A week ago Friday, a man went to the emergency room at a Dallas hospital with flu like symptoms. Even though he told a nurse that he had recently returned from Liberia, the hospital sent him home. Two days later, after his symptoms continued to worsen, that same man was finally admitted to the hospital. After performing further tests the man was diagnosed with the Ebola virus and he was immediately placed in isolation. The last I heard, he was in intensive care fighting for his life others who have been in close contact with him are being carefully monitored.
When it comes to our physical health, an accurate diagnosis is often a life or death matter. As we’ll see this morning, the same thing is true in the spiritual realm as well and there it is even more critical because it affects eternity.
So far in the first 17 verses of Romans, Paul has introduced us to the good news of the gospel which saves us from God’s wrath through faith in Jesus. But as we get to verse 18, Paul is going to embark on the most extensive, careful and logical diagnosis of man’s spiritual condition that has ever been written. That section extends all the way through chapter 3, verse 20. As we study this section together we’re going to find the much needed diagnosis for what ails all of us spiritually. And that diagnosis is going to allow us to make sure we apply the proper treatment. Since we’re going to be in this section for quite some time, let me give you a brief overview before we read today’s passage.
Overview of Romans 1:18-3:20
• Romans 1:18-32 – General indictment that primarily addresses the Gentiles.
• Romans 2:1-16 – Paul addresses those who think they are moral enough to earn God’s favor
• Romans 2:17-3:8 – Paul specifically addresses the Jews who pride themselves on observing the Law
• Romans 3:9-20 – Paul summarizes the idea that all are equally guilty before God
It is only when Paul concludes that section that he finally returns to the idea we saw last week in verse 17 – that God imputes His righteousness to those who respond to the gospel by faith alone.
So with that in mind, I invite you to follow along as I read this morning’s passage which begins in Romans chapter 1, verse 18. I’ll read through verse 23.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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. 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. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
(Romans 1:18-23 ESV)
As we saw last week when we briefly looked at verse 18, the salvation provided by the gospel is salvation from God’s wrath. And, not surprisingly, the topic of God’s wrath is not a real popular one in today’s culture. We’ll begin to see why that is the case this morning as we learn more about it. What is more surprising, and more disturbing, in my opinion, is that it is a topic that is often avoided even in the church.
I can understand why that is, at least to some extent. My guess is that some of you here this morning are already thinking we’re going to be slogging through sin and guilt for quite some time and that is going to be a real downer. But let me assure you that if you’ll view this part of our journey through the right lens, it will actually end up being quite encouraging.
There are a number of reasons that this section of Paul’s letter should be such an encouragement to those of us who have already responded to the gospel in faith as well as to any who are here who have not yet done so. Here are just a couple I want to encourage you to keep in mind:
1. In order to obtain a lasting cure, we have to make the correct diagnosis. If we want to understand the antidote to our sin, we must first understand the disease we are dealing with. And the better we understand what ails us spiritually, the better position we will be in to effectively deal with the sin in our own lives and help others deal with theirs.
2. Knowing the nature of sin and wrath will cause us to cherish the gospel even more deeply. Once we understand the depravity of our own hearts and what we deserve as a result, how can we not love, cherish and share the gospel that saves us from that fate as we have never done that before?
This morning, we’re going to answer three important questions pertaining to God’s wrath:
• God’s wrath – what is it?
• God’s wrath – how is it revealed?
• God’s wrath – why do we deserve it?
Let’s begin with the first question:
GOD’S WRATH – WHAT IS IT?
In the New Testament, there are two primary words that can be translated “wrath”:
• Greek “thumos” = a passionate outburst of rage
That particular word is used 18 times in the New Testament. I tis used to describe the wrath of God 8 times on the book of Revelation, but all the other times it is used to describe the temper of man or Satan.
• Greek “orge” = settled anger
This word comes from a verb that means “to teem” or “to swell” and it implies that it is not a sudden outburst but rather it proceeds from an internal disposition that steadfastly opposes something due to a fixed determination of what is wrong. That particular word is used 36 times in the New Testament, almost all of them referring to the wrath of God.
I really like how William Barclay describes the difference between the two:
The Greeks defined thumos as the kind of anger which is like the flame which comes from straw; it quickly blazes up and just as quickly subsides. On the other hand, they described orge as anger which has become habitual...Orge is anger which has become inveterate; it is long-lasting, slow-burning anger, which refuses to be pacified and nurses its wrath to keep it warm…
So given those two possibilities, which of the two do you think Paul uses here? The good news here is you have a 50/50 chance of being right. [Wait for answers].
The correct answer is orge.
The wrath that is described here is not some outburst of anger, but rather God’s opposition and displeasure with sin that has long been settled as a result of God’s righteousness that is revealed by the gospel as we saw last week. So I think it would be accurate to answer our first question like this:
God’s wrath is His settled opposition to
and displeasure with sin
That was definitely the easiest of our three questions to answer. So let’s move on to the next one, which is a bit more difficult to answer.
GOD’S WRATH – HOW IS IT REVEALED?
I think most people, even most believers, tend to think of God’s wrath as something we’re going to face “down the road”. But as we mentioned briefly last week, Paul uses the same present tense verb in verse 18 that he used in verse 17 when he wrote that in the gospel God’s righteousness “is revealed”. I’m sure by now a lot of you are probably tired of my constant reminders that in Greek a present tense verb conveys the idea of continuing action. So it would be totally accurate to translate the first part of verse 18 like this:
For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven…
There is no doubt that there is a future component of God’s wrath. Just like God’s salvation will reach its complete fulfillment at the return of Jesus in the future, God’s wrath will also come to completion then as well. And that wrath is certainly something we want to be saved from, because as I alluded to a few minutes ago, God’s wrath at that point is described in the Book of Revelation as being comprised of God’s passionate outburst of rage along with His settled anger.
But Paul want his readers to understand that there is also a present component of God’s wrath that they should be concerned with right now. So exactly how is God’s wrath revealed? Let’s take a quick tour through a few examples of God’s wrath in the Scriptures.
The first time God revealed His wrath was in the Garden of Eden when He sentenced Adam and Eve to physical death as a result of their sin – exactly what He had told them previously would be the consequence of failing to obey Him. And obviously we are all subject to that aspect of God’s revealed wrath thousands of years later.
God also revealed His wrath through the Flood as all but 8 people died due to their unrighteousness.
God revealed His wrath at the Tower of Babel when he scattered the people and confused their languages after man determined that he could somehow reach the same level as God.
OK, you say, that is the God of the Old Testament, but surely the loving God of the New Testament wouldn’t do that. Let’s begin with the most important revelation of God’s wrath in the entire Bible – the crucifixion of Jesus. As Jesus hung on the cross God directed all the wrath that we all deserve upon His Son.
Certainly the wrath of God was revealed when Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and were struck dead.
All of the examples I’ve cited thus far show God actively intervening to carry out His wrath. But in this section of Romans, we’re going to see that God’s wrath is also revealed in another, more subtle way. God has physical laws and a moral law and when man chooses to continually reject and ignore those laws, God’s wrath is revealed by allowing man to experiences the natural consequences of violating them. And as a result man universally suffers futility and misery as human behavior becomes more and more degrading.
This aspect of the revelation of God’s wrath is the answer to one of the most common objections that people have when it comes to submitting their lives to God:
How can a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people?
First just let me point out that one of the premises on which that question is based is completely untrue to begin with. Since we have all sinned and therefore deserve God’s wrath, there is no such thing as a “good person”.
Once we make an accurate diagnosis of man’s condition, we find that what we ought to ask is this:
How can a loving and righteous God possibly withhold His wrath from anyone?
But just for argument’s sake, let’s assume that there is such a thing as a “good person” who just makes bad decisions. After all, isn’t that we’re told all the time in order to excuse wrong actions? Even if that were the case, we should still expect to experience God’s wrath because there are natural consequences to disobeying God’s laws.
No matter how good a person is, if he or she decides to jump off a skyscraper, the law of gravity will ensure that he or she experiences God’s wrath in the form of death.
No matter how good a person is, if he or she chooses to violate God’s laws regarding marriage and sexual purity, he or she is going to experience God’s wrath, which may come in many different forms – everything from broken relationships to disease.
And, even worse, in both the examples I cited, other people around those who violate God’s law also, by association, are impacted by God’s wrath in much the same way that those who have been in close contact with Ebola patients often end up with the disease, too. So we really shouldn’t be surprised that when we live in a world where the majority of people choose to live a lifestyle in which they consistently violate God’s laws, that all of us experience the effects of God’s wrath in some way.
So here is how I would sum up the answer to our second question:
God’s wrath is revealed actively by His direct intervention
and passively by the operation of His physical and moral law
We’ll close by answering the third, and most complex question:
GOD’S WRATH – WHY DO WE DESERVE IT?
The simple answer is found at the end of verse 18:
Unrighteous men suppress the truth.
Fortunately for us, Paul goes into some pretty good detail to explain what that means and how it occurs.
First Paul uses two words to describe what all men are like apart from the gospel – ungodly and unrighteous. The word ungodliness refers to a lack of reverence for God. It is primarily a mindset that says, “I don’t need you God.” I can’t think of a better word to describe the large majority of people in our culture today, even among those who would call themselves Christians. How many times do you hear people say something like, “Well if you need a god, that’s OK with me, but I just don't need a ‘crutch’ like that. I can handle things on my own.”?
And that attitude of ungodliness always leads to the actions of unrighteousness. What – and Who – we believe determines how we live. So if I start off with the idea that I don’t need God, it’s a pretty safe bet that my actions aren’t going to be consistent with a righteous God. And an ungodly, unrighteous person is going to live a life that is characterized by suppressing the truth – notice that the verb “suppress” is in the present tense.
Beginning in verse 19, Paul addresses the objection that he expected to face – one that we still face today. Well what about the person who doesn’t know any better? Paul pulls no punches with his response:
No one has an excuse!
Paul makes a logical, well-reasoned argument to support that contention:
1. God has revealed His nature to everyone though His creation
This summer Mary and I had the privilege of hiking through the Kilauea Iki crater in Hawaii. And I was amazed at how that resting volcano revealed the nature of God for those who had eyes to see it. As we started the hike, we were in thick rain forest that was full of plants and animals, reminding me of what God’s creation must have been like before sin entered the world.
But as we made our way down into the crater, we saw that that last eruption in 1959 had wiped out all the life that had previously existed in that location and covered it with a thick layer of magma that is still cooling 55 years later. Seeing that I couldn’t help but think of Ephesians 2 where Paul described how all of us were once dead because of our sin and subject to God’s wrath. I will never forget what that crater taught me about the devastating effects of sin.
But even in the midst of this hard, sterile crater, there were signs of life returning. In some places, it was only a single plant growing out of a small crack in the lava. In other places, there were actually a number of trees that now made their home in that crater. To me that was a picture of what God does for us when we respond in faith to Him. At first, there is life, but only a little bit of life compared to what God want to produce in me as I continue to trust in Him as we discussed last week. Just like God will continue to create more and more life in that crater until the day this earth is burned up and we get to enter into a new heaven and new earth, God will do that in me spiritually until I either die or Jesus returns.
After that experience, I now know experientially what I knew only intellectually before that - God’s creation is His poem to us. In verse 20, the phrase “things that have been made” is a single Greek word from which we get our English word poem. It is a word that is used only one other time in Scripture – in Ephesians 2:10, where Paul writes that we are God’s “workmanship”. So we are literally God’s poem.
This is why the idea of naturalistic evolution is so dangerous. If we believe everything around us just ended up that way randomly, if there is no Intelligent Designer who conceived the complex designs that we see in every cell of every living organism and then had the means and the power to actually create them, then it’s impossible for us to have a right idea about who God is.
Obviously, His creation is only one way God reveals Himself to us. He also reveals Himself through His Word, the Bible, and through His Holy Spirit. And if viewed properly, all those sources will always give us a consistent picture of who God is. But as Paul points out here, even if someone has absolutely no revelation of God other than his “poem”, His creation, men are without excuse because…
2. As a result all men know God to some extent
Paul begins verse 21 by pointing out that because God has revealed Himself in his creation, all men knew Him. And the word for “knew” that Paul uses there isn’t just an intellectual knowledge - it is knowledge gain through experience. So Paul is making it clear here that every human has the ability to know God merely through observing His creation, and therefore all are without excuse.
Isn’t it amazing the extent to which people will go to avoid admitting they know God? They will use terms like “Mother Nature” or “destiny” or “fate” or “karma” just to avoid saying anything that might reveal that deep down inside they do know God. And on the other end of the spectrum I’m constantly amazed at those who claim they don’t believe in God but who have no problem calling out His name when they hit their thumb with a hammer or want to cuss someone out.
But sadly, not all choose to respond to that knowledge correctly. Paul tells us that…
3. Many choose to exchange the glory of God for pitiful substitutes
Rather than honoring God as the God who had revealed Himself to them or to give thanks to Him for who He is and what He has done for them, the great majority of people choose pitiful, corruptible, temporary substitutes for the immortal God.
Paul specifically mentions physical idols that resembled men, birds, animals and creeping things. What all these had in common is that in each case man chose to worship something that was far inferior to the true God. And my guess is that they chose to do that because of their pride and self-centeredness. After all if your God is a bird, then you are certainly far superior to that bird and you can then go ahead and do whatever you want because you have essentially become your own God.
So here is how I would sum up why we all deserve God’s wrath:
We deserve God’s wrath because
we change the truth in order to follow our ways
rather than follow the truth in order to change our ways.
The truth is that the universe is radically God-centered. He designed it, put every piece into place and He sustains it. His creation exists as a display of His glory and when we try to rob God of His glory and make His creation man-centered, then why should we expect that we would not experience His wrath?
But here is the good news. God’s present wrath is also the manifestation of His grace. His present wrath is designed to help us make an accurate diagnosis of our current condition, Its purpose is to help us see where we’ve exchanged the glory of God for pitiful substitutes, where we’ve changed the truth in order to follow our own ways rather than follow the truth to change our ways.
There will come a day when it will be too late to avoid God’s future wrath. For those who have not responded to the gospel through faith in Jesus alone, once we die or Jesus returns it will be too late. But that is not what God desires for us, as Paul makes clear in another of his letters:
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
(1 Thessalonians 5:9 ESV)
Because God has poured out His future wrath on His Son, Jesus, it’s still not too late to trust in Him and escape that future wrath.
And for those of us who have already accurately diagnosed our sin problem and found the only cure in Jesus, God’s present wrath ought to, as I mentioned earlier, cause us to cherish the gospel even more deeply as we recognize what God has done for us to spare us from that future wrath. And, it ought to invigorate and renew our desire to share that good news with others.
