its father and laid at his feet. If the father picked it up it meant that he acknowledged it. If he turned away and deserted it, the child was literally thrown out. No night passed without there being thirty or forty abandoned children left in the Roman forum. The natural bonds of human affection were being destroyed.
. ‘Unmerciful’ (aneleemon). At the time when Paul was writing human life was cheap. A slave could be killed or tortured by his master, for he was seen only as a piece of property and the law gave his master unlimited power over him. It was the age in which people found their delight in watching men kill each other at the gladiatorial games. Compassion was in short supply.
A perusal of this list will soon bring home to us sins of which each one of us is guilty to at least some extent. It is Paul’s deliberate attempt to bring out the horror of sin in the world, and to establish that all men are sinners.
Paul then draws out that man’s sinfulness has indeed reached such a state that men not only do such things but also consent to them as a general practice. They are not only pulled down by sin, but they also in their minds consent to it. They even encourage others in similar sins. They live in a world of sin and treat it as commonplace.
This is also a reminder that if we know what God requires, and know that what others practice is sinful and therefore ‘worthy of death’, but do nothing about it, we share equal blame. Consenting to another doing something means that we are equally involved in it and are equally guilty. Indeed, we are guiltier.
I think we all can gladly say, ‘Thank You Lord God for forgiving us!’ Amen
