Some Key Words (6/3/00-6/4/00)

Wrath (orge [3709]):

anger as a state of mind, desire with grief, the effect of anger - punishment; anger, agitation of the soul, impulse, any violent emotion, indignation, anger exhibited in punishment; desire or excitement of the mind, violent passion

Revealed (apokalupto [601]):

to expose to open view what was hidden before, to reveal a secret; to disclose, to make known what was unknown; to take off the cover, disclose

Heaven (ouranos [3772]):

all that is above the earth beginning with the air, God's dwelling place; the sky, the universe, the world, the region above the universe - God's perfect dwelling place; the sky, the abode of God

Unrighteousness (adikia [93]):

not justice, what ought not to be, that which is wrong, all that does not meet God's standard, sin; injustice, unrighteousness of heart and life, a deed violating law and justice; legal injustice, moral wrongfulness

Suppress (katecho [2722]):

to hold fast, possess, seize, detain, restrain, withhold; hold back from going away, restrain or hinder the progress of, to check a ship's headway, to keep secure, to take, gain possession of; to hold down

Truth (aletheia [225]):

the manifested, veritable essence of matter, the reality pertaining to an appearance, the reality clearly before our eyes - not merely appearance, truth as opposed to falsehood, truth as opposed to symbolism, integrity; what is true in any matter, what is true pertaining to God and to man's duties, the understanding of God which is available to reason without God's intervention, truth of the Christian faith, personal excellence, free of pretence and deceit; truth

Known (gnostos [1110]):

to know, perceive, learn, recognize, to be known, known to one, knowable; known, notable; well-known

Evident (phaneros [5318]):

to shine, to make to shine, to cause to appear, apparent, plain to see, being known, public, open, famous, eminent; plainly recognized; publicly or externally apparent

Within (en [1722]):

in, as resting in a place or thing, remaining in, in close proximity to, among, before a person, in the presence of, when, during, period in which something takes place; in, by with; denoting fixed position in place, time or state

Invisible attributes (aoratos [517]):

unseen, that which cannot be seen; not capable of being seen.

Power (dunamis [1411]):

inherent power, capability; power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, power for performing miracles, moral power, excellence of soul, influence of wealth, power of numbers; force, miraculous power

Divine nature (theiotes [2305]):

divinity - a concept derived from (discerned by) His works, as opposed to His deity [2320], which cannot be derived by observation, but only revealed by Him; divinity; godhead; Vine's: points up the fact that here (the only place the word is found), the idea is how much one can know about God by simple observation of His creation. In other places, the idea conferred by other words for divinity is the actuality of His (or Jesus') being God - His essence, a thing that requires a more direct revelation from God Himself.

Clearly seen (kathorao [2529]):

to see from above, view from on high, see thoroughly, perceive clearly, understand; to behold fully, distinctly apprehend

Understood (noeo [3539]):

to perceive, observe, to perceive thoughtfully - as opposed to simply viewing, to understand, the action of the mind or heart in knowing; to perceive with the mind, have understanding, to think upon, heed, ponder, consider; to exercise the mind, comprehend

Without excuse (anapologetos [379]):

without defense, that which cannot be defended, inexcusable; indefensible

Knew (ginosko [1097]):

to know experientially rather than intuitively, to perceive, be acquainted with, understand, be conscious of, discern, distinguish, approve, acknowledge, think, beware; to learn to know, come to know, gain knowledge by perception, feel, become known; understand, have knowledge of; to know absolutely

Honor (doxazo [1392]):

to glorify, esteem, be of opinion, suppose - such opinions leading to recognition, honor, praise, and dignifying of the one of whom the opinion is held, to recognize, honor, praise, bring to honor, make glorious, glorify; to extol, magnify, celebrate, do honor to, hold in honor, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor, render excellent, make renowned, render illustrious, to cause the dignity and worth of a person to become manifest and acknowledged; to render or esteem glorious

Give thanks (eucharisteo [2168]):

to be thankful, to thank - often implying an undeserved kindness for which to be thankful, a good reception of an undeserved grace; to be grateful, feel thankful; to actively express gratitude

Became futile (mataioo [3154]):

to make vain or worthless, to become vain, destitute of real wisdom, to be perverse, foolish, act perversely, to get off the right path, to follow a bad course; to make empty, vain, or foolish; to render or become foolish - thereby wicked

Speculations (dialogismos [1261]):

objectionable thoughts and directions, doubtful reasoning, dispute; inward thought, inward reasoning, purpose, design, questioning about what is true, doubting, arguing; internal discussion, consideration, external debate. Vine's points out that this word carries with it the idea of having an evil purpose.

Wise (sophos [4680]):

one who knows how to regulate his course, understanding the ways of the heavens, wise, skillful, expert, prudent, sensible, judicious; skilled, expert, skilled in letters, cultivated, learned, forming the best plans and using the best means; wise

Became fools (moraino [3471]):

to be foolish, act foolishly, to make foolish, to prove a person or thing to be foolish, to make flat and tasteless; to become insipid

Glory (doxa [1391]):

appearance, reputation, glory, honor, renown, reputation as opposed to truth [225], a thing commanding recognition, splendor, brilliance, all which is excellent in the divine nature, all that He will appear to be at His revelation to us; an opinion, judgement, view, although the opinion may be good or bad, the NT always indicates the good - resulting in praise, honor, and glory. Splendor, brightness, magnificence, excellence, dignity, grace, majesty, a most exalted state; very apparent glory

Incorruptible (aphthartos [862]):

not capable of corruption, an attribute of deity, exempt from the wear, waste and perishing of the present body of man; not liable to decay, imperishable, immortal; not decaying in essence or continuance

Image (eikon [1504]):

to be like, resemble, an image as of a man, made of some material, resemblance, likeness, an image drawn from a prototype; a figure of a thing, a moral likeness to God, the image of Christ into which we are transformed, the image of one, one in whom the likeness is seen; a statue, profile, representation, resemblance

In the form of (homoioma [3667]):

likeness, resemblance, without the implication of derivation or relation; what has been made after the likeness of something, a figure, image, representation, an equivalency of amount or identity; a form or resemblance

Corruptible (phthartos [5349]):

to corrupt, corruptible, the essential quality of man's body, mortal; perishing; decayed, perishable

 

Paraphrase: (6/3/00)

18 God shows anger towards ungodly men - those who deny truth in their unrighteousness, 19 because they have evidence of Him in themselves, which He, Himself, provided. 20 All of creation is made such that it reveals by its example the very nature of God, leaving no excuse for those who refuse to understand. 21 So, in spite of this knowledge of God, they denied Him honor and thanks; and so their understanding was mired in falsehoods. 22 What they think to be wisdom shows them to be foolish, 23 for they have chosen to worship man and animal - all which die in the end, rather than He who created them, who alone is incorruptible.

Key Verse: (6/3/00)

1:20 - God has provided evidence of His existence and His ways in the universe He has created. Our refusal to comprehend the evidence does not excuse us.

People Mentioned: (6/4/00)

N/A

Some Parallel Verses (6/5/00)

1:18

Ro 5:9 - Justification through Christ's death has saved us from God's wrath. Eph 5:6 - Immorality brings God's wrath upon the disobedient. Col 3:6 - God's wrath will come because of immorality. 2Th 2:6 - For a time, Satan's work is restrained on the earth.

1:19

Ac 14:17 - In providing rain for the crops, and food in its seasons, God has provided evidence of Himself even to the unbeliever. Ac 17:24-31 - Since He gives all life, being the source of life, motion, and existence, we ought to be able to find Him by this evidence. [at least sufficient to begin looking more earnestly]

1:20

Mk 10:6 - Since the beginning, God has created male and female. Job 12:7-9 - The animals, the earth, all that is, know and will teach that they were created by God. Ps 19:1-6 - All of creation speaks out about their Creator, albeit without words. Jer 5:21-24 - The seas that are bounded, the regularity of the weeks and seasons, all speak of a Creator, a plan and a purpose.

1:21

2Ki 17:15 - Israel and Judah became vain and futile when they rejected God, and began imitating the ways of the nations around them. Jer 2:5 - When God's people walked away from them, they became empty, pursuing empty things. Eph 4:17-19 - We have been called away from the futility of the Gentile mind, which is given over to sensuality, impurity and greediness.

1:22

Jer 10:14 - Those who make idols, and those who worship them are equally stupid, for they make and worship deceit. 1Co 1:20 - The wisest the world has to offer become foolish in their inability to debate with God.

1:23

De 4:16-18 - We are warned not to worship any image of man or animal. Ps 106:20 - In the desert, the Israelites exchanged their glory as God's chosen, for the image of an ox. Jer 2:11 - Other nations have changed gods, but since both old and new were not gods, it was not a big thing. Israel, on the other hand, has changed from their glory in worshipping the One, true God for empty idols like those of the nations around them. Ac 17:29 - As children of God, we ought to know that His essence cannot be captured in metal or stone, or any art or work of man.

 

New Thoughts (6/6/00)

Again, I find two things catching my attention in this section. First, that there is a plan. All of creation is fit and formed as part of God's plan. Although it hurts to think it, it does seem evident that there are those who, in that plan, are not planned to be part of heaven. I look at the many, like my brother, who see my reading of so much Scripture and related material as boring, who cannot comprehend why I would waste my time so. Then I think of the verses I visited in studying the previous part of this book. Has He not told us (and here again) that the wisdom of God will seem foolish to those who are not called by Him? Oh, but I pray He might call them yet! There remains a hope, for I too would have found the present me foolish at one time. I pray that I never find this love of Scripture foolish again, for it is a confidence to me that I have been so called by my Father. Lord, I know not how the views of the Armenians and the views of the predestinarians might work out, whether You will eventually save all, or whether - as seems the case - many are destined and created for destruction and wrath. But, whichever the case, I pray that You call Bob, that You reach him such as he is, and cause him to understand that You are so very real. Use me, if I can help, oh Lord. Use others who can more readily reach him. Go direct, if You like oh God, but I pray that Your will include his salvation.
The other thought that captures me in this, is to see where our glory, such as it is, is found; our reputation, honor, and renown. Again and again, Scripture points out that our glory is found in worshipping Him, the Glorious One, the self-existent God. In worshipping Him, whose reputation is spotless, we bring honor to ourselves. As we give our glory to Him, remembering that it came to us only by His hand, we establish our reputation. The more we glorify Him, the more glorious we are, giving us more glory that we may give to Him. Now that's divine math! To gain glory, give glory to God. Once that glory has been gained, give it to God. All the glory is Yours, oh Lord! There is nothing in me that is glorious except that which You give, and I give it back to You. Lord, I know my pride often puts the lie to my desire here expressed. I pray that You would help me to shed that pride, to truly give all the glory and honor that come to me over to You, the author of all in me that is worthy of honor. You have caused my paths to take me by a way where it can only be by Your grace and power that I am where I am. Too often, I've taken credit for the result. I am sorry, and I beg Your forgiveness, and I beseech You for the power to change. Take that pride of ownership from me, oh God, for You alone are my owner.