Romans 1:18-20

Romans 1:18-20

They Are Without Excuse

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

Rom 1:20  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:

1. God’s Wrath is  Upon All Men – vs. 18a*
1. All men have a sense of what is right and wrong. They know they have violated the laws of the Creator and they are deserving of punishment.

                                                               i.      A man may justify his actions but every man knows when he has been wronged because of the moral code written in his heart.

1.      Ecclesiastes 3:11 

2.      Romans 2:13-16 

2. God’s Wrath is Upon Those Who Ignore and Repress the Truth – vs. 18b*
1. Those that reject God are ignoring  their conscience and repressing the truth in their hearts

                                                               i.      Romans 1:28 

3. God Reveals Himself to Every Individual – vs. 19*
1. Paul is laying forth a teleological argument in order to prove two basic facts: 1) there is a Creator 2) you have angered Him

                                                               i.      This form of argument would have been very well understood by Greeks of the time as it originated with some of the greatest Greek Philosophers – Socrates, Aristotle and Plato (It has also been used by other great philosophers to defend the Creator; Thomas Aquinas being one of them)

2. Paul had used this argument before in Athens (The Story of Mars Hill)

                                                               i.      Act 17:22-31 

4. God Reveals His Trinitarian Nature Through His Glorious Creation – vs. 20a*
1. Creation does not simply express the wrath or judgment of God. In it we find glimpses of His mercy as well. Nature reveals that God is both loving and just through its wonderful provision.

                                                               i.      When looking at creation, David muses this:

1.      Psalm 8:1-4 

                                                             ii.      In the New Testament we have the answer to David’s musings:

1.      Hebrews 2:5-10 

5. Because of What God Has Revealed to the Heart of Every Man, All Are Without Excuse. – vs. 20b*

                                                               i.      Romans 2:1 

2. So when Jesus says the following words it is absolute truth and absolute exclusivity

                                                               i.      John 14:6