The New Testament book of Romans is considered by many Christians and Christian theologians to be the most important book of the Bible. In it the Apostle Paul sets forth the clearest explanation of the Gospel, the good news of what God has done in and through the person and work of God the Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue believing men, women and children from the eternal wrath of God, that will have its full expression in Hell, and to reconcile and restore them to the glorious life with God for which mankind was created.
In Romans 1:18 through Romans 3:23, we have set forth in the clearest terms possible, why we desperately need the Gospel. Its is in Romans 1:18, where we are told that the wrath of God is being (present tense) revealed in God’s active response of judgement against all of mankind who in our ungodly and unrighteous way of living are suppressing, inhibiting, holding back the truth of the glory of the eternal God, the creator and Sovereign ruler of the universe. This is contrary, in opposition to the very purpose for which we were created, namely that God’s glory, the infinite perfections of His being, would be seen and known, proclaimed and displayed, enjoyed and rejoiced in by all mankind (Isaiah 43:7).
Thus, our suppression of God’s glory, displayed in our refusal to honor and pursue Him as the object of our deepest love and source of our greatest joy, and to thank Him for His gracious gift of life and the good we have in this life, all become part of God’s great indictment against mankind, the reason for His wrath, His present and future judgement on the inhabitants of this present evil world. This indictment is summed up in Romans 1:25 where it is charged that we have exchanged the truth of the glory and necessity of God as the source of all that will satisfy our soul, for the lie that we can find true and lasting joy apart from Him, independent of His grace and in opposition to His will.
Now this is not an easy exchange to make. Mankind has to go to great lengths to suppress the glory of God, to keep Him out of our thoughts, institutions, government and entertainments. What makes it so difficult is the fact that we live in a world and universe that loudly declares the glory of God, that daily displays in every sunrise and every birth, in every flower and drop of rain, in every starry sky and moonlit night, the magnificence, excellence and grandeur of an infinitely good, wise and powerful creator.
Thus, to successfully suppress the truth of the glory and necessity of God, we must develop alternative explanations of creation and for the meaning and purpose of life. And this we have done through the absurd theory of evolution, which is presented as fact in all of our public high schools and universities, who also present to their students humanistic philosophies regarding the meaning of life, everything from the grandeur of the human spirit (independent from God) to the vanity of human existence.
In addition, if we are to successfully suppress the glory and necessity of God we must sear or disconnect our consciences, our God given faculty for knowing and doing that which will promote human flourishing and individual happiness, and then establish for ourselves our own standards for bringing about the same. These standards must be such that they accommodate our lust for power, pleasure and worldly riches and possessions, and be fluid enough to accommodate ever changing preferences for how we fulfill the same. And of course, we must ensure we have a way to live out our godless lifestyles without shame or guilt, fear or regret, anxiety or depression. And thus, in our worldly wisdom we have established a whole profession of counselors, therapists, psychologist and psychiatrists to help us feel good about doing bad.
And if that is not successful, we can engage in mind-numbing entertainments and partake of mind-altering substances that we believe will fill the emptiness and loneliness, overcome the meaninglessness and boredom which permeates a world that is suppressing the glory and necessity of its creator.
Finally, if we are to successfully suppress the glory and necessity of God, we must use our (God given) human ingenuity to invent devices, technology that will help us feel safe, secure, comfortable, healthy and in control of a world that has been cursed by God and corrupted by our sin (Genesis 3:17-19); a world where pain, sorrow and suffering are the norm, and where the death rate is 100%.
The good news – or bad news, depending on your perspective, is that God, in His wrath makes it easy for us to do all of these things, by giving us over to a depraved or reprobate mind, a mind that is hostile to God (Romans 8:7), a mind that will not, thus cannot have a true knowledge of God (Romans 1:28) and finds any talk of God to be foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:15).
God, in His wrath, also gives us over to deceitful lusts and vile passions in our heart (Romans 1:24-27) from which we pursue self-destructive activities and relationships, none of which can ever satisfy the deepest needs and desires of our heart, all of which will ultimately lead to death – the eternal ruin of our soul (Romans 1:32).
Yet God, who is a God not only of justice and wrath, but more so of mercy and grace, provides a way for us to escape that ruin, and that is through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who alone can save us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10), wrath we will explore in my next post.
Grace and Peace ×