Romans 1:18-1:23 - God's Evidence

Calvin

1:18: Further proof that righteousness is found solely in the message of the gospel comes from the example of man's reaction to creation. That creation ought to have brought all to the point of praising their creator, but they did not do so, and so became guilty of sacrilege and ingratitude. The primary object of this letter is not repentance, but salvation. Here, Paul is showing that all of creation is deserving of death, and that we must look elsewhere for our salvation, he's turning us back to the gospel once more. Ungodliness and unrighteousness both reflect man's misbehavior towards God, the former indicating that they dishonor Him, the latter that they have unjustly tried to transfer God's glory to themselves and so deprive Him of it. The wrath revealed is not a revealing of God's nature, but rather a description of our reaction to it, our perception of His actions. This perception we will have, no matter where we look, for God's wrath 'is poured out on the whole world, to the full extent of heaven.' This fallen nature of man is seen in that they move to suppress the true knowledge of God, to rob God of truth as well as glory. (From the footnote, a quote of Pareus: "They rushed headlong into impiety against God and into injustice against one another, not through ignorance, but knowingly, not through weakness, but willfully and maliciously: and this the Apostle expresses by a striking metaphor, taken from tyrants, who, against right and justice, by open violence, oppress the innocent, bind them in chains, and detain them in prison."
1:19: It behooves us to know all that sets forth the glory of the Lord, all that will excite us to glorify Him. It further behooves us to respect the limits God has placed on our understanding of Him, and not to seek to more fully understand His incomprehensible greatness than He chooses to reveal. Thus, we are called to know 'what may be known', that which is made known in us, rather than to us, which is found 'engraven on [our] own heart.' Man was created a spectator of this world, with eyes so that 'he might, by looking on so beautiful a picture, be led up to the Author himself.'
1:20: God is invisible, but as creator of all things, all things necessarily reflect His nature, and so are sufficient to bring one to recognition of His eternal power and divinity. There is sufficient evidence of God in His creation as to leave man without excuse when brought before His tribunal. And yet, because of our blindness, that evidence does not suffice to bring us into proper worship. We recognize that there must be a God to have creation, but we fail to know who He is. (Heb 11:3 - It required faith to bring full understanding that God was the creator, having made all things out of what was not visible. Ac 14:16-17 - In past times, God had allowed nations to continue in ignorance, but not completely without evidence of Himself, for His goodness was yet displayed in sending rain, and causing fruitful seasons, in satisfying their hearts with gladness.) But this knowledge only sufficed to remove their excuse, requiring a greater knowledge to lead to salvation. (Jn 17:3 - Eternal life consists in knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent. Jer 9:24 - This is the only thing worth boasting of, that one understands and knows the LORD, that He exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth because He delights in such things.)
1:21: It is clear from this that God has made Himself sufficiently evident to all, that all can see that there is some God, whether they seek to or no. From His creation we see His eternity as maker of all things, His power as the One who holds all in His hands and causes them to continue, His wisdom in having created such a wondrous order, His goodness in His having preserved His creation, His justice in that the guilty are punished and the innocent defended by Him, His mercy in bearing with man's perverse nature, His truth in His unchangeableness. Having seen God so revealed, man ought to praise Him. But men chose instead to think Him as nothing, to rob Him of His own glory, and refused to recognize that they were indebted to Him for their very life. They turned to their own empty reason, and thus understood nothing but errors and delusions. They 'quickly choked by their own depravity the seed of right knowledge, before it grew up to ripeness.'
1:22: Here, it is not only the philosophers who are declared foolish, but all men, for all attempt to form such a God as they can conceive of for themselves. They don't need to learn such false conceptions of Him from schools, but are quite capable of creating them for themselves. Here, man is condemned for trying to bring God down to their own low condition, rather than glorifying Him for who He truly is. They are without excuse, for Paul has already shown us that it is only through their own fault that they have failed to acquaint themselves with His proper worship.
1:23: Having imagined such a false god, they had exchanged the true God, whom they considered as nothing, for a false god that truly was nothing. There is no escape for them in claiming that they understand their images to be not God Himself, but an image of He who is in heaven, for such attempts at creating an image of Him remain attempts to drag Him down to our level, and as such are a great insult to Him. Not satisfied with taking His perfection, and reducing it to the estate of sinful man, they attempt to reduce Him further, to the estate of the lowest of animals, thus making their stupidity the more evident.

Matthew Henry

1:18: Justification must either be by faith or works, and cannot be by both. Paul concludes that it cannot be works, and so must be faith. (Ro 3:20 - The works of the Law justify no man. Ro 3:28 - Man is justified by faith apart from works.) Before, however, Paul can clearly display God's righteousness in salvation, he first must show us our sinfulness, as he reveals God's righteousness in condemning us. He begins by pointing out that nature itself reveals God's wrath to us, and shows us the need for a means of justification. Man's sinfulness consists in ungodliness in his failing the first table of the Law, and unrighteousness in his failing the second. They held fast to sound words of truth (2Ti 1:13 - which all true Christians ought to do), but they held it as prisoner, and warped it to their own sinful courses, not allowing the truth to influence them as it ought. God's wrath is revealed from heaven directly, not requiring the written word, nor any other second cause, but coming directly in His providences. It is the more terrible and unavoidable, inasmuch as it comes not from man, but from heaven direct.
1:19: Paul becomes more specific, turning first to the Gentile world. Although they didn't have Israel's knowledge of the law (Ps 147:20 - Other nations have not known His ordinances), yet God had not left Himself without witness (Ac 14:17 - for He provided rain and fruitful seasons, and satisfied their hearts with food and gladness). From the courses of nature, He declared Himself. Even amongst the philosophers, there were those who had come to sufficient knowledge of God as to recognize that there was one supreme God. There is a limit to what finite man can know of an infinite God (Job 11:7-9 - We cannot know the full depth, the limits of the Almighty, for they are beyond our measure). We can know Him enough to lead us to our chief end (to glorify and enjoy Him), but there are secrets of His into which we are not to pry (Dt 29:29 - Secret things belong to the LORD, but revealed things to us and our sons forever, so as to observe all of the law). This knowledge they had because God had shown it to them. A regard for this revealed God, however incorrectly formed, is considered by some to be the distinguishing mark of man, as opposed to the beasts, moreso than is reason.
1:20: By nature, itself, they are able to discover the nature of this God. We are told that in nature, God's power and eternality are revealed. He who works in secret (Job 23:8-9 - Wherever I may look, yet I cannot behold Him. Ps 139:15 - When I was made in secret, yet I was not hid from Thee. Ecc 11:5 - You do not know the activity of God who makes all things.) reveals His completed work so as to reveal His attributes. Such knowledge cannot reveal, yet, the triune nature of God, but it can lead to a knowledge of the Godhead sufficient to protect us from idolatry. But in them, this truth was 'held in unrighteousness.' "The workman is known by his work." Such is the excellence of creation, its beauty, its harmony, its variety and order, that it makes clear the need for some prime cause, some intelligent agent to have so ordered it, for the creation could not have made itself so. (Ps 19:1 - The heavens speak to us of God's glory, being displays of the work of His hands. Is 40:26 - See who has created the stars, He who calls them by name, and in whose strength they are so kept that not one is missing. Ac 17:24 - He does not dwell in man-made temples, because He made the world, and all that is in it.) One may so recognize the truth of His hand in creation by the nature of man, his faculties, and the capacities of the soul (Mk 16:15 - We are to preach to all of creation [of which we are the highest form]). Alternatively, one might consider this as stating the time of man's discovery of God, which dates to his creation.
1:21: In spite of the evidence God provided, man proves over and over again his proclivity for idolatry. Having been given knowledge of God, they are without excuse, who turn to idols, rather than fulfilling what ought to have been clear, and worshiping the One true God. 'All have enough [knowledge] to leave them inexcusable.' They failed to glorify God in twofold fashion; first by worshiping not Him alone, but a myriad of gods of their own creation, second by making images of Him, rather than worshiping Him in spiritual worship. 'To respect Him as a creature is not to glorify Him, but to dishonor Him.' Their unthankfulness was rooted in their failure to acknowledge God's mercies towards them, and continued into their ignoring His self-revelations. "Those that do not improve the means of knowledge and grace are justly reckoned unthankful for them." They had knowledge as to general truth, but failed in the applying of that truth to specific cases - notions of God, of creation, and of man's origins. In these areas, they departed truth, and wandered down the myriad roads of fancy, becoming so many vain sects of philosophy. Their corrupt and depraved will served to cloud their intellect and understanding.
1:22: "It has been observed that the most refined nations, that made the greatest show of wisdom, were the arrantest fools in religion." And so it continues to this day. (1Co 1:21 - God, in His own wisdom, determined that the world would not know Him through its wisdom). The greater wisdom's pride, the greater the folly of its possessor, as can be seen by the philosophic reaction to Christianity. (Ac 17:18-32 - The philosophers thought Paul an idle babbler, but he was declaring to them the truth behind what they worshiped in ignorance.)
1:23: They strove to change God's glory by fashioning images of Him, and so reducing Him to their level. (Ps 106:20 - His glory, they traded in for an image of an ox. Jer 2:11 - God's people have changed their glory for what does them no good.) God honored man greatly by creating him in His image, but man does God a great dishonor in making Him into his image. (Dt 4:15-18 - Since you did not see God's form when He spoke, don't make images to represent Him. Ac 17:29 - As His children, we ought to know better than to think sliver or gold, or any other art of man can properly represent His Divine Nature. Is 40:18 - What likeness could you possibly create that could compare with Him? Is 44:10 - Idols are made to no profit.)

Adam Clarke

1:18: Paul moves on to showing the need for the gospel, beginning here with the pagan nations, and moving to the Jews in chapters 2 and 3. He concludes chapter 3 by pointing out that all are equally in need of God's salvation, and all are equally entitled to it. God's wrath is not some passing passion such as man might have, but the 'displeasure of His righteousness', which punishes those who refuse the knowledge of God, and who insist on living in their sin. "Those who refuse to be saved in the way revealed by His mercy must be consumed in the way revealed by His justice." Ungodliness speaks to atheism, polytheism, and all other misconceptions of the One true God. Unrighteousness speaks to all that is contrary to strict morality. It can be pointed out that amongst the philosophers were those who had a greater understanding of the divine nature than they were willing to share, and whose actions ran counter to their own understanding. In this, one may see the truth being suppressed in unrighteousness. One may also see it in the Gentiles' refusal in general to acknowledge the God that creation revealed.
1:19: That God exists, and that in perfection, can be seen from His creation, if one chooses to be attentive. Nature's witness, leaves us without excuse for our wickedness.
1:20: The shear size of His creation displays omnipotence, the variety of it displays His omniscience, and the way each part is adapted to be most beneficial in its place displays His infinite goodness. "Creation and providence form a two-fold demonstration of God, first, in the perfections of His nature; and, secondly, in the exercise of those perfections."
1:21: Having a general knowledge of the divine nature, they chose not to glorify Him, but to rather wrap the truth up in man-made mysteries; offering an image of corrupt man in place of the purity of God. These schools of false virtue, God suffered to exist, but they could not but sink into corruption, being founded in corruption. They showed no gratitude for His Providence, but rather sought Him in their own reasonings, in their own hearts and passions. This was the great error of the philosophers, and, not finding Him in themselves, they failed to look for Him elsewhere.
1:22: "…Examination of the doctrine and lives of the most famed philosophers of antiquity, of every nation, will show that they were darkened in their mind and irregular in their conduct."
1:23: The artistic energy of the ancients was spent on statues that displayed their deities as humans, and having displayed them thus, they attributed to them all the unruly passions of man, describing them as 'excelling in irregularities to most profligate of men.' The examples of animal depictions of deity are present amongst the Romans, and numerous in Egyptian mythos, by which even the Jews had been corrupted.

Barnes' Notes

1:18: Paul begins his argument for the need of the gospel plan of salvation by showing that all had failed the Law - both Jew and Gentile. That the Jews were under the law is clear, inasmuch as they had the Scriptures. Paul begins by making it clear that the Gentiles were also under this same law. Justification could only have come by two ways - either by obedience to the law, or by grace. Jew and Gentile had both sought it in obedience, and once this is shown to have failed, the need for another way is clear. In man, wrath indicates a strong appetite or desire that causes us to make great effort to obtain the desired object. Most specifically, this gets applied to the desire for vengeance when injured. (Eph 4:31 - All bitterness, wrath, and anger are to be put from us. Col 3:8 - Put anger, wrath, and malice aside. 1Ti 2:8 - Pray and lift up holy hands, with no wrath or dissension. Jas 1:19 - Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.) But, in God, wrath must not be associated with human passions, especially the passion of revenge. Since He cannot be hurt by sins, there is no motive in Him for vengeance. We must not apply to God such passions and feelings as are common among us, having their origin in evil. (Mk 3:5 - Jesus looked upon those around Him at the synagogue in wrath [because they were more concerned with Sabbath laws than with helping men.]) Here, it is clear that Jesus was not feeling the feelings of a man who seeks vengeance. "The nature of the feeling is to be judged of by the character of the person." In the current passage, it represents God's indignation against sin, and His purpose to express His opposition to such conduct in a proper way. This is admirable conduct, such as one would praise in a parent who likewise expressed his opposition to vice and disorder in his family properly. The ruler who opposes crime by the laws he institutes is also to be admired. How much moreso, the God who opposes crime throughout the universe, and properly opposes it to the promotion of peaceful order? (Mt 3:7, Lk 3:7 - Who warned you [Pharisees] to flee the coming wrath? Lk 21:23 - There will be distress in the land, and wrath to this people in those days. Jn 3:36 - He who doesn't obey the Son will not have life, but the wrath of God upon him. Ro 2:5 - Your stubborn unrepentant ways are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of God's judgment. Ro 2:8 - To the selfishly ambitious, wrath and indignation. Ro 3:5 - God is not unrighteous in His wrath. Ro 4:15 - The Law brings wrath. Ro 5:9 - Justified by His blood, we are saved from God's wrath through Him. Ro 9:22 - Although willing to demonstrate His wrath, He has also demonstrated great patience with those vessels of wrath destined for destruction. Ro 12:19 - Leave vengeance to God's wrath. Ro 13:4-5 - Civil authority is a ministry of God, serving to avenge the doing of evil, to which we ought be subject both because of His wrath, and our conscience. Eph 2:3 - We, too, were once children of wrath. Eph 5:6 - The wrath of God comes upon the disobedient because of their immorality and idolatry. 1Th 1:10 - Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come. 1Th 2:16 - Unbelieving Jews hindered Paul from speaking salvation to the Gentiles, which will result in their becoming that much more sinful. But wrath has come upon them to the fullest measure.) Both Law and reason reveal God. God's wrath is not by this shown to be sent from heaven, declared in the heavens, or shown by proof of heavenly bodies. Nor does this speak of Christ as the executor of wrath. The intent is simply to point out that God has so arranged things that it is evident that the source of this wrath, and its working out are in divine origins. In ungodliness, man's failure to give God proper worship is indicated, whether or not there be idolatry. Many think themselves innocent so long as they are good to their fellow man. Paul corrects this view that foolishly considers man of greater consequence than God, by placing the crime of dishonoring God first and foremost, and more deserving of His divine indignation. (Ro 11:26 - The Deliverer will come, and remove ungodliness from Jacob. 2Ti 2:16 - Avoid empty chatter, which will lead to further ungodliness. Ti 2:11-12 - God's grace has instructed us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, instead living godly and righteous lives in this present age. Jude 15 - The Lord will convict the ungodly of their ungodly deeds, and all that ungodly sinners have misspoken against Him.) Unrighteousness toward people is next condemned. This provides the other half of the summation of the Law (Mt 23:37-40 - To love God with your all, and to love your neighbor as yourself are the sum of all that is contained in the Law and the Prophets). The truth revealed by God was held back and restrained by the wickedness of people. This truth, as Paul says, is made known by the 'light of nature,' but makes little progress because of their iniquities. They chose to yield to corrupting passions, and so were unwilling to hold on to the knowledge of a God who is opposed to such actions, seeking sanction for their actions in idols instead. This remains true today, as people oppose the gospel by their actions. We see this amongst those who hold influence and wealth, employing it in direct opposition to righteousness; in those who refuse the doctrines of true religion since it would require them to abandon their sins; in those who are resolved to live in sin, and so must live in opposition to the gospel; in those whose pride, vanity, and love of the world stand in opposition to the gospel; in the establishing of unlawful businesses such as the serving of strong drink, slave trade, and the like, which begin in love of money (1Ti 6:10 - the root of many evils), proceed through the sorrows of those widowed, orphaned, or otherwise injured by the effects of that business, and arrive at the damnation of multitudes corrupted by that business. Finally, those who indulge their vices, their passions, their pride and vanity, are responsible not only for their own sins, but for the corrupting influence of their example on those around them.
1:19: Only iniquity prevented the pagans from knowing God by His creation. Paul does not imply here that revelation knowledge of God had been presented to them in this, but that there was sufficient to show them their sinfulness, to remove all excuse, and to show God just in punishing such deeds. Much of the pagan world may truly have been ignorant regarding God, but there were those amongst them, the philosophers particularly, who did know, but refused to spread their understanding because of their love of sin. God gave them reason, He made them such that they could investigate His works, He placed before them proofs of Himself, He provided the means of learning His will. (Jn 1:9 - True light came into the world, such as enlightens every man. Ro 2:14-15 - Gentiles, being without the Law, yet do such as the Law requires by instinct, showing that it is written in their hearts.)
1:20: While we cannot judge God's nature by the evidence of our senses, we can come to some knowledge of Him by those things the senses can judge, namely, His eternal power and Godhead; and that suffices to leave us without excuse for sins. One could see 'from the creation' as indicating the means by which God reveals this knowledge, or that such revealed knowledge has been known as long as the creation has been. The former is to be preferred. (Mk 10:6 - God made man and woman from the beginning of creation. Mk 13:19 - The end will be tribulations such as haven't been since the beginning of the creation. 2Co 5:17 - Man in Christ is a new creation, for the old has passed away. Gal 6:15 - Circumcision or its lack mean nothing, only the new creation matters. Col 1:15 - He is the image of God, the first-born of all creation. Col 1:23 - The gospel is proclaimed in all creation under heaven. Heb 4:13 - No creature is hidden from His sight. Heb 9:11 - Christ, as high priest, entered through the more perfect tabernacle not of this creation. 2Pe 3:4 - Mockers say "Where is He? All continues as it has from the beginning of creation." Rev 3:14 - The Amen is the faithful and true Witness, is the Beginning of the creation of God.) That creation is used here to indicate the means of knowledge is the proper understanding, for this accords with the common use of the word, as well as the context of Paul's argument, which is intended to show that the means were in reach, not to show how long such knowledge had been available. God's perfections can be comprehended by investigating His works, as evidenced in the continual effort God puts forth in His Providence. (Heb 11:3 - That which we can see was made by Him from that which we cannot see.) Again, this does not indicate that full and complete knowledge of Him can come from such means, but sufficient to recognize His eternal power, as the universe exhibits His omnipotence and that that power exists from eternity, implying that He must also be eternal. This does not lead to the idea that God's power is eternally being put forth in creation, but that in creation is evidence of His great power (which evidence only grows as science expands our understanding of what He has done) and that such power had to have been in existence from eternity, else creation could not have been created. Also, the evidence of creation shows that this eternal being, this creator, must needs be supreme in His deity, it leaves room for no other, higher being. With this evidence, God has removed the excuse of ignorance due to lack of means for knowing. There is no place for involuntary ignorance, for all have had sufficient evidence placed before their senses. God shows that His judgment is just, as this last viable excuse is removed from the defense. (Is 44:8-10 - God declares us His witnesses. He declares that there is no other, and that those who fashion idols, who attempt to 'create' some 'other' are put to shame by their profitless actions.) If the pagan was without excuse, how much more modern man, who has the Bible, who has preaching, who has so much greater an understanding of creation, and yet chooses to remain ignorant of the Creator, and of salvation? "…there is no fact more melancholy in our history, and no one thing that more proves the stupidity of people, than this sad forgetfulness of Him that made the heavens, even amid all the wonders and glories that have come fresh from the hand of God, and that everywhere speak His praise."
1:21: Paul presents the reason by which judgment is shown just: they knew but honored not. Their sins were the product of their own evil heart. That the ancients had knowledge of One God is evident in their writings, yet they refused to spread that knowledge. Having recognized Him in His evidences, they failed to give Him proper reverence. "Sinners are not willing to give honor to God, as God." Such a willingness would restrain one from sinning. Ingratitude on their part also led to their idolatry, for ingratitude leads to a hardened heart, and shows an effort to forget the One whom they will not be thankful for. Refusing gratitude to its proper recipient, they must fashion other focuses for their thanks. In this, they acted foolishly, chasing after frivolous questions, and leading their minds further and further from truth. Unwilling to honor God, they lost themselves in speculative design of any number of rites of idolatrous worship. In a Hebraism, the heart is spoken of as the seat of understanding (Eph 1:18 - Enlighten the eyes of the heart, that you may know His calling. Ro 2:15 - They show the Law written in their hearts. 2Co 4:6 - God's light has shone in our hearts to give knowledge of God. 2Pe 1:19 - Prophecy is made certain, to which we ought pay attention until such time as the morning star arises in our hearts.) All this futile speculation kept them from comprehending the truth. To capitulate: People had knowledge of God, they refused to honor Him whom they knew and opposed His government, they showed themselves ungrateful, which actions led to doubt as regards truth, and speculative reasonings that led further into darkness. This continues to be the way of the lost today, who know of God, but do not love Him, because they dislike His character and government. Such fall into error, lose themselves in a maze of lies, and sink into the depths of sin.
1:22: The philosophers, in the choice of name for their profession, show their boast, being called 'lovers of wisdom.' (1Co 1:19-22 - God destroys the wisdom of the wise, making foolish the wisdom of the world. The world has shown its wisdom incapable of apprehending God, so God has chosen to use a seemingly foolish message to save those who believe. Greeks seek for wisdom, 1Co 3:19 - but the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God, who catches the wise in their own craftiness. 2Co 11:19 - You, in your wisdom bear with the foolish gladly.) Their opinions and conduct became foolish (Jer 8:8-9 - They are caught in a lie, claiming to be wise in the Law of the LORD, but showing themselves to have rejected His word. Where is there wisdom in this?) Their foolishness shows in their lack of moral sense (Ps 14:1 - The fool claims there is no God. Pr 26:4 - Such a fool shouldn't be answered on his own terms, or you become like him, yourself. Pr 1:17 - It is futile to place wisdom before such a one. Pr 1:22 - How long will men love being simpleminded, scoffing at truth and hating knowledge? Pr 14:8-9 - The wise understand their way, but the fool follows deceit and mocks sin.) The foolishness spoken of here, shows itself in senseless doctrines and corrupt conduct.
1:23: When they exchanged God's glory for idols, it was themselves that they changed. Rather than adore the One glorious object of worship, they chose to degrade themselves in worshiping reptiles and the like. (1Co 15:41 - Glory differs according to its object, the sun and moon and stars each have their own glory, unlike each others, and all unlike that of God. Jer 2:11 - In changing gods, God's people have traded their glory for a thing of no profit, Ps 106:20 - for an ox that eats grass.) God, unchanging and immortal, is a proper object for our worship, for we can be assured that He will be the same whenever we come to Him, no matter how we may have changed or aged. (1Ti 1:17 - The King, the only God, is eternal, immortal, and invisible, possessing all honor and glory forever.) An image could be any representation or likeness, be it a painting, a wooden or stone object, or whatever it may be. An image thus made, that concerns heavenly objects is an idol. (2Chr 33:7 - Manasseh angered God by putting an idol in the Temple. Dan 3:1 - Nebuchadnezzar made an idol of himself, demanding worship from his people, and so drawing punishment upon himself. Is 40:18-26 - How can you hope to compare God to any image? No idol, of finest or basest materials can hope to express His truth, for from the start of creation it has been declared and known that He is high above the earth and its inhabitants, creating the world for them to live in, and making their rulers and judges as nothing. Eze 8:10 - Ezekiel was shown that Israel had brought every creeping thing, every beast, every detestable thing into the very house of the Lord, carving their images upon the walls.) The ancients had shown a propensity for raising their heroes to the status of gods, and so making them objects of their worship. To have displaced true worship with the worship of those whose passions were just like their own shows the degree of their degradation. In Egypt, the Ibis became an object of reverence because they kept the serpents in check. Other birds, such as the hawk and eagle, became objects of pagan worship for the same reason, because they had been of benefit to man by destroying less useful animals. The Ox, the monkey, and the dog were all objects of their worship as well, and for similar reasons. It is from this form of idolatry that the Israelites were tempted into sin. Even such things as crocodiles and snakes were worshiped among these people, the Egyptian snake cults even attempting to claim themselves as Christians. In fact, they would worship even plants, anything seemed better to them then worshiping the true God.

Wycliffe

1:18: Paul begins dealing with the question of how a man can be righteous in God's sight. To show the question's importance, it first must be shown that man, no matter what his opinion, does not have this righteousness God requires. Righteousness and wrath both reveal the response of God to man, the one towards the man of faith, the other towards the godless and unrighteous man. Such a godless man attempts to suppress the truth about what he is and what he does, tries to be rid of the truth.
1:19: God is knowable because He acts. He has made Himself known to man by the means of His own choosing.
1:20: The things God has created testify by their nature, what is the nature of their Creator, who cannot be seen. The assertion here is that this evidence has been clearly seen since the beginning of creation. Specifically, the evidence of nature shows that there must be a God who is perpetual in power, who is everlasting, which ought to be the more evident in the knowledge man has found in exploring space and exploring the atom. Having shown that there must be some One who is of such eternal nature, reason shows that He must be the Supreme Being, with whom men must reckon, and above whom is no other. Confronted with this living God, there remains no excuse for them.
1:21-1:23: Having been brought face to face with God in His works, man refused to respond as they should have, by praising and honoring Him as God, and by thanking Him for His work toward man. These failures show us what is our chief end: to glorify the Lord for what He is, and thank Him for what He does. Turning from the light of God, what remained to their minds was darkness, worthless thoughts that led them to the worship of equally worthless objects, as they sought some substitute for the God they would not have.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1:18: God's wrath is His holy displeasure against sin. (Mt 3:7 - Who warned the Pharisees to flee the coming wrath? Jn 3:36 - Who doesn't obey the Son, has the wrath of God abiding on him. Ro 2:5 - The unrepentant heart stores up wrath for itself on the day of judgment. Ro 2:8 - Those who obey unrighteousness will have wrath and indignation. Ro 9:22 - God is willing to demonstrate His wrath, yet He endures those prepared for destruction with much patience. Eph 2:3 - We, too, were children of wrath. Eph 5:6 - The wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Col 3:6 - God's wrath will come because of immorality, impurity, greed, and the like, which are forms of idolatry. 1Th 1:10 - Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come. 1Th 2:16 - Those who hinder the gospel fill themselves to the fullness of their sins, to whom will come the fullness of wrath. Heb 3:11, 4:3 - God swore in His wrath that they would not enter His rest. Rev 6:16 - The peoples of the earth sought even mountains and rocks to fall on them, that they might be hidden from His presence and the Lamb's wrath. Rev 14:10 - Those who worship the beast will drink of the wrath of God.) This wrath is revealed in God's moral government of the world, in which - amongst other things - sin is made to become its own punishment. The revelation of this declares His jealous Eye upon mankind, and the might of His Hand in taking vengeance against all sins. No matter how virtuous the life, without conscious acknowledgement of God, it remains ungodliness. Since 'no man can possibly hope to plead guiltless of "all ungodliness" and "all unrighteousness,"' it becomes clear that every man is guilty, apart from the justification in Christ Jesus. Paul continues to make this more clear by providing greater detail, first of the pagan, and then of the Jew. Paul tells us, here, that the pagans were given knowledge and light, but chose to suppress it and follow into darkness. (Mt 6:22-23 - If the eye is true, the body is full of light. But if the eye is evil, the body is full of darkness. Eph 4:17-18 - The Gentiles were darkened in their understanding and excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that was in them, and the hardness of their heart.)
1:19: What is knowable of God through His creation - His eternal power and His divine nature - was made known 'within them', not just amongst their greatest thinkers. It is evident not just in creation, but in man's own nature, the idea of god being firmly planted in man through the perception of Him in His works.
1:20: This understanding has been about since the time of the world's creation (Lk 11:50 - The blood of the prophets has been shed since the foundation of the world). There is a great play on words, here, as Paul declares that the unseen things of God are clearly seen. This is not an understanding found by idle contemplation, but by reflecting thought, thus the fact that the less thoughtful pagans have refused such understanding, and that modern man - viewing only the facts and laws of the universe, and not thinking of their import - leans toward atheism. Yet to such as will consider the implications, God is all the more evident as knowledge of His creation increases. This contemplation reveals first that there is some Eternal Power, and then that this Power is neither some blind Force, nor some vague 'spirit of nature', but rather a living, conscious Person. Note that creation is not claimed as the source of faith, but as the interpreter. Faith is rooted within, becoming articulate through what we observe around us, the inner and outer revelation of God working together to confirm to us that God is. Such knowledge having been made available, no excuse remains for their failure to acknowledge He who is.
1:21: They had this knowledge, yet refused Him adoration and even gratitude for His beneficence toward them. So, they sank into idolatry, and vain speculations which they preferred to the simple truth of God. (Jer 2:5 - What injustice was it in God that led man to wander from Him and walk after emptiness, becoming empty themselves? 2Ki 17:15 - They rejected His covenant, and followed vanity, becoming vain, joining with the surrounding nations against the LORD's commandment. Ac 14:15 - The gospel is preached so that man might turn from vain things to a living God, the Creator of all that is.) The whole of their inner man was lost in the darkness that was first allowed into the mind. "…thus the truth which God left with and in men, instead of having free scope to acquire strength and develop itself, came by degrees to be lost, and the still, small voice of conscience, first disregarded, was next thwarted, and at length systematically disregarded." [And so it continues today.]
1:22: They boasted of their wisdom, as they sunk further into their foolishness.
1:23: This showed in their willingness to trade Him who is the essence of all that is glorious, for an inanimate image in the form of perishing man. (Ps 106:20 - They exchanged their glory for an image of a grass-eating ox.) Paul probably refers to the statues so prevalent amongst the Greeks (Ac 17:29 - Offspring of God ought to know better than to think the Divine Nature can be likened to any image formed by man.) But it gets worse. The Egyptians and Orientals had sunk even lower, preferring animals even to man. The evidence is clearly here that man has been sinking from a true understanding to a more and more debased understanding throughout the course of his history since the Fall. Yet, some today insist on seeing it rather as an attempt to climb higher in their worship.

New Thoughts (3/24/01)

The closing thoughts from J,F & B, along with those from Matthew Henry, point up a compelling truth. Man has been ever sinking in his effort to find some alternative to God. We have dropped through the worship of man-like idols, to the worship of other men, to the worship of animals and plants, to the lowest state, wherein today man worships himself as supreme. With each step, we have more greatly dishonored the God who honored us so much in creating us in His image. And as we have fallen further and further from truth, we have cheered ourselves with the idea that we are progressing. It's a truly scary thing to see the intellectually 'enlightened' amongst us showing an ever greater propensity to deny God His rightful glory, and to take it for themselves. Atheism and humanism are both, at their root, attempts to make first mankind, and then the self, the objects of worship. Like Satan before us, man attempts to place himself upon God's throne, chasing hard after the lie that was spoken in the Garden. And in the course of this study, along with what we've been studying and dealing with at church this week, God has brought back to me a clearer view of my own participation in this descent, that He might deal with it, and remove it once for all. I was led to recall some of the things I had 'studied' in my younger days.

Brought up with mandatory Sunday School, the son of a military man, watching my father turn to the ministry, seeing my mother taken just as Dad finished seminary, I was devastated. I wanted nothing to do with a God who so rewarded His people. So, I turned to other possibilities. As was said here, I was dissatisfied with God's government and His ways, and so sought something else. The world around me made it clear that there must be some deity out there, but I was not willing to accept this One whom I had been taught of. I looked at Hinduism, and Buddhism, albeit through rather odd channels. I looked at Transcendental Meditation (to which I was introduced by another Pastor in the church), I looked at stranger forms of the lie - an early New Age thing called Eck, and a 'spiritual revelation' published as "Seth Speaks". It was this latter thing that I was brought to remember this week, as we were discussing another, more recent book at home group, "Touched by the Light", if I remember aright. Same lie, different title. This was the ultimate statement of man as god. We choose our life, before entering it, all earthly religions are equally true, and lead to the same place. Seth went a mite further, declaring that we create our world around us - denying even the creation to the Creator! One of the few things that I remember clearly out of that wasteland of a book was this exercise you were supposed to go through that involved imagining a great light entering into you, and flowing out through your extremities. Touched by the light, indeed. God brought all this to my attention as I was heading out for work, yesterday, and I spent my commute repenting of this buried memory, and seeking His forgiveness. As He cleanses me, He's reminded me of some other foolish ideas that such reading allowed to become a part of my thought patterns, that these two might be purged by His cleansing. Thank You, sweet Lord! So, unsatisfied with all these other avenues I'd pursued, I turned to the atheism my brother professed. Much easier. No tests, no exercises, nothing but life, and then nothing at all. Easy. No consequences beyond today. How have we gotten where we are today, as a civilization? Easy. No consequences beyond today. The elimination of eternity has made it that much easier to contemplate and perpetrate what ought to be unconscionable to a sane man. And, as was described in this passage, I was unwilling to acknowledge the God who had revealed Himself in His creation. I remember when Jan and I were first dating, I would be offended when she insisted on attributing the beauty of the sunset to God, I wanted it left a simple fact of nature, with no higher cause to concern myself with.

Oh, what God has done! He saw my need for facts, my overdependence on my logical powers, and He met me there. He came to me in the way of a geometric proof, such I had enjoyed so much in my school days. He asked that I accept two assumptions: The Identity Theorem - "I am", and the Providence Theorem - "No coincidence." I don't know how He told me this, I just know He did. He had me in church, because Jan refused to marry an atheist, and I figured two hours a week was a small price to pay for wedded bliss. He had me accepting an invitation to a men's retreat before I had time to think about what I was agreeing to, and off I went with 'the boys.' He worked throughout that weekend to show by all that happened that indeed, there were no coincidences. Things that could not be orchestrated were so orchestrated as to defy denial. I came at best an agnostic, I left a believer - finally - in the One true God of creation.

God is so good! In spite of me, He brought me to Himself. He has left me no room to doubt His existence, no room to doubt His goodness, no room to doubt His call. Admittedly, I go through periods of questioning that call, but the God who would arrange so many things just to wake me up, and show me the answers to all I had been hunting after yet running from, is not a God who is likely to let me go. He has brought me from the point of being offended by the idea that in spite of being such a 'nice guy,' polite, chivalrous, and whatnot, I was somehow not good enough - I remember Jan informing me of this, and it was almost enough to end our relationship. I remember calling a beloved friend of mine in Texas, whose comment was "don't you realize yet that you've always believed in God?" It's taken me a long, long time to realize the full truth of that. It took much less time to come into agreement with the idea that the most virtuous of lives remains ungodliness and sin, if it refuses to consciously acknowledge God for who He is.

Father, I cannot thank You enough for what You've been walking me through this last day or so. I pray that You continue - as I know You will - to walk beside me, to cover me so that the ground You have taken will not be lost. I thank You for revealing a gate that needed closing, so You could bring the closure. I praise You for Your willingness to reach out to me where I am. I pray that You would be gracious and merciful to my brother, who has been lost in the darkness of his own understanding the longer. Lord, You know what it will take to turn him around. You have placed him with a wife that knows You, with a brother that (finally) knows You. Oh, how I long to know that he is not a vessel of wrath, that You have better things in mind for him than destruction! How many, I wonder, would have expected no better for me, knowing me before I knew You? Father God, come what may, I know I am Yours, Christ's work done and accomplished on my behalf. I know that, as Paul has said, there is no power in heaven or earth that can separate us, that what You have joined, cannot be put asunder, and You have made it abundantly clear that I am joined to Your family. I am Yours, oh Lord, and I can find no greater joy than knowing that. Praise You, Father, for the change in me. Praise You, Jesus, for saving me, for taking on my sins, for suffering separation that I might enjoy being grafted in. Praise You, Holy Spirit, for constantly steering this unruly ship that is my current life, for correcting my course when I wander, for bringing to mind the things that still need correction. Oh, Holy God! That You have cared so deeply for me, that You have provided so wonderfully for me, let me never, ever, dear Lord, be found ungrateful for all You do.