15 November, 1998
INTRODUCTION
An honest diagnosis is what you want when you are sitting across from the doctor who is about to tell you what he has discovered from the many tests he has done on you. This is not a time for him to keep anything from you. As bleak as the diagnosis may be, it is best to know how bad it is. Because it is not until you really understand how bad your condition is that you will see just how much you need the treatment that is available and that is offered.
The same is true when it comes to us being confronted with just how sinful we are. It is not until we fully realize that we are basically bad and sinful people that we will see just how much we are in need of what God has done about it all.
Background
That is basically what Paul is doing here in these next couple of chapters. Paul has already made it clear that the gospel reveals to us a righteousness that is from God. He has made it clear that is only by God's imputed righteousness that we can be saved through our faith in Him. Here in this next section, chapter 1:18 through chapter 3:21, Paul makes it clear why we are in need of such a righteousness from God.
You see, before Paul can adequately show that salvation is available by grace and through faith, he must show that there is a dire need for this salvation. So what he does here in 1:18-3:21 is to make a strong case against mankind - that all men and women are basically under the control and power of sin so that the whole world is deserving of God's wrath. Everything that is said about man in the verses we will consider this morning and the ones that follow through 3:21 is descriptive of the unregenerate man and woman. These words are a honest description of who we are apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ. These words are here to tell us just how much we need Christ and how doomed we are without Him.
It's not until you know how God really feels about sin and evil that you will be ready to embrace the remedy just like it is not until a person understands how serious their medical condition is that he or she is ready to listen the doctor and his prescribed treatment. Paul says that this is how man really is and this is how God feels about the sinfulness of man. And when you understand this maybe you will understand that apart from the imputed righteousness of God, which is revealed in the gospel, we are all in a world of trouble.
The fact is that the wrath of God continues to be revealed against all those who continue to live their lives unto themselves and apart from God. And here in these verses, Paul will help us to see three things about God's wrath:
But first, what does Paul mean by God's wrath? The wrath of God that Paul speaks of here is so far from we understand of the anger and wrath of man. This is not an impulsive outburst of anger that is aimed arbitrarily at people whom God does not like. It's not like God has a chip on His shoulder and can be set off at the least little infraction. The word here is orgh and it indicates the deep-seated anger of God against sin that arises from His holiness and righteousness. It is "the settled, determined response of a righteous God against sin." (John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible) It differs from human anger, which is an irrational and uncontrollable emotion that contains vanity, animosity, malice and the desire for revenge. God's wrath does not mean that He flies off the handle into a fit of rage or that He is malicious and spiteful. The wrath of God is, as John Stott puts it, "His holy hostility to evil, His refusal to condone it or come to terms with it and His judgment upon it." (John Stott, Romans)
One commentator by the name of Albert Barnes puts it this way: "It is clear that when we think of the word 'wrath' as applicable to God, it must be divested of everything that is like human passion, and especially the passion of revenge. It is one of the most obvious rules of interpretation that we are not to apply to God passions and feelings which, among us, have their origin in evil. [God's wrath] is the opposition of the divine character against sin; and the determination of the divine mind to express that opposition in a proper way, by excluding the offender from the favors which He bestows on the righteous. We admire the character of a father who is opposed to disorder, vice, and disobedience in his family, and who expresses his opposition in a proper way. We admire the character of a ruler who is opposed to all crime in the community, and who expresses those feelings in the law. Why shall we not be equally pleased with God, who is opposed to all crime in all parts of the universe, and who determines to express His opposition in the proper way for the sakes of preserving order and promoting peace?" (Albert Barnes)
So when we speak of the wrath of God being revealed, it is not a matter of God being "ticked off" at man but it is a matter of God being so holy and righteous that He cannot tolerate or condone the ungodliness and wickedness of man.
I.To Whom God's Wrath is Revealed
1.Against All Ungodliness and Wickedness of Men - 1:18
The ungodliness here speaks of a definite lack of, devotion to, and worship of the One True God. It represents impiety toward God. This wickedness or unrighteousness refers to the result of such ungodliness, which is a lack of conformity in thought, word and deed to the character and the law of God. It represents an impiety toward man.
2.Against Those Who Suppress the Truth by their Wickedness1:18
The word suppressing means "to hold down, or to hold fast or firmly."
And the truth mentioned here is "the knowledge of God as communicated to the human conscience." Those who are suppressing the truth refers to those who choose to resist and oppose God's truth by holding fast to their sin and rebellious hearts, in spite of the overwhelming evidence of God's existence in conscience and in creation.
You have to be honest and say that this is certainly an accurate portrayal of mankind. As a matter of fact, the remaining part of this chapter gives us a very honest and dismal look at the condition of mankind a part from Christ. It is these who are the objects of God's wrath. It is these who are deserving of God's wrath. And these were you and I before we became the recipients of His salvation by His grace. By our very nature, we were those who deserved to be the objects of His wrath. I want you to turn with me to Ephesians 2:1-5 and look at what Paul says to this very issue.
It is only by His grace that we have been spared from God's holy hostility towards our own ungodliness and wickedness.We do not deserve His grace but we do deserve His holy wrath.
II.The Manner in Which God's Wrath is Revealed
Just how is God's wrath revealed? Well, there are various kinds of wrath that are mentioned or referred to in the Scriptures:
It is these last two manifestations of God's wrath that I see Paul referring to here.
So first of all, we see God's wrath revealed...
1.Through His Justifiable Abandonment - 1:24-32
Three times in these verses Paul says that God "gave them over" or "gave them up" to something. Each time the same word is used. It is the word paradidwmi and it basically means just that - "to deliver over or to hand over." It is a judicial term that was used for lording it over a prisoner to His sentence. The idea is that when men and women consistently abandon God, He will abandon them. He will let them go their way to do their own thing and as a result suffer the ultimate consequences and maybe. It's like God is saying, "If you want to live your life absent of Me and My ways, then go ahead. I'm not going to stop you. And you will eventually see where it all ends."
So here we see Paul saying that God administers His wrath by removing His restraint and allowing sin to takes it course. And because God is holy and righteous and just, He is completely justified in this course of action.
And likewise, we see God's wrath being manifested..
2.Through the Natural Consequences of Sin -1:27
This is the obvious principle that says, "a man will reap what he sows." It is the truth that men who commit what is shameful will be "receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." No one can say that the consequences they are suffering from an immoral life is anybody else's fault. Some believe that the AIDS epidemic is God's judgment on those who live such an immoral lifestyle. And even though there are some innocent bystanders in the contraction of AIDS, there is one thing for sure - AIDS and other STD's is a natural consequence of living such an immoral lifestyle. Is it God's judgment on that community of people? Only God knows.
But listen! God has made it possible to be set free from such a lifestyle through Jesus Christ. God has made it possible for us to be saved from His wrath that is being revealed upon mankind. But if a person completely rejects Christ and continues to live unto himself, he will be the object of God's wrath, ultimately at the judgment and even in this life through the natural consequences of sin. God's wrath was literally poured out on His Son so that those who follow Christ would not have to experience His wrath in any way shape or form. But it is only through our faith in Christ and His grace to us that any one of us will escape His holy and justifiable wrath.
III.The Reason Why God's Wrath is Revealed
I can see six main reasons why God feels the way He does toward the ungodliness and wickedness of man. As you look into these verses about unregenerate mankind you will see an obvious down spiral of immorality.
1.Man's Inexcusable Disregard for God - 1:19,20
The Bible tells us clearly that man is without excuse. Man might say that he did not follow or acknowledge God because he had no knowledge of God. But God will hold all men responsible for their actions and for their refusal to acknowledge what He has made evident of Himself in His creation. Paul tells us that God has made Himself known through the creation of the world. So the question of the existence and the reality of God is answered by looking around you. His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. Paul says that even His eternal power and Godhead are evident so that men are without excuse.
John MacArthur points out that "even those who have never heard the gospel have received a clear witness about the existence and character of God - but they have suppressed it. If a person will respond to the revelation he has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God will provide some means for that person to hear the gospel." (John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible)
And Charles Colson, in his book, Kingdoms on Conflict writes that in 1889 Friedrich Nietsche told a parable that goes like this:
Have you not heard of the madman who lit a lamp in the bright morning and went to the marketplace crying ceaselessly, "I seek God! I seek God!" There were many among those standing there who didn't believe in God so he made them laugh. "Is God lost?" one of them said. "Has he gone astray like a child?" said another. "Or is he hiding? Has he gone on board ship and emigrated?" So they laughed and shouted to one another. The man sprang into their midst and looked daggers at them. "Where is God?" he cried. "I will tell you. We have killed him--you and I We are all his killers! But how have we done this? How could we swallow up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the horizon? What will we do as the earth is set loose from its sun?"
Colson says that "Nietzsche's point was not that God does not exist, but that God has become irrelevant. Men and women may assert that God exists or that He does not, but it makes little difference either way. God is dead not because He doesn't exist, but because we live, play, procreate, govern, and die as though He doesn't." (C. Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict, p. 181)
Man is certainly without excuse! And that is why God's displeasure is so real toward those who have an inexcusable disregard for Him.
2.Man's Willful Failure to Glorify God - 1:21
The Westminster Catechism reminds us, based on 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Psalm 73:25 that "man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."
Charles Hodge points out that "to glorify is to ascribe honor to anyone, to praise, and also to honor, to make glorious, or to cause someone else to glorify God either when they themselves ascribe glory to God or when they act in ways that lead others to honor Him." (Charles Hodge)
You don't have to look very far to see that man has fallen so short of this. As a matter of fact, man has gone to the complete opposite end of that spectrum to glorify himself over God. God will not share His glory with anyone. And as a result, God's displeasure is revealed against those who willfully refuse to honor Him with their lives.
3.Man's Deliberate Refusal to Acknowledge God's Goodness - 1:21
Jesus reminds us, as recorded in Matthew 5:45 that the Father "causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." But man refuses to admit that everything we have is a gift from God. The air we breath, every beat of our heart, and the very life that we have.
When I was a kid and attending the Alliance church in Durham, NC, I remember our Sunday school class visiting a young man in his home that was connected to our church who was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. He actually hit a car head on and was thrown into the air while still straddling his motorcycle. The motorcycle literally burst into flames as he was straddling it. During that visit, our S.S. teacher made a comment of how God had really spared his life. But this young man, who obviously could have been killed, gave all the credit to the expertise and quick response of the ambulance crew who came to his aid. He literally refused to give God any of the credit for him being spared. Maybe he felt if he did, he would have to be accountable to God somehow.
But I think this is the idea behind those words. Man is so selfish and self-sufficient that he refuses to acknowledge the goodness and providence of God in any way.
4.Man's Obvious Allegiance to the Worship of Idols - 1:22-24
J. I. Packer comments: "What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the great gods Sex, Shekels, and Stomach (an unholy trinity constituting one god: self), and the other enslaving trio, Pleasure, Possessions, and Position, whose worship is described as "The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). Football, the Firm, and Family are also gods for some. Indeed the list of other gods is endless, for anything that anyone allows to run his life becomes his god and the claimants for this prerogative are legion. In the matter of life's basic loyalty, temptation is a many-headed monster." (Your Father Loves You by James Packer Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986 Page April 17)
The very first commandment says, "You shall have no other gods before me." And one does not need to read any further in the list of the ten commandments to see that we have broken the law. The world in which we live is a testimony that man has aligned himself with so many other gods. Man's inexcusable disregard for God has led him to that place where he has pledged himself to so many other gods other than the One True God. And because of this deliberate and willful infraction of the law of God and his allegiance to other gods, His wrath is being revealed in a real way.
5.Man's Blatant Immoral Way of Life - 1:24-31
There are a lot of specific words that we could define in this section of Paul's description of mankind. But I don't think one has to hear a definition to get a pretty clear picture of how immoral these are that Paul is describing. So let me just highlight what Paul says about these who have taken this blatant immoral way of life.
Because man has taken the route of immorality to this degree, God has basically turned them over to such a lifestyle.
Note:Verses 26-27 is a crucial portion of scripture in the debate over homosexuality. One cannot legitimately argue for homosexuality without completely ignoring the inspired word of God spoken through the Apostle Paul. Paul makes it crystal clear that God, in no way, condones any kind of relationship other than the kind He intended when He created man and woman. Jesus pretty much sums up God's intention for human relationships when He declared in Matthew 19:5 that "a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?" How can anyone say that God ever intended for a man to be married to a man?
6.Man's Intentional Practice of Rebellion - 1:32
Even though man honestly knows the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death and punishment, they not only continue to live such a life of rebellion but approve of those who practice such a life. Those who Paul is speaking of here are those who actually take pleasure in the lives of those reflected in verses 29-31.
God has created everyone of us with something the Bible calls a conscience. Paul will speak more to that later on. And when we violate His righteous decrees, deep down inside there is that realization that we have done so - whether we want to admit it or not.
And for the most part, I believe that there is within every person that realization that one day, we will all have to answer for the life we have lived on this earth. Some people are hoping for the best. Others just don't care one way or the other and continue to live a life of rebellion in spite of what kind of judgment they may be facing. And the wrath of God is being revealed of this kind of wickedness.
These verses here should make it pretty obvious why this nation and this world is where it is. It is because man has so rejected God that God has let man go to himself. And when man is left to himself, he will end up destroying himself. Look at the days of Noah.
Before God destroyed the earth with the flood, the scriptures tells us that "the LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." (Gen. 6:5) And after the flood waters has subsided, after the flood, the condition of man was still pretty much the same, that "every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. (Genesis 8:21)
So, really we are not much better than they were back then. So you can see why we need to rely totally on the grace of God for our salvation.
Conclusion
Now you can see why we need to put our faith in the saving power of God. Now you can see why we cannot rely on our own goodness and how, apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ, we are utterly hopeless. Apart from His grace and His imputed righteousness, everyone one of are prone to do what Paul has said brings about the displeasure and wrath of God. When you begin to understand how God really feels about the ungodliness and wickedness of man and how He has to respond because of His holiness, you cannot but appreciate His grace. It was because of our sinfulness that God initiated the plan of redemption through His Son. It was because we could not do anything about our sinfulness that He sent His Son to bear the sin of the world and the wrath of God that we might escape His wrath.