THE BOOK OF ROMANS CHAPTER 1:18-31
THE GOOD NEWS – THE WRATH OF GOD IS REVEALED

Let us keep in mind that in the first 3 chapters, Paul was shaping the Roman Believers’ understanding that both Gentiles and Jews are on the same ground with God in the New Testament. It was generally understood by Jews (compared with themselves) that Gentiles were idolaters. And so after the introduction and salutation, the rest of this Chapter is addressing God’s Wrath and the character of Idolaters. 

God’s Wrath is what gives the force behind the Gospel. God loves and God hates. We will never understand the goodness and love of God until we understand the severity of God in His hatred for Evil. So it is, we must face Chapters 1-3, which centers on the Severity of God, before we can get to Chapters 4 and 5 which are centered on the grace and mercy of God.

Solomon, by the Spirit, wrote: “The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.” [Proverbs 16:14] (God/Jesus as King is a theme that will be brought out as we go through the Book of Romans.) The Wrath of God is HIS WAY OF PUTTING AND KEEPING THINGS RIGHT. And note that this revelation of God’s Wrath is set forth by Paul in the Gospel Age of Grace and Mercy. 

Christ warns His disciples, “fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” [Matthew 10:28] His Wrath is eternal, as He is. Though God’s Wrath will be quelled when all things are reconciled, yet its expression will be visible forever in everlasting destruction. “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” [Isaiah 66:24]

His Wrath is not:  

1. Vindictiveness, revengefulness and unbridled anger, such as an emotion which a man would have. To think in these terms is to make God too personal; or like in manner to man (thinking that God would react as a man would). 
2. Neither is His Wrath of that other extreme; to think God too impersonal, as if He had in ancient times just set certain Laws of the Universe into play. And that when these Laws are broken, there is simply Laws of retribution set in place; laws of the universe, similar to the impersonal law of gravity; natural ramifications of impersonal judgments that set in on the transgressors.

The Truth of the Word resists either of these beliefs or misunderstandings. Wrath is God’s reaction to being offended. And is justified in His taking offense, since He is the Almighty Creator.  His being rightly offended could be illustrated in any number of limited ways. For instance, how would a man react, if having taken much care in constructing some beautiful thing, which he thought to be better than just good, but very good, and after having revealed how to care and operate it, he entrusted it to another, who then carelessly destroyed that beautiful creation through willful abuse, ignoring the instructions of its care that he had been given? And having shunned all attempts to correct his wrong behavior, continued in contemptuous and total disregard to abuse and destroy that which he had been entrusted? Most certainly the offended man would react very strongly to the unrelenting offender. This illustrates God’s warrant and reaction in Wrath, but He is not a man, whose wrath often is unbridled anger, rage, and full of vindictiveness. But the Creator’s Wrath is wisely purposeful and measured by His Holy Righteousness and is therefore right. His Wrath is the responsible reaction according to His Righteousness and is personal, because He is a ‘person’ and the One Who has been rejected.           

AGAINST WHAT IS GOD’S WRATH SET?

VERSE 18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…” 

His Wrath is not arbitrary but set against Ungodliness and unrighteousness. 

Ungodliness is an attitude set against God and is the chief sin. No consideration of God in gratitude or thankfulness. No thought of God. He is not a part of their world or life. He is not thought to be necessary or additive. The attitude is, ‘Who needs God?’ On the contrary, the unGodly make their own god; one that suits them; one that that their debased minds now have conjured or gravitated to. 

The nature of Ungodliness is in the first place directed towards God Himself. The offense of ungodliness can be understood from the First Tablet of the Commandments given to Moses which had to do with honoring God the Creator (the first 5 commandments being Godward). Whereas Unrighteousness is that which has to do with the Second Tablet (the last 5 commandments having to do with the way we deal in life with others; that is to say in a right way or in a wicked way). These two great offenses to God and their just condemnation are the negative sides of what Christ declared in the Gospel when he was asked, “Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment (this is godliness). And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (this is righteousness). There is none other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:29-31]

Two different ways God’s Wrath will manifest:

1. Historically and presently in this appointed duration of time while He is now doing the specific work of the Gospel which is to call out from among the Gentiles a people for His name. (Acts 15:14) 
2. In the future when that work is complete, in the  Day of His Wrath, after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (See Psalms 110:5, Isaiah 13:9, 13:13, Revelation 6:17, 14:19) God’s Wrath is historically and presently on display, though not recognized by most, yet it is not hidden. It is revealed and open to the eye and heart of discerning mankind and it is rightly administrated from Heaven and carried out in the earth continually. 

WHY IS GOD’S WRATH UPON MEN? Romans 1:18-23… “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God…” The Scripture here declares that men have given God up for Idolatry. Idolatry is defined as the worship of idols, or the love and veneration for things other than God. Idolatry is the root cause coming from the ever abiding fallen nature in every man, that simply rejects God as being ruling King. A king’s subjects are yielded to his authority and they do as he says, wishes, and wills. Idolatry is doing one’s own will versus the will of the King. 

HOW IS GOD’S WRATH SEEN? Romans 1:24-31… “Wherefore God also gave them up…” It is revealed and seen in that because men give God up in idolatry, God gives up men to immorality. Men have dishonored God, therefore God dishonors man (man was/is to be honored by God even above the Angels, and when he dishonors God he dishonors himself and becomes debased by the idols he serves). So God’s Wrath is not a result of immorality…but of idolatry. Idolatry is the cause, and immorality is the effect.

HOW EXACTLY DO MEN GIVE UP ON GOD? Paul writes they…. “who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (How do men do that?…) Because that which may be known of God Is manifest (disclosed) in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.” The indictment is against all men who give up the knowledge of God, first and foremost by suppressing the Truth of His Being that is disclosed in His material Creation, which clearly speaks of… 1) His obvious Power and 2) His Godhead/Deity. God holds all men accountable to the declarations of creation, that of things unseen, that are presented to their God-given consciousness. (This leads us to recognizing that the Plan of Salvation was first; and then afterwards came the creation with its laws and emblematic depictions being wrought out according to the principles already fixed in the Salvation Plan [See Revelation 13:8, Ephesians 1:4], and are typically declaring that Salvation Plan throughout Scripture.) “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” [Revelation 13:8]  “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love…” [Ephesians 1:4] And when man rejects God as Creator, that which His Creation continually testifies of, then a man rejects the witnesses of His great power. Since man looks and beholds the wonder of Creation and the power of its Creator it represents, he intuitively realizes he has no such power and is thereby naturally confronted in his heart that there must be a Creator other than man with this Power. And then in this natural conclusion, there is the declaration of His Deity, God. 

Paul says then there is no excuse in not believing in God. There are no Atheists; but only self-deceived liars. And when man foolishly rejects these evident Truths he creates a great void in his own heart that doesn’t last long. Nature doesn’t like a vacuum and so that void and the filling of it is the cause of idolatry, in that man then begins making a god in his own image to fill the void, out of their own imagination. Substituting a lie for the Truth. 

This led man into developing his gods into something he can see. As they rejected that testimony of that which could be naturally seen, they then made something material to represent their gods so they had something to redirect their focus or calloused conscience upon and fill the void in their heart. The sad reality of this is understood from these Verses. Whether this void is filled with false religious gods expressed in the construction of material things like golden mice or golden Cathedrals, or secular things like the building of our own empires, our own kingdoms of businesses, intellectualism, professionalism, wealth, health, etc or just the uncleanness of mental and inward images of worldliness apart from God, they all are of the same principle; Idolatry. These are they “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator…” 

It is the rejection of the King, His Will and Wishes. 

It was out of this idolatrous worship and blindness that God called Abram. He responded to God’s call and crossed over the river. And then Abram set his heart towards acknowledging, following and obeying this one God, and he completely abandoned idolatry and God changed his name to Abraham and gave to him the Kingdom promises.

SO GOD REVEALS HIS WRATH…

…in that He gives men up, thrice stated in less than a chapter…VERSE 24, 26, 28.  Immorality and a reprobate mind is the result of God giving man up. God has reacted in Wrath against man’s idolatry, resulting in their immorality and disqualified mind. It is not because we behave immorally that has caused His Wrath to be upon us but it is because of our idolatry. God giving us up means when God takes His foot off the brake, the vehicle proceeds down the highway of life and eventually crashes. God does not make man sin but turns him loose and allows man to sin, and that by simply taking the brakes off the car driven by a blind-folded man. Man ruins himself. 

What happens to the body and soul when God takes His restraint off, that is to say the influence of man’s God-given spirit, is the sin nature (the sensual body and the carnal mind of the soul) which is always kicking against the pricks is unbridled. What happens to the body? Verses 24-27 the hidden and vile affections/lusts hitherto restrained within the body are manifest in all types of sexual perversions (evil is perversion of good, personified as that evil living being and king of this World; satan) dishonoring themselves by those sins, debasing, darkening the mind; women lust for women and men burning in their lust one toward the other…receiving in themselves the due recompense for their perverseness. When you obey your sensual body, you obey the god of the World and yield your members to unrighteousness. And the Wrath of God comes on all unrighteousness.

Verses 28-32 What happens when He takes the brakes off the mind of the carnal soul that does not want to retain the knowledge of God? The mind becomes reprobate (unapproved, unworthy, disqualified) to do those things which are not convenient (or not making one fit for the King and His Kingdom).  Twenty-one disqualifying things are named in these verses….1) wickedness; un-rightness; an increasing liking for the wrong things 2) evil; thinking and doing of evil to others (like the evil one does) 3) covetousness; ”to want more” than you have 4) maliciousness; viciousness; wanting to attack people or do harm 5) envy; being envious of others 6) murder; we know it is taking life but if you have been angry with another or despised them and called them a fool you are a murderer, the Lord says 7) debate/strife; to contend in pride and ambition; to argue to want to get to the top; argue 8) Deceit; crafty cunning unhanded dealings 9) malignity; to speak about someone in a spiteful and critical manner, to interpret things in those most harmful ways to bring disrepute on others 10) gossipers; ‘whisperers’ behind their backs 11) slanderers or backbiters 12) haters of God; because He puts limits on them 13) despiteful/insolent defiant and rude to those in authority or superior to you 14) proud/pride is said to be the father of all sins 15) boasters 16) inventors of evil; to constantly be inventing new ways to sin 17) disobedient to parents; ‘Who made you in authority over me?’; a shunning of their counsel 18) foolish, unreasonable without understanding 19) covenant breakers; someone who has no value of their word 20) heartless, without/unsociable natural affection 21) implacable/truth-less; without pity to other people. 

These are the things that appear among us or within us when God gives a man or society or people or Nation up and His Wrath appears/becomes apparent. And that according to Heaven’s judgments against ungodliness and unrighteousness, to those who hold the truth in unrighteousness.   

We might consider this Wrath being revealed in the light of 2nd Thessalonians 2:7-8… “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth will let (meaning God has provided brakes that mankind itself might not unrestrainedly rush headlong into the folly of iniquity) until he be taken out of the way (this answers to God’s intended and then finished work of the fullness of the Gentiles come in, that is to say the end of the time of the righteous to obey and come into His Kingdom calling). Then shall the time of His measured/limited Wrath be over, which then sets the stage for the Day of His Wrath… “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming…” in the DAY of His Wrath.

But does not the Scripture say, as a Christian, I have been delivered from the Wrath of God? 

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” [1st Thessalonians 5:1-10] God has not appointed us to His Wrath, but we can choose to fall under His Wrath when we choose to be children of darkness. (That Wrath not being eternal for believers.)

But it is also written, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient (not fitting for the Kingdom): but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” [Ephesians 5:1-7] A partaker of God’s Wrath is one who refuses the pricks of God upon their heart. Their eternal life is not at risk, but how they lived will be weighed as it relates to their inheritance in the kingdom. Christians have the same sin nature as other men, but they can choose to present their bodies as living sacrifices unto God, and conform to the image of Christ. These are they who have made Him King over their lives, and do not treat Him as just a figurehead. 

As eternal life rests on our Justification, so the kingdom inheritance rests on our sanctification. God is KING; the Supreme Ruler, and if there long remains in me some willful unbelief/rebellious disobedience, after I have been redeemed, wherein I received in my spirit the gift of power to overcome and conform to His Son’s image (Romans 8:29), if I then refuse the Sovereign’s Rule, then it is my inheritance in His Kingdom that is at risk. And to the degree of willful idolatry I was engaged in at death, and then at the Judgment Seat of Christ (the appointed King of the Kingdom), I am to be judged as a partaker with them (Matthew 24:51… “…and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth…”) And His Wrath yet abides on me to that degree that I refused the Sovereign’s rule, and I will be punished accordingly.

The Christian, by nature is selfish, like the rest of men, but is called to change his conduct and conform to the will of Jesus the King. The cause of this Wrath is that men, like satan, have determined to have their own kingdoms, wherein they rule. We Christians, having tasted of the goodness of God, tend to want God to Reign over us but do we want Him to be King and Rule over us. That is the soul-searching question. Many of His own born again children, often checked, refuse to conform to His Will. Yet we want and pray the King to heal our bodies. And surely He can, but have we given thought as we pray to whom our body belongs? And will we let God rule our bodies if we are healed? Or do we presume to ask while yet intent upon reserving our bodies to serve ourselves in our own little kingdom? Does not God oft restrain Himself from healing us, having no right intent of heart, in order that we might yet see in our infirmity our folly and determine to yield our bodies over to His service if He grants us life? Christians don’t have the concept of a Ruling King Who has every right over their lives. The rights over our work, our ambition, our money, our health, our leisure, and over all things having to do with those in His Kingdom. But for the most part Christians, no better than the lost Gentiles Paul here describes, turn a deaf ear to His Lordship. Lordship being another word for His Kingship. But yet we pray continually for Him to heal our worldly bodies, and to bless our worldly minds. It is great hypocrisy. Jesus, Who His King and Ruler over the Church, wants/demands us to willingly yield to His Rule and to give up our idolatry. May we yield to His Lordship.