Romans 1:18-20

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Romans 1 (NIV)
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
 
 
Verse 17 talked about the righteousness of God being revealed, now we turn our attention to the wrath of God being revealed.
 
Folks must understand the bad news of human sin so they can realize their NEED for the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. We need the righteousness of God but deserve the wrath of God. Until we realize what Christ has already done for us.
 
The Big Picture-
Unrighteousness of:
1:18-32-Gentiles
2:1-3:8-Jews
3:9-20-all people
Saving Righteousness of God (3:21-4:25)
 
Verse 18: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness…
 
Wrath of God: Punitive outworking of God’s righteous indignation
Personal anger against sin. Strong displeasure.
A holy, just revulsion to sin (anything contrary to His holy nature).

• How is God’s wrath earned?

 
 

• What is the object of God’s wrath?

 
 

• How is God’s wrath different from man’s anger?

 
 
 
Human anger is mostly very unrighteous: irrational, uncontrollable, vanity, animosity, malice, revenge… But God’s anger is free from all of these poisonous elements.
 
Revealed: To be made known to the public (previously only known to a few); uncover; unveiled (like at a wedding)

• Where do we see God’s wrath against ungodliness? Unrighteousness? [We need to be very careful where we assign God’s wrath-i.e.—Is a hurricane or tsunami evidence of God’s wrath?]

 
 
Godlessness (ungodliness): Impiety: unrighteousness by virtue of not giving proper respect for God.
Sinful behavior toward God.
Contempt of divine character and authority.

• Where do you see contempt of divine character in culture? In you?

 
 
 

• Where do you see contempt of divine authority in culture? In you?

 
 
Spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal any hidden sin in your life. Ask Him to give you the courage to own up (take responsibility) for known sin. Repent of both.
 
Wickedness of people (unrighteousness): Failure to adhere to moral principles, commands, or laws.
Sinful behavior toward mankind.
 
 
 
            Ungodliness and unrighteousness mean we have utterly rejected God.
 

• How do you measure up against the standard of God’s perfect righteousness?

 
 
 

• What moral principles, commands, or laws, have you transgressed? Repent!

 
 
 
 

• Where are you sinning against others?

 
 
 
 
Suppress the truth: Hold in, restrain, keep within limits

• How do we suppress the truth?

 
 
 
Fight against it; disregard it; deliberately obscure it.
 

• What truths are being suppressed in today’s culture?

 
 

• How can we stand for truth?

 
 
 
Don’t suppress the truth to protect your own lifestyle.
 
Verse 19: since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
 
May be known about God:

• What do you know about God? How do you know it?

 
 
Is plain to them: Clearly revealed to the mind.
God’s revelation of Himself is not obscure, it is clear.
 
Acts 14:17: “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
 
Psalm 19:1-6: 
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.
 
Because God has made it plain to them:
Fault for failure is with those who reject the evidence.
Learning is thwarted by our moral blindness and disbelieving hearts.

• How does God make Himself known?

 
 
 
 
Verse 20: For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
 
For since the creation of the world:
 
 
God’s invisible qualities:
What distinguishes God from all others.
 
 
His eternal power:
 
 
And divine nature:
 
 
The Power and Person of God!
 
Have been clearly seen:
 
 
Being understand from what has been made:
General (Natural) Revelation: God’s disclosure of information about Himself in the world. (God’s Work)
Special Revelation: Jesus (God’s Word)
 
 
God’s creation: beauty, complexity, design, usefulness.

• What (in nature) causes you to stand in awe of God?

 
 
Nature itself is the best argument for Intelligent Design.
 
 
 
 

• What can we learn about God from looking at creation?

 
 
 
Ten Things:[1]
1. God’s orderliness (He is a God of law and order)—the law of gravity and all the other unchangeable laws of nature.
2. God’s artistry—colorful sunsets, peacock feathers, colors on a tropical fish.
3. God’s power—thunderstorms, tornados, tidal waves
4. God’s goodness—rain from heaven, fruitful seasons, sunshine
5. God’s greatness (bigness)—the vast dimensions of our universe. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains 300,000,000 suns. We can’t even count all the galaxies, much less all the stars.
6. God’s intelligence—the human brain is far more complex and far more complicated than any computer man has ever made, and computers are made by intelligent men
7. God’s creativity (His unlimited ability to create and design with amazing variety and originality)—every snowflake is a six-sided crystal and yet no two are alike; no two people are alike and there are differences even among identical twins.
8. God’s wisdom (the all-wise God created the world in the very best way)—the sun is not too far from the earth and not too close to the earth, planet earth has just the right amount of water, oxygen, etc.
9. God’s care—birds feeding, the lily clothed, the chick protected and nestled by the hen (Matthew 6:26-30; 23:37)
10. God’s faithfulness—the day-night cycle, the seasonal cycle
 
 

 
so that people are without excuse:
 

• Why do we need missionaries if people can know about God through nature (creation)?

 
 
 
Five reasons:[2]
1. Although people know that God exists, they suppress that truth by their wickedness and thus refuse a relationship with Him. Missionaries sensitively expose their error and point them to a new beginning.
2. Although people may believe there is a God, they refuse to commit themselves to Him. Missionaries help persuade them, both through loving words and caring actions.
3. Missionaries convince people who reject God of the dangerous consequences of their actions.
4. Missionaries help the church obey the Great Commission.
5. Most important, though nature reveals God, people need to be told about Jesus and how, through Him, they can have a personal relationship with God.
 
 

• What about the innocent person who has never heard of Christ? Are they condemned to hell?

 
 
Three responses: 1. No such thing as an innocent person. 2. Go tell them! 3. Let God deal with them, what about you, you’ve heard of Christ, what do you say to His free gift of salvation?
 
Bottom Line: 

• Failure to give God His due inevitably results in failure to treat people (created by God in His image) the right way. 

• Knowing that God exists is not enough. People must learn that God is loving. They must understand what He did to demonstrate His love for us (Romans 5:8). They must be shown how to accept God’s forgiveness of their sins.

[1] From Middletown Bible Church’s study on Romans 1

[2] From Life Application Study Bible
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