For therein, and therein refers
to the gospel in this context, for therein, that is in the gospel,
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is
written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now, I'm not
going to read any more now, but calling your attention down the
line. Verse 19, because, and then look at verse 24, verse
21, because that. Verse 23, and changed. Verse 24, wherefore. And verse 26, for this cause,
God gave them up. We'll be looking at that along
our way. Let's begin like this. Paul, who is the author of this
great epistle, is stating in the opening of it his relationship
unto the Lord Jesus Christ and unto the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And his opening salutation runs
longer than in most of Paul's epistle, all the way down through
verse 7 in this great epistle. And F.F. Bruce, a writer that
I like, noted, quote, Paul formally introduces himself to the churches
at Rome, unquote. And I guess the reason is because
he had not yet been to Rome or preached the gospel to them that
were at Rome. And he had not established the
churches, the Christian churches, that were at Rome. So therefore,
in this epistle, he makes, as it were, his first direct contact
with the saints of God that were at Rome. And so he gives them
in the opening his ministerial and apostolic credentials in
verse 1 and in verse 2 of this great epistle. And then to vindicate
his apostleship and validate it, unto them. In verse 1, he
says, a servant, that is, a slave, a doulos of Jesus Christ, called
to be an apostle, that also by the Lord's Christ, and catch
this, if you might, in the end of verse 1, the first verse of
the epistle, separated unto the gospel of God. He was given, Paul was, a special
stewardship of the gospel. In fact, he at times called it
my gospel, as in Romans chapter 2 and verse 16. But notice in verse 2 and following
of chapter 1. The mention of the gospel in
the end of verse 1, the gospel of God, propels the Apostle Paul
into a discussion and a revealing of that gospel that he speaks
of. For example, notice in the second
verse. It was promised before by the
prophet. What Paul is preaching is not
a man, and it's not something new. It's something that was
promised and declared before of the apostle of the prophets
in the Old Testament Scripture, and it concerns Jesus Christ. This gospel, that which was promised,
concerns the Lord Jesus Christ, which means that this same Jesus
that Paul was preaching was that one foretold by the prophecy
of the prophets of old. And then look at verse 3, and
was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. That
is, Romans 9 and verse 5, Jesus Christ came of the seed of Israel. He came through the nation of
Israel. He was born of a woman. As we
read in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4, chapter 1 of Romans,
we read that his resurrection from among the dead manifested
Him to be the Son of God. He was manifested as the Son
of God by the resurrection from the dead by the Spirit of holiness. And in the fifth verse of chapter
1, it was by Him that we receive grace and apostleship. through none other but the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, for the obedience of faith in all
of the world." And then in the sixth verse, you are the called
of Jesus Christ. As believers, as saints of God,
they were the called of Jesus Christ. Now, as Paul was separated
unto the gospel of God as a preacher and an apostle, he tells them
in verse 15 and verse 16, as much as in me is, I am ready
to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel
because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believes, to the Jew first, but also unto the Greek. Now, several
commentators are agreed that verse 16 and verse 17 of chapter
1 set the theme for the epistle. And verse 17 explains why The
gospel is the power of God unto salvation because in it there
is made a saving revelation or there is revealed a saving righteousness. It is therefore this saving righteousness
that is revealed that is declared in the gospel and is revealed,
as Habakkuk said, from faith unto faith. And before we dive
in here, in this great ocean that has neither bank nor bottom,
let us make a point from Paul's words back in the second verse. that the gospel was promised
of old by and in the Holy Scripture. And here is the point. How often
and how many times did Paul refer in this epistle to some Old Testament
passage of Scripture? I've never counted them, but
again and again. Paul confirms what he is writing
by a quotation from the Old Testament scripture, and particularly in
the third chapter. Now, let's come unto our text,
and you notice there that Paul speaks of two revelations. We read verse 17 and 18, and
in each verse, Paul spoke of a revelation, one in verse 17
and the other in verse 18. Now, perhaps it is that the first
mention of the revelation of righteousness in the gospel,
perhaps that agitated Paul to speak of the second revelation,
and one of them is relative unto the other. One is because of
the other. Now, let's consider that revelation
mentioned in verse 17 for a moment as a prelude into the revelation
of the righteousness of God. Paul says, therein in the gospel
is revealed a saving and a justifying righteousness that is declared
and revealed in the gospel. And the gospel says to us that
Christ has died bearing our sin He died a propitiatory death,
a vicarious death. Some synonyms of propitiation
are appease, conciliatory, pacified placate. And you see that in
Romans 3, 24 and 25. Set forth as a propitiation through
faith in his blood. Now the gospel said Christ bore
the sin of the elect. And they are by that forgiven,
and righteousness is imputed unto them who believe on our
Lord, imputed by faith. And that was so with Abraham,
who is the great pattern of justification by faith, as Paul said in the
fourth chapter of Romans. Now, this revelation in the gospel,
spoken of in verse 17, of righteousness is not the attribute of the righteousness
of God, but a righteousness provided and imputed unto the elect as
God gives them faith. In it is revealed the saving
efficacy of this righteousness in the gospel. John Murray put
it this way, this righteousness is redemptively active in the
saving of sinners. That's how it is revealed. It is revealed redemptively in
the saving of sinners. Not just to be known intellectually,
though that's a blessing too. Then in verse 18, Paul speaks
of another revelation using the same Greek word that he had used
in verse 17 for reveal. as in verse 17, referring to
the revelation in the gospel. But the two revelations are not
at all the same in likeness or in essence, as the first is a
revelation of saving righteousness. The second is a revelation of
the wrath of God actively working among men. Not the wrath of man,
but the wrath of God. And notice, from heaven, as Paul
is saying. And then here I think that Paul
actually digresses from the revelation of the righteousness in the gospel,
and speaks of that revelation of the wrath of God, and then
resumes the subject of righteousness again in chapter 3, and verse
21. And we shall give example to
the opening word for in verse 18. For, and this makes a connection
of some sort between the two things, the two revelations. Or if we might juxtapose the
two revelations that Paul has spoken of here. Righteousness
and of rat. Now, to juxtapose simply means
to put them side by side in order that we might make a comparison
or a contrast between the two. So the word for in verse 18 tells
why God has made a revelation of righteousness and why it was
necessary. Because there is also a revealing
of the wrath of God from heaven against all unrighteousness and
ungodliness of men. Now, as for these revelations,
John Murray helped me a lot in seeing the true meaning of what
Paul is saying. That Paul is not speaking of
a revelation only for our intellectual apprehension. That too, of course. But his point is that it is revealed
in its operation and in its effect to wit. The revelation of righteousness,
again, operates redemptively. That is, it is a saving revelation. It is manifested in making persons
to be justified before God, and counting them righteous by the
work of Christ. Not by actual personal righteousness,
and not by law righteousness, is Paul describing, but imputed
righteousness, as we read in Romans chapter 4. Therefore,
as Murray wrote, and I quote, It is a righteousness that meets
all the demands of justice and therefore avails before God."
This righteousness revealed in the gospel avails to the justification
and the making righteous of the elect of God. So now we come
to the revelation of wrath. It too is revealed as to be evident
and to be manifest in the world, is now being revealed, not has
been in the past or will be in the future. but it is now being
revealed, and it is not waiting for death or for the last great
judgment, nor is it merely apprehended that it might be known about,
but as righteousness is operative under the justifying of both
Jews and Gentiles, so the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
in such a way that it is manifested and known against the sin of
man. Now, in regard to human sin,
the wrath of God is revealed, brought to bear upon men's sinful
behavior as they live out their life in this world. It is revealed
as a reaction to the sin and the sins of men. For what is there can stir up
or call forth God's wrath but sin. He keeps his sword in its
scabbard until he sends it forth against sin and against sinners. For says our text, it is revealed. Number one, it is revealed from
heaven, that is from God. The source of this wrath is God. It is revealed from God out of
heaven. Number two, it is against It
has as its target the unrighteousness and the ungodliness of men and
is a positive outgoing of the divine displeasure against the
sin of men. Now, when we think of the wrath
of God being revealed from heaven against human iniquity, we are
immediately apt to recall to mind some incidences that we
read about in the scripture, some extraordinary manifestation
in the scripture of the pouring out of the wrath of God. And the first one that we probably
would think about would be that great Genesis flood, that worldwide
flood. that came in Genesis chapter
six and seven and eight, and it destroyed all mankind off
of the face of the earth except for the eight that God called
into the ark, Noah and his family, his wife, his sons, and their
family. We would also likely think of
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone
from God out of heaven because of their sin. And because of
that, God rained fire and brimstone out of heaven upon the cities
of the plain. And you have that in Genesis
chapter 19, 23 through 25. To those two, we might add the
plague sent upon Pharaoh and the Egyptian in the book of Exodus,
one after another, until there had come ten mighty plagues upon
them that smote the people, smote the land, and even smote the
animals of the land of Egypt. There was another time when the
earth actually opened up her mouth. and swallowed up many
rebellious ones in the rebellion of Korah in Numbers chapter 16
and verse 31 through 35 for rebelling against Moses and his call and
authority from God. You might think again of the
fiery serpent sent by God in Numbers chapter 21 when many
were bitten and many died. But it provided a good type of
the death of our Lord when he was lifted up on the cross like
the serpent on the pole. John chapter 3 verse 14 and 15. One more and then we'll move
on. When God swore in his wrath in the wilderness to Israel,
that they would not enter into the land of Canaan, that the
unbelievers who rejected The report would not enter into the
land of Canaan, the unbelievers, but they would die in the wilderness. Their carcasses would die in
the wilderness. We read about this in Hebrews
chapter 3, 16 through 19. It's from Numbers chapter 24,
quote, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness." Unquote. The wrath of God. I swore in
my wrath they would not enter into my rest. See also 1 Corinthians
chapter 10 and verse 5. But let's go to our original
text in Romans 1 and verse 18, and this we will do. We will look at it from the frame
of the original context as we have it in the scripture, considering
along the way such questions as this. Who are what men does
Paul have in mind? Is it the Jew? Is it the Gentile? Is it both? Is it the whole world? Is it the pagan world? Well,
first, let's notice all of the personal pronouns in this section
from verse 19 through verse 32. Again and again we read, they,
them, who. So that refers to a particular
people that he has in mind. And verse 19, God showed it unto
them. And verse 20, they are without
excuse. So he has in mind a particular
people and their action, and as well visitations of his wrath
against them for their sin and for their acts. And then we see,
as I noted, all the connecting words through these same verses. As we read in the verses And
I won't repeat them. Now, as to who these were, almost
to a last man. The best expositors and scholars
that I have read believe that Paul is describing here in Romans
1 the Gentile or the pagan world. what we might call the non-Jewish
community, as the word is in our day, and he is establishing
their guilt before God. They were without a special revelation,
as was Israel, but he is establishing their guilt and the ground of
their condemnation. Then in chapter 2, he establishes
the guilt of the Jew. Then in chapter 3, he brings
them together. Chapter 3, 1 through 18, that
all, without exception, have gone away from God and are lumped
together in the same lump. That Jew and a Gentile are condemned. They are corrupt. And they are
guilty before God, therefore deserving of the wrath of God. Now looking at verse 18. That wrath is revealed from heaven
against all sin. And we notice in the end of verse
18, we have a sort of a qualifying statement here. And let's look
at it if we might. Naming their sins. Holding, who
hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now that's how it's rendered
in the King James Version in verse 18. Now this would seem,
would it not, to be an oxymoron statement, a contradiction. So we need to look at the meaning
of the word hold here. in verse 18. It is not the same
word, for example, that Paul uses in exhorting Timothy in
2nd Timothy chapter 1 and verse 13. He tells his protege, hold
fast the form of sound words. Not the same word that we have
here in Romans 1.18. The word we have here, though,
is twice in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 6 and verse 7 concerning
the Antichrist and the wickedness and deception of the world. The word in verse 18 can mean
to suppress. It can mean to restrain, holding
back, pressing down. And Paul said this is done in
unrighteousness. So it is not in love for the
truth that they hold, the truth in unrighteousness, not as a
treasure to be desired. Do they grab the truth and hold
on to it? It's not something that they
delight in or that they love, but this unrighteousness is the
source that militates against the truth. And in doing so, this
unrighteousness, therefore, operates to pervert the truth into gross
distortions of the truth of God, multitude of errors, and strong
delusion that has come upon the human family, and which deceive
themselves, and many, in fact, are deceived by the corruption
of the truth. Down in verse 25, What did they
do? They turned the truth of God
into a lie. That is, they exchanged the truth
of God for a lie. Now, the question here, of course,
is what truth does Paul have in mind? What truth have they
suppressed and hindered and pressed down and kept from having the
right effect? Is it the written word of God
that Paul has in his mind? Well, they didn't have access
to the written word of God, to the scriptures, the one that
he is speaking of. Well then, is it the truth of
the gospel that Paul is describing here? The truth as it is in the
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Well, neither did they have access
to the spiritual saving revelation in the gospel of Christ. I think
the context, therefore, and we must look at it, makes it very
clear. that the truth here that is meant,
that which they suppress in unrighteousness, is, as one said, quote, the observable
handiwork of God in the work of creation, unquote. And the
following verses confirm that very clearly for us. This would
fall under what many refer to as, quote, natural revelation. Natural revelation and no further. And to the pagan, without spiritual
saving revelation, even to them, as Paul told the people, In Lystra,
Acts chapter 14, 6 and 7, God, who in time past suffered all
nation to walk in their own way, he left them under their lust
and their blindness and their desire. But look at the last
half of that. God, who in time past suffered
all nations to walk in their own way, nevertheless, he left
not himself without a witness, in that he did good, and he sent
rain, and such like, a testimony of God. Though he was withheld
from them a saving revelation, he did give them a witness of
himself in nature, I suppose, that we could describe it. Thus the heathen had a witness
of God, of the power of his Godhead, and of his presence as the creator
of all things. And I submit to you that that
natural revelation, even to the heathen and the pagan, back in
that particular time was twofold. That this natural revelation
is made up of two things. Number one, the witness of creation. And you have that beautifully
described in Psalm chapter 19, one through six. The heavens
declare the glory of God. The firmament shows his handiwork
day and night in every place on earth. They speak to the inhabitants
of the earth in a universal language speaking to them from without,
as they observe the heaven and observe it at day and observe
it at night. What a wonder beyond any ability
of evolution. But the second part of natural
revelation is inward, and is the conscience. Now we recently
spoke from Stephen Charnock this word, that there is a witness
of God in the reflection of the consciences of men, unquote. And you find that to be true.
And Paul states that in Romans 2. He speaks of both of these
revelations in the Roman epistle. He mentions both of them as having
an impact upon the Gentile or the pagan. One from without,
the other from within. Both of them, in a way and to
a measure, a witness of the existence of God, leaving them without
excuse. It says here in Romans 1, so
then they are without excuse. Now, going back to Romans chapter
1 and verse 19, where Paul begins to explain or to tell us why
and how the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against unrighteousness
and those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Now, let's
go back. Let's read again verse 19. Well, the wrath of God, verse
18, is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness
because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for
he hath showed it unto them. Now look at verse 21, because
that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither
were thankful, but became vain in their imagination, and their
foolish heart was darkened. Look at verse 23 and what they
did. and changed the glory of the
corruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man
and a bird's four-footed beast and a creeping thing. Verse 25,
who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and
served the creation more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Down in verse 28, even
as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave
them over to a reprobate mind to do the things that are not
convenient or not fitting or not proper. Now, verse 28, the
first half, and they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. Now what a picture Paul has painted
here of paganism as a result of being without a saving revelation
and suppressing the truth as it was revealed in God. Now I want us now to consider
the how that the wrath of God was manifestively revealed against
the suppression of the truth. Would it be another great flood
that God would send upon the world? Would it be fire and brimstone
rained again? Would the earth open up, swallow
them, a great plague, some great pestilence? How will God choose
to reveal his wrath? Now, in verse 24, 25, God gave
them up to the lust, to the corrupt lust. of their own heart. Verse 26 and 27, God abandoned
them to vile affection, to passions of dishonor, to unnatural lust,
to violate nature. Then look at verse 28, the first
part. God gave them over to a reprobate
mind, a worthless mind, judicially blinded perverted reasoning which
resulted in the sins listed down in verse 29 through 32. Things that are not proper to
be done by people. Now, I want to give you a quote
taken from F.F. Bruce. When I read this quote,
I didn't get it. It didn't dawn on me for a moment.
Then I had to put it in the context of Romans 1, and it becomes very
clear. Here's what he said, and I want
you to listen. F.F. Bruce, quote, everywhere
is chaos. Animals have become gods. Man has become woman. Wrong has become right. Nature
without a true God has become unnatural." Now think about that. All because they suppressed the
truth in unrighteousness, in verse 18. And then they went
even further than suppressing the truth of God. In verse 25,
they exchanged the truth of God into a lie. They call a lie the
truth, and truth they call a lie. Only God's wrath came upon them
in ways described then in Romans chapter 1 for how they had reacted. Now concerning the wrath of God,
Two things, let's point out. Number one, not many today truly,
really believe in the wrath of God. Not even in church. Not
even preachers. And not even the many who call
themselves a Christian. They put all the emphasis upon
the love of God. That's the attribute that they
emphasize above all other. And they stop their ears at any
talk of the wrath of God or of hell or of judgment or of everlasting
ruin. And they're content to blame
the devil for the catastrophe and the destructive events that
are visited upon the world. Number two. God's wrath is not
confined to the old Gentile world and idolaters or the suppressors
of truth in their sins, for God's wrath is stirred up against all. unrighteousness, and all ungodliness
in all time, in all places, and against all people. And though
there are many examples of God's wrath upon the human family in
any and every generation, or country, or nation, I ask you
to consider what is perhaps the foremost and the most enduring
example of God's wrath against the unrighteousness of man. Think a minute. Let your mind
run. Turn it loose. Which would you say is perhaps
the most enduring example of God's wrath against sin with
the exception of everlasting damnation? Short of everlasting
damnation. I speak of the reign of death. Is that not an example of the
wrath of God? Physical death? While God's wrath
was against the angel, that sin first in order. While the first manifestation
of God's wrath toward the human family was against Adam for his
sin in the garden, and death reigned over not only Adam, But
all of the descendants of Adam as well reigns unto death. Sin reigns unto death, even over
them, Romans 5.14, that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression. The direct cause of death. is sin, not necessarily personal
sin. I don't mean that this morning,
but Paul says in Romans 5 and verse 12, by one man sin entered
into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all
in that all has sin. So I say to you that death is
a testimony that sin deserves the wrath of God, so that it
is appointed unto man once to die. Hebrews 9 and verse 27. I think most people haven't got
that verse and its meaning in the context that we find it in,
in Hebrews chapter 9. All die. Even the best of saints
and the choice saints, we read in our scripture that Abraham
and Moses and Aaron and David died. Paul died the death in
the flesh, and sin is the reason why all die. It is appointed
unto man because of sin. You see it in Genesis 2.17 and
3.19. Owen called it this, quote, a
penal law enacted and a judicial sentence announced. And notice
also, after this judgment, it is appointed unto man once to
die, and after this judgment. Now death is not just a natural
law, as Pelagians and Sassanians claim, that death was not because
of sin, it just was a natural law as they taught. It is a penal
evil visited upon the human family, passed against the whole race.
It is appointed unto man, and more often than not, some sickness
or disease or infirmity is the precursor unto the death of the
body. Remember, he whom you love is
sick. In John chapter 11, that would
be Lazarus. Hezekiah was sick unto death,
as we read 2 Kings 20 and 1. We read that Paul's fellow minister,
Epaphroditus, Philippians chapter 2, was also sick unto death. And we read something amazing
in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 56. The sting of death
is sin. The sting of death is sin. It is sin that puts that sting
in death. So the wrath of God is visited
and was visited. Now, let me race through to the
end with a few practical applications. Is this gone today? No, we see
this today. The truth is suppressed. Boy,
is it suppressed. Nearly everything that's put
out is a lie, whether it be religion or politics or social or whatever. Nearly everything that's put
out in our day is built upon a lie. In religion, they deny
the wrath of God. They deny that God will punish
everlastingly. In environmentalism, they worship
nature. It is their God in many places. And that's why F.F. Bruce said,
animals have become gods. Genesis of Rether, Romans chapter
1. They believe in evolution. That's
how they've suppressed the truth of creation for evolution. They've changed the truth into
a lie. And God has given more a reprobate
mind, a mind they cannot think. They cannot know God. God's wrath
is yet revealed, but every expression of God's wrath is not fire from
heaven, is not a great worldwide flood, and is not the earth opening
up and swallowing people alive. It is God's wrath revealed in
the way of Romans chapter 1. Moderns do not recognize God's
wrath. It could be blinding them to
the truth. That's an expression of God's
wrath. It could be giving wicked and
corrupt leaders to a wicked people. That's an expression of God's
wrath. It could be giving them over
to their wicked desire and laying the reins upon their neck. That's
an expression of the wrath of God. Natural disasters today,
they never think of God. They attribute it to Mother Nature. And so our culture has collapsed
in this day that we live in. The crime, the sorry state of
society. not just in America, but in the
world, is a direct result of apostasy from the truth of Christianity
and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. When you exchange the
truth for a lie, what you get is what you're seeing in the
world today of worshipping other gods, of worshipping nature,
or worshipping nothing, and therefore an expression of the wrath of
God. Oh, that the grace of God would
come and has come to so many. There is a revelation of righteousness
in the gospel. There's a revelation also of
the wrath of God upon men from God out of heaven.