BSF Lecture - 9/25/2006; Romans 1:18-32

God’s glory = the sum of all his attributes; we will discuss 2 of his attributes through Romans:

1. justice – wrath = revelation of justice (today)

2. love – grace = revelation of love

- God’s wrath is just, and it shows us our need for HIS grace

- God’s wrath != human anger

- human anger = thumos (Greek) = “in the heat of violence” (sudden flare)

- God’s wrath = orge (Greek) = “to grow ripe in something”, e.g. water building up behind a dam = suttle opposition arising out of CHARACTER à in God’s justice, it’s only right that He judge sin

à in God’s justice, it’s only right that He judge sin

- wrath != only an OT concept (it occurs 10x just in Romans, Jesus talks a lot about hell); God is immutable, unchanging. Wrath is hatred of sin/judgment on sin.

I. Revelation (v. 18-20)

- wrath “is being revealed”

- PRESENT tense – it’s happening NOW, it’s going on (vs. judgment DAY, which is in the future)

- “being” (versus “doing”) – permissive will, rather than ACTIVE will – it’s something that happens as a consequence of sin) – “sin is its own punishment” (Paige Brown)

- against:

- godlessness = without regard to God, marginalizing, ignoring

- wickendness = deliberate disobedience (supress the truth that God is just and WILL judge)

- these verses talk about general revelation – plain to see for EVERYONE (vs. special revelation – which you need to be told, i.e. the redemptive plan through Jesus)

#1 there is NO excuse for NOT knowing the TRUTH about GOD

- examine your motives for questioning God – are you suprresting the truth so you don’t have to confront Him as Creator?

- embarrassed about thte concept of wrath (for others)? – PRAY for those who don’t believe yet

II. Reasons (v. 21-23)

- glorify God = honor God as God-centered (vs. ME-centered); do I go to church to honor God or satisfy me? do I actively find ways to give thanks to God (show gratitude)?

- dishonor God = fail to give thanks to Him, disregard God’s grace to us

- thinking = future (worthless, trifle, because NOT ETERNAL)

- hearts darkened = void of spiritual wisdom – leads us AWAY from God

- idols – because we can’t understand the TRUE God, we sub with something we can understand/grasp

#2 when we reject God, we always substitute something else for Him (i.e. slavery to sin). Anything I make my God other than God Himself WILL destroy me!

III. Result (v. 24-32)

- present tense to God’s judgment – “gives them over” = natural consequences of actions (i.e., to be free from God)

1. sexual impurity – not acknowledge God who created sex à use sex for own purposes

2. shameful lusts – promiscuity, homosexuality

3. depraved mind – hardened to th epoin tof thinking right = wrong, and wrong = right

#3 Jesus Christ is our only hope. He alone can save us from God’s wrath

His salvation is free for us, but at great cost to God.