Romans

(1:18-3:20)

God’s Wrath Against Mankind

1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

1:19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 

John 3:36 

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.’’b

1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,

1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 

Gen. 8:21; Deut. 4:16-17

The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: ‘’Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even thougha. every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creature, as I have done. 

Gen. 12:7, 8

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘’To your offspringa I will give this land.’’ So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 

Gen. 17:1; Deut. 11:30

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘’I am God Almightye; walk before me and be blameless. As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road,a toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. From there he went on toward the hills east of bethel and pitched his tent, with bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,

1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 

1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.

Amen. 

             Ps. 81:12; Jer. 10:14

So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts 

Ezek. 20:25

I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they could not live by; to follow their own devices. Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. 

Ps. 97:7

All who worship images are put to shame, 

Lev. 26:1

‘’ ‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God. Those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods! His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them. 

Is. 44:20 

He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, ‘’Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?’’ 

Is. 59:3

For you hands are stained with blood, 

2Kin. 21:16

 

b18 Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 30;

a23 Or man, for; a23 Or seed; e23 Hebrew El-Shaddai; a23 Or Jordan, westward.