All right, in Romans 1, 18, notice
something. Notice the far that makes a connection
with the surrounding, what's gone before. It draws a conclusion. It continues on the same subject
or along the same line. So, in verse 18, Paul writes,
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men, watch, who hold the truth in unrighteousness."
And that is our text and our subject for the next two or three
studies, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. It had been a few years now since
I came to understand the meaning of this word, whole. And this
thing has been rattling around in my peanut brain for quite
some time now, and especially in the last few weeks. And I've
waited and I've prayed and sought the will of the Lord that He
might bring it into focus in my mind that I might be able
to speak upon the subject. Now, there seems to be an important
fact here in the charge that Paul is lodging against the depravity
of men, and that phrase is about our words today, who hold the
truth in unrighteousness. Now, the first thing always to
do is to get our contextual bearing. That is, we want to see how these
words, how this verse, and how this phrase, hold forth the truth
in unrighteousness, is used in Paul's flow of thought here in
this passage of scripture. Most sound expositors that I've
read agree that the main theme of the book of Romans is established
in verse 16 and 17 here in chapter 1, which is the righteousness
of God. And we come before that again
and again. The righteousness of God that
justifies a sinner. That's the main theme of Romans,
and it is laid out in verse 16 and 17. This is that righteousness
that is declared in the gospel of Christ our Lord. Now, we're
not talking about the attribute, God's attribute of righteousness,
though that certainly is a truth of the Scripture, because God
possesses righteousness unto absolute perfection. It is one
of His many eternal, immutable attributes that He exercised
His righteousness. but we're talking about a justifying
righteousness that is revealed in the gospel. Now before we
get into that, let us speak of how Paul makes this connection
here between our text and the gospel. He writes to the saints
that are at Rome this epistle. He begins the letter by saying
that he has been called an apostle, separated unto the gospel of
God chapter 1 and verse 1, by a sovereign and effectual almighty
call from God, Paul has been called away from his old life
and religion to be a minister of the gospel of Christ and his
life. From that time forth, is totally,
wholly dedicated to the preaching, to the proclamation for the defense
and the publishing of the gospel. Now, let's look at verse 14,
chapter 1, kind of work our way down onto our text. In the 14th
verse, he calls himself a debtor. He owes a debt. He is under an
obligation. And that's not just to the Jew,
but also unto the Gentile, unto the nation, unto the Greeks,
unto the pagan, even unto the uncivilized world. Now, I love how Paul works himself
to verse 16 and verse 17 in this chapter. Notice step by step
if you might. He says, I am debtor, I'm obligated
to the whole world in verse 14. I am ready therefore to preach
the gospel to you that are at Rome also, even heavily among
the Gentiles. Then he said, I'm ready to preach
the gospel to you that are at Rome also because I am not ashamed
of the gospel. And then he continued. I'm not
ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation
to them that believe. And here is the crux of the matter. It is the power of God unto salvation
to them that believe, for therein is revealed the righteousness
of God, an imputed righteousness, the righteousness that saves,
that is the righteousness of faith. Now, it is the power of
God unto salvation, not just in its oral sound or in its articulate
words, as men might hear the word. not in word only, but it
is the power of God in the Holy Spirit and the work of God within. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and
verse 5, for there are many who orally hear the sound of the
preaching of the gospel, and they do not believe. In fact,
some hear and actually do blaspheme. So Paul said it is the power
of God. It is the only power of God unto
salvation to them that believe, and the reason being that in
it is revealed the saving righteousness of God. How God saved, how God
makes or declares a sinner to be righteous in his sight. And this is declared in the gospel. It is actually called a revelation. More than human apprehension,
it is a revelation. It is revealed. It is made manifest. It works over and over. With
saving effect down through the ages, it has done that. What
I mean is that it actually saves sinners. It actually brings them
to a knowledge of Christ and to a righteousness that's saved. And that method is revealed in
the gospel, which, as we know, involves imputation, it involves
particular redemption, and it involves sovereign regeneration,
as God makes alive those that are dead in trespasses and in
sin. One more thing. Verse 17, this
revelation is made unto faith. It is revealed from faith unto
faith. Therefore, it is called by Paul
the righteousness of faith. Now, a new section begins at
verse 18. I might call it a digression
for a while, but a new section and a new thought begins at verse
18, and it continues, I believe, down through chapter 3 and verse
20. Then in chapter 3 and verse 21,
Paul returns or he resumes again the discussion of that righteousness
under salvation that is revealed in the gospel. That it is without
works, that it is apart from the law, and that it is suited
to the Jew and the Gentile. But at 1 and 18, Paul speaks
of another revelation. There is a revelation in the
gospel But now Paul deems it wise to speak of another revelation. And you might notice that this
is the same word out of the Greek as that one back in verse 17,
is revealed. revealed the righteousness of
God in verse 18 is revealed the wrath of God from heaven against
the wickedness and the ungodliness of men just as the wrath of God
comes on the children of disobedient Ephesians 5, 6 and Colossians
3 and verse 6. And with a revelation of righteousness,
so the revelation of wrath is actually revealed against the
sin of the human family. And that in various ways as we
read through our scripture. It is not something just for
the mind or the hearing. It is made manifest. There are evidences of the wrath
of God against the ungodliness and impiety of men who commit
a particular sin. They hold the truth in unrighteousness. There are a lot of them throughout
the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament. Instances of the
manifestation of the wrath of God. How about Sodom and Gomorrah
and the raining of fire and brimstone out of heaven? How about the
flood in Noah's day that killed all but eight inhabitants of
the world. How about the flood? How about
the fiery serpent? How about the Babylonian captivity? How about the earth opening and
swallowing up many in the Old Testament day? How about the
curse of the ground for Adam's sake in Genesis chapter 3, the
destruction of Jerusalem and the catastrophes of all the world,
including the convulsions of nature, such as earthquakes and
tsunamis. floods and tornadoes and great
devastating thing. Now old-timers earlier in our
country used to call these things the acts of God. You'd see a
sign on a motel, not responsible for the act of God. But moderns
have taken this out of the equation and now they attribute it unto
Mother Nature. And they're enraged at any suggestion
that these things might be the hand, the wrath, or the judgment
of God. Because they can only, and they
only speak of the love of God, the kindness of God, and the
goodness of God, and have little thought or apprehension of the
anger and the wrath of God. Now, with all that being said,
let's go to our words in Romans 1 and verse 18 and focus on that
one phrase there, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now, the who refers to the impious,
and that just simply means ungodly, people that are irreverent. They
don't give due honor unto God, and their unrighteousness, and
that's their immorality, their immoral behavior. Now what they
do, they hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now that sounds like a contradiction,
does it not? Who hold the truth in unrighteousness. So we have to consider this phrase
and there is a word here. What Paul says is that they hold
the truth and what they do is unrighteously done. What they do is in the sphere
of unrighteousness. They hold the truth in unrighteousness. So we then have to define the
word hold. H-O-L-D. For it says they hold the truth. They hold it in unrighteousness. Now, at face value and first
reading, it might give us the idea that what Paul is describing
here is unrighteous, wicked, lost, unbelieving person, holding
yet on to the truth. That even though they're wicked
and unrighteous, yet they somehow hold on to the truth as if they
were believing in it, as if they were holding on to it while living
a very outward immoral life. So we can neither understand
or explain this until we consider the meaning of the word hold
and how it is used here. Now, it appears in several ways
in the New Testament, from the same word in the Greek, but translated
different ways in our versions of the Bible, particularly in
the King James Version. Now, most agree that the word
hold here in Romans 1 and verse 18, it means to hold under, it
means to suppress, It means you might see it hinder, you might
see it restrain, hold back. Any of those meanings might satisfy
what Paul is saying. However, they do not hold it
as something with great value or as a great prize that they
have hold of. They do not hold it because they
treasure it or they love it. They do not hold and are not
holding it because they wish to preserve it for themselves
and for their posterity. They're not holding the truth
in this manner because they love God. For as we see down in verse
25, they, the same ones that are described here, changed the
truth of God into a lie. They exchanged God's truth for
a lie. Now, realistically, the truth
cannot become a lie, or conversely, a lie cannot become the truth. Never the twain shall meet. A
lie is a lie, and the truth is the truth. So what they are accused
of in verse 25 is not literally changing, but exchanging. They
exchange the truth of God for a lie, replacing the truth with
a lie. And before we proceed, let's
consider the word truth. How does Paul use it here? What
is included in the word truth? The truth of God we read. And so first, what is the proper
definition of truth as related to the scripture? Now, truth
is the very opposite of a lie. Truth is the opposite of a lie. What is a lie can never become
the truth. Everything spoken, everything
written, And everything that is believed is either the truth
or it is a lie. Because some believing a lie
and receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. As Paul writes, 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2 and verse 12, that they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Believed not the truth, but took great joy and pleasure in unrighteousness. So truth is, in effect, to be
described as the real state of a thing, the real fact of a matter. It is actuality. It is honesty. It is what is according to the
fact. It is things as they really are. That's the truth. The truth is
things as they actually and really are. And you know, we remember
It pleased the Lord God to include in the Ten Commandments, thou
shalt not bear false witness. Because what is built upon a
lie is unstable and is sure to collapse. And most of religion
and most of politics today is built upon a flat-out lie. But people and lie. Listen to
Jeremiah 5, 30, and 31. A wonderful, horrible thing is
committed in the land. Wonderful and horrible at the
same time. Here it is. The prophets prophesy
falsely. They lie. They deceive the people. They do not preach the things
of God. And how do the people respond to that? Well, listen.
My people love to have it so. The prophets lie, and yet the
people love to have it so. You know, people would tell themselves,
when I go to church, I want the truth. Or when I listen to a
politician, I want the truth. But I don't think that they really
do. Listen it again if you would.
Jeremiah 28 and 15, where the prophet of God is reproving the
magistrate. He's reproving the leaders and
the overseers who pervert judgment, and they do so even in Jerusalem,
even in the city of God. And then they deceive themselves
by saying, quote, we have made lies our refuge. We have made lies our refuge. And under falsehood, we have
hid ourselves." Now, isn't that an amazing thing to read from
a people? Calvin has a point. It is not
likely that they made the boast openly and publicly, but it was
the thought of their hearts. It was how they thought, we've
made lies our refuge. We have lied. deceived and we
are therefore safe and have saved ourselves. Preachers lie when
they tell people that God is not a wrathful God but that he
is only too kind and too loving of a God to ever cast a sinner
into hell. They suppress the truth and of
God's anger, and of His wrath, and of eternal punishment, and
of sovereignty, and they hold back the measure of truth. So our text said in Romans 1.18
in the question, what does Paul mean by the truth in this verse
and in this context? What truth did they hold under? Did they suppress? Did they hinder
and did they restrain that it might not have an effect upon
them? Now we ask ourselves, is Paul
talking about the written word of God? Is he talking about the
preaching of the Old Testament prophet? Is he talking about
the New Testament preaching of the gospel? Is he talking about
the work of the law written in their hearts? Now, of course,
they seek to stifle these when they are confronted by them. But from the context in Romans
1, it is clear Paul has in mind a particular truth, and that
particular truth is that truth which is visibly displayed in
creation at the work of His hand. And the they and the them are
the Gentiles, the heathen, the pagan, that what they had done
is suppress this truth that could be seen in God's handiwork of
creation. Now, let's read verse 19 and
verse 20 again of chapter 1. Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them. 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." Romans 1, 19 and 20. John Murray wrote in his Roman
commentary, Verse 19 explains how they did hinder or suppress
the truth in unrighteousness. For the truth that is suppressed
is that truth revealed in observable creation. For here Paul, in verse
20 again, the visible, rather the invisible, thinks of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen. Is this again
another contradiction? Invisible things, clearly seen. And yet, in verse 19, God showed
it unto them. In verse 21, when they knew God,
so that they are excuse-lit. The result of God's manifestation
in creation is there is no excuse, and they are guilty for turning
unto idols and worshiping them. Sometimes they worship things
inferior to themselves and even things that are made by their
own hand. Now me thinks, and we'll use
this along the way, that Psalm 19, 1 through 6, begs to be heard in any kind
of discussion on this issue. We'll use it next week, God willing,
but here is part of it. The heavens declare the glory
of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day under day
utter a speech and night under night shows knowledge. There
is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their
line is gone out unto the end of the earth and their words
to the end of the world. That's creation. Wonderful, and
God displays it. Now creation, as that psalm said,
speaks a universal language. It speaks the language of all. so that wherever they dwell,
they don't need a translator. They can hear, they can see,
they're being preached to, they have a manifestation of the power
of God in creation. Creation speaks in their own
language. The wonderful works of God and
the power of God. Day makes one manifestation and
night makes another manifestation. The heavens are declaring the
glory of God and the firmament is showing His handiwork. They are silent, but they are
powerful, undeniable witnesses of the eternal power of God,
the eternal power and Godhead. Romans 1 and verse 20. They are a witness that cannot
be silent, a witness that cannot be destroyed. A witness that
cannot be bribed, for it speaks day and night of the divinity
and of the power of God. Thus Paul's words, they are clearly
seen and understood by the things that are made. They're created
things. They speak not only unto our
sight, but also unto our senses as we behold them. Now verse
20 might tax our understanding, so let's look at it again. I
think that Murray helped me and that he has a point, that the
invisible things are at the first of verse 20, Those invisible
things refer to, not creation, but to God's eternal power and
Godhead, literally His divinity. Well, that's what that word means.
That is, to God's invisible attributes are continually manifest in His
visible handiwork the things that he has created. So that
there is knowledge in this. There's knowledge enough in this
to leave all without excuse. which is a part of the reason
that God's wrath is revealed from heaven against those who
suppress or restrain this truth in unrighteousness, in an unrighteous
manner and motive. I would suggest to you a couple
of ways that this truth is held under, is suppressed, and is
hindered. Number one, by idolatry. Idolatry is a suppression of
the truth, for it takes the worship off of God and puts it upon visible
or created idol. And secondly, and I want to get
into this next week, the teaching of evolution. Evolution does
one and the same thing. It suppresses the truth of God
and put a lie in its place. So let's consider today idolatry. Idolatry is a suppression of
the truth as it is manifested for all to see and behold in
God's handiwork. God has created all things. That's the message of the Bible.
That's our belief. Not only that, he has created
them out of nothing. He needed no pre-existing material
that he might create the heaven and the earth. In fact, the Bible
said he spoke them into existence. He simply spoke and they came
into existence by the word of his power. He spoke and it was
done. So he alone is to be honored
as the creator of all things. And then to make an idol out
of something that has been created and to worship what God has created
or made instead of him that has made it is the ultimate in spiritual
harlotry, to bow down to an idol when God in heaven has made all
things. That's whoredom. That's a form
of incest. And it was the same thing when
Israel in Exodus chapter 32 made a golden calf, and then they
danced about it. And then they had the audacity
to say in Exodus 32 and verse 4, These be thy gods, O Israel,
which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And God
revealed his wrath unto them, and many of them died on that
occasion of that golden calf." So here, Paul, in Romans 1 and
verse 20, they are without excuse. Now, don't misunderstand. Creation
does not make a saving revelation. It is not there that we learn
how to be saved. That's in the gospel, in the
word of God and such like. But Paul says they are without
excuse. They are without excuse for bowing
down to idols because God has made under them a credible revelation
of his power and of his divinity. And yet when they beheld it and
they knew it, they were not thankful, their foolish heart was darkened,
and furthermore, they went so far as to exchange the glory
of the uncorruptible God for an image of corruptible man and
earthly creatures. Verse 25, their descent continues. They exchanged the truth of God
for a lie, and their suppression of the truth led them to become
idolaters. They fell not into full atheism. No, but they fell into idolatry. They worship, but they worship
idols and they worship false God. Inferior creatures instead
of the Creator is a blatant suppression of the truth of God is idolatry. How did God reveal His wrath
against them? He said the wrath of God is revealed
against them that do so. Well, we have three statements
now. We want to look at down later in the chapter. Look at
verse 24. How did God reveal his wrath
against them? What did he do? God gave them
up to uncleanness. God gave them up to uncleanness. Psalm 81 verse 12. He gave them
up to walk After their own lust to walk in their own counsel
He left them under their own depraved desires like Acts 14
and 16 he suffered all Nations to walk in their own way He left
them unto themselves So God gave them up to uncleanness now look
at verse 26. We have another God gave them
up to vile affection. Some would have it degrading
passions. God gave them up to degrading
passion or desires. Passions dishonorable in nature
and degrading. Then look at verse 28, another
one. God gave them over to a reprobate mind. Now, looking through these
three verses again, verse 24, 26, and 28, verse 24 says, wherefore,
or therefore, which establishes a connection with the sin that
is mentioned, suppressing the truth and the judgment of God
against it. Look at verse 26 again, for this
cause, for this reason, for exchanging the truth for a lie, because
they suppressed the truth that God showed them and it was on
this account. Look at verse 28, because they
did not think it fit. to acknowledge God, and they
refused to acknowledge or to hold to what God had manifested
in His work in creation. But also notice something else
in each three verses, and that is mentioned the result of them
being left to their own way and desire, to being destitute of
a revelation, of casting aside, of suppressing, of hindering
the manifestation of God's work yonder in creation. So, what was their just punishment? Verse 24. when given over to
the lust of their own heart, what did they do? Quote, they dishonored their
own bodies among themselves. And you see three things strung
together in verse 24, the lust of their heart, number two, the
uncleanliness, and number three, they dishonored their bodies
among or between themselves. Now, the last phrase John Gill
described this way, quote, doing things which were reproachful
and scandalous to human nature, unquote. Even unnatural and against
nature. And Paul uses that term uncleanness. if you read his epistle. He uses
that expression again. He uses it in reference to sexual
aberration in his epistle. Ephesians 5.3, Galatians 5.19,
2 Corinthians 12, and verse 21. Uncleanness, and he's referring
to that of a sensual sort. Then look at verse 26 again.
They change the natural use into that which is against nature,
the result of being abandoned unto their vile affection, which
Paul is describing. What Paul is describing here
in these verses is the homosexual vice. That's what Paul is describing
in verse 24, 25, 26, and along in there. The result
of being abandoned to their vile affection. Notice what he writes. Vile affection, dishonor their
body, that which is against nature, walking that which is unseemly. All four of those statements.
And it is not that this was their only sin, as seen down in verse
29 to verse 33, where Paul lists a multitude of sins committed
by men. But what if Paul simply intends
here to call attention to the great depths of depravity of
which human nature is capable, vile passion, capable of taking
some even to this depth of depravity. Notice how he phrases it, even
the women. did change the natural for the
unnatural. Likewise, the men burned in their
lusts, one toward another of their own kind. But then look
at verse 28, being given over to a reprobate mind, quote, to
do those things which are not convenient, unquote. Literally,
not becoming. That's what the word convenient
It's not proper. It's not fit for human nature
to engage in. And then he names many. The only
other time that this word, convenient, that I found in the New Testament
is found in Acts 22, 22. And in the King James Version,
it is when the Jews cried out and said, Paul is not fit And
that's the word that we have here. Paul, they said, is not
fit to live. And they do things which are
not fit. In Romans 129, being filled with
all unrighteousness and giving themselves over to all manner
of sin and depravity. Now it's time for us to wrap
up our study for this time. But what here is described in
Romans chapter 1 is the birth of paganism, of the birth of
heathenism, how idol worship began. how it began in the world. When men suppressed the truth
of God and then they fell into idolatry, it is revealed, it
is not past, it's not future, tenth, the coming judgment, it
is revealed, it is presently revealed just as righteousness
in the present ten is revealed every time a sinner is brought
to the saving knowledge of Christ. Now ungodly means to be impious
or irreverent. They are without respect or reverence
unto God. An ungodly person, as we might
call them, and that Paul describes them as well. Irreverent, irreligious,
and that leads to all kinds of immorality in their behavior. Now let me say something here
before we quit, and that is what we have in Romans chapter 1 is
not conditional reprobation from eternity. That is from eternity,
reprobation. It's not conditional reprobation
as we might think of reprobation as being an act of God opposite
unto the election of men. But it is the manifestation of
wrath, receiving in themselves a proper recompense in this life. Now, for some, wrath is stored
up against the day of judgment, Romans 2 and verse 5. One of
the strongest examples of such wrath revealed in Scripture is
the destruction and the wrath of God upon Israel after their
rejection and crucifixion of Messiah, culminating in 70 A.D.,
when their temple, when their holy and blessed city Was destroyed
when their priests were murdered in the street their genealogy
were completely destroyed Many Jews were killed starved to death
in Jerusalem a judgment of God revealed from heaven upon them
for their crucifixion of our blessed Lord Now, how many today
are under a strong delusion so that they have no religion or
follow a false religion? God has sent them strong delusion
in accordance with 2 Thessalonians 2 and 11, blinded their heart,
hardened their heart. What a sad situation is that
to be in. Those here in our text suppress
the truth. They turned to a lie. They worshiped
dumb idols and dumb beasts. God gave them over to uncleanness. They cast him out of their mind.
He addled their minds. They would not think upon him.
He gave them a mind incapable of thinking right, so that they
could not discern the truth from a lie. And when a man or woman
is in such a situation, that's about as pitiful as it can become,
when they can't tell the difference between a truth and a lie. And
a lie sounds as good as the truth does under them, and particularly
in things spiritual and religious.