Facing God’s Judgment Truth
By Terry Cheek, Th.D.
McDowell County
The book of Romans has many divisions, and the first one deals with the doctrine of the gospel, found in chapters 1-8. These chapters comprise three themes: sin, salvation, and sanctification.
We will have a great deal of trouble finding chapters in the Bible that deal as devastatingly with sin as the opening chapters of Romans do. From Romans, we can envision a courtroom where the heathen, the hypocrite, and the Hebrew are brought. Each will be found guilty before God. But Romans doesn’t stop there; we find humanity at large being arraigned and exposed to a summary of God’s case against humanity.
Paul begins with God’s indictment of the heathen. For this article, “heathen” is used to describe the unbeliever. Romans 1:19-32 is a survey of the causes and consequences of heathenism. It is revealed here that there is not only crude paganism, which is an unashamed worship by man of graven images, but also cultured paganism, which is a worship by man of his godless imagination.
Paul introduces us to three downward steps into paganism. The first is a deliberate rejection of the truth. The second is wicked beliefs, either of a rationalistic or religious nature. These two lead to the third, which can be called sinful behavior.
We begin with verses 18, 19, and 20, where we read:
Romans 1:18-20
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”
As we look at this passage, Paul opens with the wrath of God being revealed. “Wrath” is one of those words that grab your attention as soon as you hear it. Thayer defines wrath as “the ὀργή attributed to God in the N. T. is that in God which stands opposed to man’s disobedience, obduracy (especially in resisting the gospel), and sin, and manifests itself in punishing the same: John 3:36; Rom. 1:18; 4:15; 9:22a; Heb. 3:11; 4:3; Rev. 14:10; 16:19; 19:15; absolutely.”
Humanity has created for itself an artificial and imaginary comfort zone. We often live as if we can impress God by showing that we are not as bad as others. Paul tells us that all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men draw the wrath of God. This knowledge should terrify us. Verse 19 describes our awareness of God and everything that may be known of Him. It is inside us; God has shown it to us—even the invisible things from creation.
I like to think of it as though we all have spiritual DNA. We know God exists in three persons. We know we are sinners, separated from God since the fall of man, and suffering from our depravity. We know that Jesus Christ came to save His elect, the church, and that if we are called by the Holy Spirit to repent, and upon our submission to this call, we will be redeemed from God’s wrath.
Notice from verse 20 that even creation understands wrath and redemption. How sinfully twisted is humanity that we believe we are somehow on a level above any of God’s other acts of creation? We are all without excuse. Paul does an excellent job of describing the condition of the human soul. Regardless of whether we are Hebrew, Heathen, or Hypocrite, we all will face God on His terms, and nobody will have an excuse.
I want to encourage you to take time over the next few days, weeks, or even the month ahead to examine yourself under the microscope of scripture and the Holy Spirit. Until we meet again in print or in person, may God bless you is my prayer.
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Terry is the Executive Director and broadcaster of The Inspiring Word media ministry
You can contact Terry by email at theinspiringword@gmail.com
Or by visiting www.theinspiringword.org
Read more from Terry Cheek here.
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