The brilliant and attractive Augustine read Romans 13:13,14 and was convicted of his profligate life. These words were the means of his conviction and conversion. Luther, the pious and earnest monk, read Romans 1:17 - "the righteous shall live by faith," and was never the same. He took God at His word and felt himself reborn and a peace overflowed his soul that he had never felt before. He confessed, "this language of Saint Paul was to me the true gate to Paradise." Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the English poet, called Romans, "the profoundest book in existence." Boice writes, "Christianity has been the most powerful transforming force in human history - and the book of Romans is the basic, most comprehensive statement of true Christianity" (p. 13).
For Paul it was a high honor to be one of the apostles. Some commentators go so far as to state that Paul should have been the replacement of Judas, and that Peter and the other apostles, without approval from the Holy Spirit, chose Matthais to take Judas' place rather than wait upon the Lord. It is true that Paul did not meet the qualifications of the other twelve Apostles; that is, he did not accompany the twelve "all the time that the Lord went in and out among (them), beginning from the baptism of John unto that same day that he was taken up from (them)" (Acts 1:21,22). Paul, however, was chosen of the Lord personally several months after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was to be "a chosen vessel unto (Jesus Christ), to bear (His) name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for (the Lord) will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake" (Acts 9:15,16). Paul also viewed himself as an apostle, "Am I not an apostle? ...Have I not seen Jesus Christ, our Lord?...For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest of apostles" (I Corinthians 9:1; II Corinthians 11:5). To Paul the Lord Jesus Christ assigned the sign gifts as He did to the twelve (I Corinthians 13:8).
The church or Christian community started in the Jewish synagogues and must have consisted of several "house-churches." Paul greets twenty-five individuals, two families and a number of unspecified "brethren" and "saints." Paul refers to his Jewish audience (2:17; 4:1; 6:14; 7:1,4; 16:3,7,11).
The heart of the book of Romans is "the gospel" as follows:
the Person of the gospel..."Christ."
the power of the gospel..."unto salvation."
the people of the gospel..."to everyone."
the plan of acceptance..."to everyone that believeth."
the particular result..."the just shall live by faith."
An evaluation of the book is as follows: Intellectually - it concerns itself with a number of the deepest problems of Christian thought. Historically - the world-wide view naturally and necessarily commends the epistle to the consideration of all serious historical students. Theologically - it deals with a number of great theological principles in a thoroughly comprehensive way, and no one can ponder what is said on such subjects as sin, righteousness, grace, law, justice, without being made conscious of the profound theological importance of the epistle. Spiritually - great spiritual truths in the reality, extent and awfulness of sin which leads to the teaching of redemption. Practically - Godet says, "the probability is that every great spiritual revival in the church will be connected as effect and cause with a deeper understanding of this book."
Some refer to the Epistle as a "treatise" or "tractate," that addresses key theological issues against the backdrop of middle first century Christianity although not a comprehensive summary of Paul's theology. As a tractate, Romans contains a general theological argument or series of arguments.
Chapter One
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called (to be) an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God..." (Verse 1) Paul is the man who sat by and watched the stoning of Stephen, God's martyr in Acts 8:1ff. He was called Saul in that passage which was his Hebrew name. It was this man who consented to (took pleasure in) Stephen's death. It was he who was so enraged with Christianity and its followers; it was he who was "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord...he made havoc of the church, entering into every house and, haling men and women, committed them to prison" (Acts 8:3; 9:1). He is the one, however, whom God arrested on the road to Damascus and called him an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). From the hands of this zealous man, after his conversion to Christianity, would come more Scripture than any other author of the New Testament. To this author the epistles of Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, I and II Thessalonians, I and II Timothy, Titus and possibly the book of Hebrews are credited. Paul gives his testimony in the temple, "I am verily a man who is a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day" (Acts 22:3). It was Paul who testified to young Timothy, "I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who hath enabled me, in that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (I Timothy 1:12,13). Paul was sincere in what he was doing to Christ and Christianity, but he was sincerely wrong.
Paul was a servant (bond-slave) with all the meaning that goes with that word. A servant or bond-slave is one who is completely and utterly devoted to his master. Most slaves were subservient, either voluntarily or unwillingly in permanent bondage. Paul was willingly obedient and permanently in love with his divine Master Who saved him from sin and death. He was a called apostle. Paul was an apostle by virtue of having been effectively called by God to that office (Acts 9:15;22:14,15). His avocation was making tents, but his vocation was changing lives, homes, cities and nations by preaching the gospel. Paul was God's unique messenger, His keynote speaker. He performed healing miracles on others, yet he was not relieved of his own thorn in the flesh. He raised Eutychus from the dead but was once left for dead himself. He preached freedom in Christ but was imprisoned for preaching Christ's gospel.
Paul was the Christian Church's first missionary, the first church planter and the first theologian. He confronted heretics, stood up to the legalists and even challenged the apostle Peter. He was a theologian par excellence, and this epistle is considered by many to be Paul's most articulate statement of his theology.
Furthermore, Paul was separated unto the gospel of God. The word separated was used in the Old Testament of the chosen people of God, the Jews (Leviticus 20:26); it was also used of the Levites (Numbers 8:11-14), they were set apart and an offering to God; they were God's chosen. The first-born of every creature (Numbers 3:13) and the first-fruits of every harvest (Exodus 23:16,19) were dedicated to God; they were set apart and separated to God. So Paul was set apart, lifted up or presented to God as a special individual; that is the meaning of the word. The purpose of this separation is found in the words unto the gospel. Yeager asks the question, "Why does God separate a preacher unto the gospel of God?" Then he answers, "In order that he may preach the good news" (Vol. XI, p. 199). God's call of Paul was in eternity, but it was implemented in historic time. Yeager further states, "The Epistle to the Romans is Paul's most scientific and closely reasoned statement of the plan of salvation. Here we have the lawyer at his best as he stands before the bar of reason. Salvation must be by grace if man is to be saved at all, since he is incapable of pleasing God. Divine justice demands payment for transgression, but this payment cannot be made by the defendant. If it is made at all it must be made by one who owes no sin debt to God. Only thus can divine love express itself to the full. It was the Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25) who came to earth to pay the debt (John 5:22). In Romans we learn what is meant by words like "right" and "righteousness" (Vol XI, p. 200).
"(Which he had promised before by his prophets in the holy scriptures)..." (Verse 2) Paul regarded the old and the new dispensation as belonging together. God made a promise through the Old Testament prophets that the good news would be preached by the New Testament apostles. In fact, Paul states here that the good news that came from God is firmly rooted in the Judaic tradition. Because traditional Judaism strongly opposed Jesus, He denounced the religious devotion of the scribes and Pharisees for their false traditions of men rather than seeing Jesus as the Messiah of the Old Testament. Their piety and devotion was man-originated and man-centered and not grounded in the Old Testament Scriptures. The writer of Hebrews (1:1,2) makes this clear as does Peter in I Peter 1:10-12. Someone has said, "A scarlet thread (blood-red) is running throughout the Bible; cut the Bible anywhere and blood will come forth - the blood of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ." Old Testament prophecy finds its highest fulfillment, ultimate purpose and end in the Christ of the New Testament.
"Concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.." (Verse 3) Christianity is a Person; the prophecy becomes a personality. Jesus was the "seed of David," the final link in the chain was Mary - also the "seed of woman" - Genesis 3:15. Before Jesus was born, the only person in all of the nation of Israel who had the legal right to David's throne was Mary. Since she was a woman she could not inherit the throne. Jesus was of the house and lineage of David, coming through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah. Judah, however, because of an act of adultery with his daughter-in-law (Genesis 38) forfeited his right to sit on the throne and also the right to reign of the next nine generations (Deuteronomy 23:2). David was not banned since he was of the eleventh generation. Then through the line of Nathan, David's second son by Bathsheba, Mary, the virgin daughter of Heli (Luke 3:23-31) was with child of the Holy Spirit. So Mary's first born son was the promised Messiah as the Old Testament Scriptures point out (II Samuel 7:10-17). Of course, Joseph, Jesus' legal father, was of the house of David through Solomon (Matthew 1:7-16). The Messiah must come through the seed of David (Psalm 89:3; Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5,6). Martin Luther wrote, "here the door is thrown open wide for the understanding of Holy Scriptures, that is, that everything must be understood in relation to Christ." The gospel is Christo-centric; it is the 'good news' because it is Jesus Christ crucified, buried, risen and ascended, and it is 'good news' because God is its source. Laurin writes that Jesus was born in a virgin womb and was raised from a virgin tomb (p. 19).
"And declared (to be) the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead..." (Verse 4) Although Jesus was born of the lineage of David and received His fleshly body from Mary, Jesus was also the Son of God; He had been from eternity. He was 'declared' the Son of God; the word 'declared' also means 'designated.' The word is 'horizo' from which we get our English word 'horizon;' the demarcation line between earth and heaven. Jesus Christ was 'designated' or 'marked off' with absolute clarity in His incarnation. In Christ's ability to conquer death, a power belonging only to God Himself (the Giver of Life), God established beyond all doubt that He was indeed God, the Son (Matthew 3:16,17). So Christ was fully man (a descendant of David) and fully God (declared the Son of God). Paul declares Him to be Jesus Christ our Lord - Jesus means Savior, Christ means Anointed One, Lord means Sovereign Ruler. When Jesus stood before Pilate there was nothing human that He had not experienced, but He was also God. He was all God (100 per cent) and all man (100 percent) which is beyond human explanation; we must accept that great truth by faith. "Every basic element of Christian theology is found in Romans 1:1-4 - Salvation, Service, Conciliation, Prophecy, Incarnation, Kingdom truth, Jesus' humanity, His deity, Resurrection, the Lordship of Christ and Holistic completion. The remainder of the epistle expounds in depth the elements in this concentrated capsule of the first four verses" (Yeager, p. 290).
"By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name..." (Verse 5) Paul writes of two provisions of the good news; conversion which is by God's grace and vocation, which in Paul's case was apostleship. Of course, grace is defined as unmerited favor and God loving mercy. Apostleship is defined literally, "one who is sent." The obedience of faith recognizes the lordship of Jesus. There is no such thing as true faith without obedience. True obedience is one of the purposes for which God saved us. "Saving faith is the source of obedience. God's gift to us is for the purpose of enabling us to obey Him and the obedience is the fruit of faith. Grace gives faith; faith generates obedience; obedience glorifies God" (Yeager, p. 210). Stott writes, "we should be 'jealous' for the honor of His name - troubled when it remains unknown, hurt when it is ignored, indignant when it is blasphemed, and all the time anxious and determined that it shall be given the honor and glory which are due it" (p. 53). "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ..." (Verse 6) The Roman Christians had received the effectual call. Those who by virtue of having been effectively called belong to Jesus Christ - they are His people. Just as Paul was a called apostle, so the Roman Christians were included in that category from the point of eternity when God decreed to call them, although His decree had waited for its implementation in historic time. "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called (to be) saints; Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Verse 7) In Rome - that eternal city which has given the world peace, the fount of law, the center of civilization, the Mecca of poets and orators and artists...yet a home of every kind of idolatrous worship (Stott, p. 55). A byword and a proverb that could have been prominent in Paul's day was 'all roads lead to Rome.' Rome, Italy was the hub of the known world, and although Paul did not visit Rome until later in life and under the most trying of circumstances, he knew many Christians in that metropolitan area. Paul was assuming that every Christian in Rome was a member of the local church.
Paul used the Greek greeting form combined with the Jewish form. The Greek says, "Chaire" = "joy to you," and the Jew says, "shalom!" = "peace." The chaire has been changed into charis meaning grace. Grace brings peace. God's children have a hiding place like a hen gathers her brood, so that the chicks are safe while the storm bursts loose in all its fury upon herself.
"First, I think my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." (Verse 8) These verses seem to be a part of Paul's introduction. His thankfulness is intimate; he was close to God, and he was close to his fellow believers. Furthermore, his gratitude was impartial and all encompassing, making for no distinctions. He thanks God rather than the Roman Christians lest they be lifted up in pride. His gratitude is "through Jesus Christ," Who is, after all, the Agent between God the Father and the believer; it is through Him that God has chosen to bless us. Paul was to write later in I Timothy 2:5, "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus." Wherever Paul traveled throughout the entire civilized world he had heard of the faith of these great Christians. Their faith was spoken of or made known; it was declared, announced and proclaimed everywhere he went. What a testimony! Their faith was a persevering trust that brings spiritual strength and growth; this kind of faith may bring persecution.
"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you." (Verses 9,10) Paul sees no sin in calling God to be his witness if he is telling the truth. The God, Whom Paul serves, is his witness to what he is about to write. The word "serve" means a sacred religious service, like that of the Aaronic priesthood. The greatest worship a believer can offer to God is devoted, pure, heart-felt ministry; a total unreserved commitment to God. The gospel of His Son can mean either the gospel concerning His Son or which His Son Himself taught, either one would be true.
Paul lifted the Christians up with unceasing prayers. In fact, every time God's Holy Spirit led Paul to think of the Christians at Rome, and that must have been often, he prayed for them. He was truly a prayer warrior and he wanted others to join him (Romans 15:30). Included in Paul's prayers was the fact that he prayed continually that God would grant his request to visit them. Paul endeavors to put into words his feelings for them. Yeager writes, "how does one translate into written form the rising inflection of the voice, the crisp tone of sarcasm or the raised eyebrow or shrug of the shoulder?" (P. 218) These, however, are so common in our preaching and speaking. Paul longed to see them, to serve them and to strengthen them. Little did he know he would do so in chains. It was the practice of Paul to give God a 'blank check.' God could fill it in (wherever He wanted Paul to go). God filled in the 'blank,' took Paul at his word and sent him to Rome in chains as Nero's prisoner. The emphasis rests upon the providential will of God. Paul wrote later (Philippians 1:12-14), "I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things that happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places, and many of the brethren in the Lord, becoming confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." The ministry of our Lord is the example for Paul's ministry and that of every God-called minister. The sole purpose of the ministry of Jesus and the Apostle Paul was to do the Father's will in the Father's way and in the Father's time. That should be the goal of every believer.
"For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." (Verses 11,12) To 'long to see them' meant that Paul had a desire of intensity, a craving and a yearning to visit them. When Paul writes of 'imparting some spiritual gift,' he meant he wanted to share with them his rich ministry and knowledge of the gospel message. Above all, Paul felt the need of ministry among them; he wanted them to grow in grace and knowledge (Yeager, p. 220). Paul's sole purpose in going to Rome was not as a tourist to see the famous Appian Way or the Forum or the Coliseum or the chariot races but to visit with the believers. He wanted to visit Rome to give of himself and not to entertain or gratify himself. The foremost characteristic of genuine love was self-less giving on the part of Paul. He saw his visit to Rome as a threefold blessing: (1) a desire to increase both his faith and theirs, (2) to impart to them some spiritual gift of fellowship, and (3) he wanted to assist the Roman Christians to bear fruit.
Paul uses the word 'comforted' or encouraged. The idea here is to be brought into a close mutual relationship and fellowship. There would be a mutual benefit derived from such a visit - Paul would be strengthened and encouraged as well as the Christians at Rome. He must have dearly loved them; instead of "love at first sight" it was love before first sight. After all, this is how we fall in love with Jesus Whom we have not as yet seen (I Peter 1:8). Paul seems to put himself on the level with his readers; herein is a peculiar delicate courtesy and condescension - a characteristic of the writer. Sanday writes, "there is not a truth underlying the apostle's courtesy, which is not a mere compliment. The most advanced Christian will receive something from the humblest" (American Commentary, p. 36). The medium of this comfort and encouragement is the mutual faith of the saint and Paul himself.
"Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (but was prevented thus far), that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles." (Verse 13) To 'purpose' here is to plan ahead of time. Paul had planned over and over again to make the trip to Rome. When man's plans counter God's plans (Ephesians 1:9), God hinders him and his plans. Thank God, He is omniscient. Our plans are subject to Divine cancellation. Sometimes our disappointments are His appointments. It is not wise for those who do not know the road ahead to drive. We had better take the back seat and let Him drive (Yeager). Paul desired to visit the Christians in Rome but, no doubt, there were more urgent calls for his labors in nearer places, where Christ was less known (15:20-23). Paul longed to have 'some fruit' with them. Could he have meant the fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22,23, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self control"?
"I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise." (Verse 14) Herein Paul begins his first of three "I am's." He had a burden, a moral and/or legal obligation to preach. Jesus used this word 'debtor' first in His model prayer - "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). Paul felt a moral indebtedness to everyone (Greek, barbarian, sophisticate and gullible); he was obligated to share the gospel message with everyone. There were no prejudices to Paul; he felt an obligation to preach to everyone without regard to race, national origin, sex, color or previous educational attainments. Someone has observed that "the ground is level at the foot of the cross of Christ." Paul was indebted to God because of his calling and indebted to the Romans because of their spiritual needs.
"So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also." (Verse 15) Paul had great boldness as he preached; he was eager. To the God-called minister, preaching and sermon preparation are never a drudgery. The word 'ready' means to rush along, to be in a heat, to be enthused. He preached 'as much as in me is.' Was he saying that he was limited in the flesh? All of God's ministers must realize that only as we trust in God's omnipotent power are we able to do anything. Paul experienced many circumstances as he preached. When he preached the gospel in Jerusalem, the religious capital of the world, he was mobbed. When he preached it in Athens, the intellectual center of the world, he was mocked. When he preached it in Rome, the legislative center of the world, he was martyred (Phillips, p. 19). Paul, however, was determined to preach the gospel wherever he was (Acts 20:22,23).
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Verse 16) To be 'ashamed' is to feel shame, guilt or disgrace; to be inferior or unworthy. Paul was certainly ashamed of his past sins, but he was not ashamed of Christ and what He had done for Him. He could boldly preach the gospel of a Savior Who was not ashamed to die the ignominious death on a cruel cross (Hebrews 2:11;11:16). The gospel has divine power within it. Our English words "dynamite and dynamo" come from the word for 'power' here. God's gospel can break up the hardest heart. The word dunamis is given various meanings: works, power, mighty, strength. God's dunamis is unlimited (John 1:5; I John 4:4). The gospel message grips the mind, stabs the conscience, warms the heart, saves the soul and sanctifies the life. Some other experiences of the Apostle Paul were: he was imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Damascus and Berea, laughed at in Athens, considered a fool in Corinth and declared a blasphemer and lawbreaker in Jerusalem. He was stoned and left for dead at Lystra. Lint says that "Missionary C.T. Studd once appalled a relative saying, 'Christianity is like a disease. Get a good case of it, and it'll spread.' Later the relative wrote back to say that she had caught the contagion. Genuine Christianity is communicable" (pp. 10,11). It is said that if a circle of white chalk is traced on the floor around a goose that it will never leave the circle for fear of crossing the white mark. In a similar way, the chalk marks of criticism, ridicule, tradition and rejection prevent many believers from leaving the security of Christian fellowship to witness to the unsaved (MacArthur, p. 50). Such was not the case of the Apostle Paul.
"For in it is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Verse 17) Paul was not ashamed of the gospel because God was its source, and He chose to grant His righteousness to anyone who would accept Him by faith. God desired to give His righteousness to the person who would recognize the death, burial and resurrection of His Son. "The gospel of Christ reveals the power of God because it reveals the righteousness of God. The Deity is powerless to act unrighteously. If he cannot act righteously He cannot act at all" (Yeager, p. 231). Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4 which proves that the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith is not exclusively a New Testament revelation. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). By His sovereign grace God bestows salvation (faith) as a gift on those who trust in Him (Genesis 49:18; Psalm 3:8; 25:5; 27:1; 98:1,2; Isaiah 46:13; 51:5-8; 56:1; 62:1 and many, many other passages.
What does Paul mean by 'faith unto faith?' Faith is from God as its source and the result of faith is of God. Faith activates the divine power that brings salvation, and in that sovereign act the righteousness of God is revealed. A better rendering is from God, indicating that He imparts His own righteousness to those who believe. It is thereby not only revealed but reckoned to those who believe in Christ (Romans 4:5). "For it is written" - this is the first of fifty-one quotations from the Old Testament according to Davidson, thus Romans and the whole New Testament bear the impress of the Old Testament Scriptures. Hendriksen states, "How (Martin) Luther struggled with this problem (in this verse)! How it bothered him...until one day, rather suddenly, by divine illumination he realized that what was meant here was not God's retributive justice but the righteousness freely imputed to the sinner by God's sovereign grace, on the basis of Christ's substitutionary atonement, and made the sinner's own possession by means of God-given faith. When the great Reformer made the discovery that Romans 1:17 speaks about God's gracious verdict of righteousness pronounced upon the believer, he experienced the happiest day in his life" (pp. 61,62).
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shown (it) unto them." (Verses 18,19) What is meant by "the wrath of God?" Jehovah God is a God of law in the natural, moral and spiritual realms. His laws are benevolent in nature, each intended to work the greatest good to the greatest number of people. When one lives in accord with these laws he is blessed by them, but if one lives contrary to these laws, they become a judgment against us. God's wrath is not an emotion of anger; He is not some cosmic sniper who sits on His throne and in fits of anger hurls thunderbolts of vengeance upon those who disobey Him and displease Him. He is too holy, however, to wink at sin or pass over it lightly.
In Galatians 6:7f Paul writes that God cannot and will not be "mocked," which means that one cannot turn up his nose at God and His laws and get away with it. Rather than breaking God's laws, the law-breaker will be broken. God's laws will stand forever, but the law-breaker will suffer the consequences of breaking God's laws. The wrath of God is His abiding opposition to evil. The epitome of God's wrath can be observed at the cross of Christ; there our Savior bore the wrath of God that was due the lost sinner. God hates sin and always has; He loves the sinner, however, and has made a way of escape from God's judgment against sin. Jesus took our place; He was judged for our sins. Through His death, we are justified before a holy God.
God's wrath is revealed, disclosed, imparted or uncovered whenever the unrepentant sinner continues on in his sinfulness. God's wrath is always burning; "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry (with the wicked) every day," so reads Psalm 7:11,12. Divine power is revealed in the gospel (verse 16); Divine righteousness is revealed (verse 17); God's wrath is revealed (verse 18). Mankind (the heathen and the pagan) "held down" or suppressed the truth by his unrighteousness. That is, man refused to allow the truth to correct his morals and lead him to repentance. His problem was not intellectual; it was moral. When man rejects the light God gives, the result is spiritual darkness (Matthew 6:33). "God's truth and man's sin cannot both be enthroned in the heart of a rational man. One or the other must yield its place" (Yeager, p. 237). Yeager further states that these men were not benighted as others; they chose the temporary benefits of sinful indulgence and accepted the eternal punishment which would be theirs - they had full knowledge yet rebelled against God. They sinned "after the similitude of Adam's transgression" (Romans 5:14). Adam was not deceived; he deliberately disobeyed God (I Timothy 2:14).
The "heathen" are not limited to those who bow down to wood and stone. All those who have no knowledge of the Lord Jesus are, in a sense, heathen. There are no atheists among heathen tribes. The heathen seem to know that their sins must be punished. They know that sin must be atoned for. All nations once had some knowledge of that truth originally given to mankind. Upon the consciousness of every individual, God has revealed Himself as a personal God. There is a universal thirst for God. Someone has said that there is a God-shaped blank space in the bosom of every human being. No human being has every been without that knowledge of God. God has done for the heathen all that He could consistently do; He showed (manifested) Himself to him. (We shall see how in the verses that follow). They had some truth, but they suppressed it. In fact, they chose to ignore what light they had.
"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; because, when they knew God, they glorified (him) not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." (Verses 20,21) All men are exposed to this witness of creation (nature). Abraham Lincoln said, "I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God." Nature points to an eternal, omnipotent, omniscient Creator. "There is a God," says nature, pointing to the seasons, stars and sun; He is eternal in His power. But man needs more than that to be saved; man needs a personal Redeemer. Nature has a voice, but it has no heart, and it offers no solution to man's greatest problem. All men are exposed to this witness of God to Himself. Despite God's unmistakable and universal witness, some men deny the truth and become atheists; some men destroy the truth and become idolaters.
The "invisible things" that Paul writes of are now distinctly specified as God's 'eternal power and divinity.' The Old Testament with which the apostle was familiar had mentioned other attributes as displayed in God's visible handiwork such as His wisdom, His goodness and even His righteousness. The pagan could see the results of God's "power," although the power itself cannot be seen. Creation will tell us somewhat of the work of His hands; Calvary alone unveils His heart. (Phillips, pp. 27,28) God placed a conscience in the body of every man; that still small voice always encourages the good and rebukes the evil. God created man and equipped him "with intellectual power and objective stimulation to use it, so that he could either be humble and reverent, awe-struck by the majesty of creation and anxious to obey an inbuilt moral consciousness, thus to be clear in the judgment because he followed that light that he had, or when he chose to insult God, to sin against the light and ignore the obvious truth, had no one to blame but himself" (Yeager, pp. 246,247).
Hendriksen says of this verse, "the original Greek...employs a pair of words which, though resembling each other in form, express a seeming contradiction...A closer approach to the original would be: 'his unseeable qualities...are clearly seen...While these eyes are observing the glories of the universe which God created, the soul, with its invisible eye, is being deeply impressed. It clearly sees God's power displayed 'in things that were made;' that is, in God's works" (p. 70). J. H. Burroughs commented that, "the Himalayas are the raised letters (God's braille) upon which we blind children put our fingers to spell out the name of God...the human race is like a blind man feeling his way along a treacherous path. God to some extent is legible in the book of nature, but only in a limited way. In nature we see God's fingerprints...but what sinners need to see is Christ's nailprints." (Our Daily Bread)
Man began his habitation upon the earth worshiping one God, and then came to the worship of many gods. It is not true that in man's experience he commenced with an idol and ended up with God. But rather man commenced with God and has ended up with an idol. It matters not whether that idol is a piece of stone in Africa or a piece of gold in America; whether it is the bush gods of the jungle or the mental gods of the campus (Laurin, p. 41,42). Man's downward steps are as follows:(1) God revealed himself to man both in nature and in his heart, (2) man failed to glorify and worship God the Creator, (3) man was unthankful for God's bounty and goodness to him, (4) man became vain or empty in his reasoning and (5) darkness settled down upon man's foolish and senseless heart. Men enthrone human reasoning and dethrone divine revelation. When men dethrone God from his thinking, he becomes consciously irreligious and he become consequently irrational. The man who dethrones God from his intellect become conceited and stupid or unintelligent (foolish).
The words "became vain" mean man's mind is empty and devoid of serious content. Even his "imaginations" or his reasoning powers, his thinking is affected. The pagans knew God intellectually but chose to defy Him; they did not react to Him in the way He deserves. Psalm 19:1-4 describe God's textbook which speaks a universal language available to all. Day unto day and night unto night creation speaks of God's eternal power and infinite intelligence. It is reasonable to believe that had they responded favorably, God would have revealed His love, mercy, grace, pardon and forgiveness. Later He did this on the Cross of Calvary and in the sinless life of His Son.
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." (Verses 22,23) "Wise" here means cultured, learned and skilled in letters. "Fools" are morons or dullards. Their profession grew out of (1) a false conceit of wisdom, (2) a vain thinking and reasoning and (3) out of a stupid heart darkened in depravity, a heart and mind hardened, twisted, dwarfed, warped and withered in immorality. They are made fools by the power of Satan. In the process of affirming that they were wise (educated) men, by that very process they were turned into empty and vain fools. The word for "fool" was used of Jesus when He stated that the so-called Christian was like salt that had lost its savor. The fool is as useless as savorless salt. The next step downward from atheism is idolatry. If man will not worship God, he will worship something. Man is religious by nature, he will worship someone or something. When humanity rejected God, their only alternative was to find that something or someone else. There they turned to worshiping other men, birds, animals, snakes and insects and heavenly bodies. Rather than worship the Creator, they turned to things the Creator had made.
Once an idol is conceived by man, it is not long before man is deceived by the idol. Idolatrous worship prevails in all parts of our world this day. Education, culture and advancement do little to free man from idolatry since the problem is basically spiritual. Man willingly becomes an idolater and imitates his deities rather than worship the true God. Man never rises higher than his god (Psalm 115:4-8).
God is immortal, imperishable, indestructible, changeless, viable and non-biodegradable. The opposite adjectives apply to the human species and to birds, animals and snakes and other forms of life that creep upon the earth. Man has turned his highest gift from God - his power to reason - against God and used it to change God's glory of incorruptibility into the degradation of his own capacity for corruption. Man sought to bring the Creator down to the level of His creation. When he "downgrades" God, there is no further remedy but judgment (Yeager, p. 254).
"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (Verses 24,25) The fruit of idolatry is found in verses 24,26,28. "God gave them up" or "over." He turned them over to their sinful deeds. Sexual immorality became their gods and goddesses. Sexual perversion led mankind (men and women) to turn beastly or even worse than beastly. They committed acts that were unnatural or contrary to nature. The idolatry of the Canaanites is a good example of rejection of God leading to immorality. Cult objects and figurines clearly show how sexually-oriented their religion really was. The Canaanites sacrificed humans; they worshiped snakes and there were other erotic aspects of their cults. Paul uses the words "gave them up (over)" in this verse and again in verses 26 and 28. God abandoned the sinners to their own sinful propensities thus to allow innate depravity to run its full course. Paul uses the same word in Ephesians 4:19 when he writes the sinner, "who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."
In our text, "God abandoned the willful pagans to their uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. Whenever the sinner made the decision to disregard God and His moral code of ethics, then all moral standards were gone. They see nothing either good or evil. There are many kinds of uncleanness. This type is homosexuality, an outrage against the human body...having rejected the Creator of his body, there is no reason why he should not disgrace and insult his own body also. The ultimate disgrace is suicide - a totally irrational act, but it is only the logical result of the irrationality involved in rejecting God" (Yeager, p. 256).
The pagan's worship was in direct opposition to the second commandment given to the Hebrews. Exodus 20:4 reads. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any carved (graven) image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth..." The pagans traded (exchanged) what they had (God's truth) because they did not like it, for its opposite (a lie) because the lie was in harmony with their inclinations. It is ironic that neither ornithologists, zoologists or herpetologists have reported any homosexuality as characteristic behavior of birds, animals or reptiles. Incidentally there are some things that a snake will not do (Yeager).
The "Amen" of this verse assents to the writer's heart and mind to the glory which is due to God. It is a response of worship.
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even their women did exchange the natural use for that which is against nature; and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was fitting." (Verses 26,27) Paul repeats a kindred phrase he used in verse 24; "God gave them up," meaning that God permitted them to pursue their own will. From Adam's time, man has wanted to push God out of his life. It is as if man had said, "God, I just want to be left alone. Get our of my life; let me live like I want to live." And God does! He, like the father of the Prodigal Son, released man to his own ways, his puny possessions and his dreams of success. Man is adrift in God's vast universe. Man has been likened to a porcelain pitcher; when released, if it falls far enough and the ground is hard enough, it will break.
Jonah rebelled against God; in fact, he tried to run away from the presence of God. Jonah went down, down, down when he went away from God. All who want God out of their lives, all who want to run away from God will find that their path is a downward lemming-like rush. Verse 24 states, "God...gave them up to uncleanness;" verse 26 says; "God gave them up to vile affections;" verse 28 reads, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind." Westwood says that in verse 24 man's rebellion affected his body; in verse 26 it affected his soul (the seat of affection and emotion); in verse 28 it affected his spirit, his capacity to know God. Man sought to break God's laws, but he cannot do so with impunity. Rebellion against God and His laws is sure to bring punishment. Dishonesty with man's bodies brings sad consequences. Humanity was guilty of sexual perversion - homosexuality and lesbianism. The women prostituted their bodies for gain. The "vile passions" of verse 25 mean passions of dishonor.
Sexual perversion is condemned in the Old Testament (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 and other passages) as well as in the New Testament, and the death penalty is pronounced upon its perpetrators. In Corinth, from which Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans, sinfulness characterized by fornication and sexual deviation was rampant. A "Corinthian girl" was but another name for a harlot; to "corinthianize" meant to practice whoredom. Perversion is the illicit and twisted expression of that which is God-given and natural. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is inversion, the expression of that which is neither God-given or natural. In Genesis 19:1ff the men of Sodom were intent on capturing the men who came to Lot's house that "they might know them (sexually) ," which meant to commit sodomy with them. Sodomites became a byword for immoral godlessness. The words "burned in their lust" means that the men were consumed in their craving appetite for sexual gratification with other men.
"And even as they did not like to retain God in (their) knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not seemly..." (Verse 28) Like a horse whose bridle has been removed, all restraints are taken away. Then the horse runs to his destruction. God abandoned man to sexual impurity (verse 24); then to sexual perversion (verse 26), and then to a depraved mind (verse 28). A depraved mind begins to think what is bad is actually good and what is good is actually bad. Isn't this the mind of the devil who dangled a carrot before Adam (Genesis 3:5). Was Adam hopeless? God gave him up, but was he without hope? When he repented God came to him. Adam had to suffer the consequences of his sin, but he was not hopeless. Israel went astray and "God gave them up." But, they were not hopeless (Hosea 11:8,9).
To be "reprobate" means to be depraved. Man did not stand the test, just like the metals were rejected by refiners because of impurities. Impure metals were discarded because they were worthless and useless. There is, in the Greek, a play on words, which can be expressed this way: because man reprobated the knowledge of God, God gave man over to a reprobate mind. Man cast out the acknowledgment of God so God gave them over to an outcast mind.
"Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents..." (Verses 29 - 31) Boice implies that in verses 29-31 Paul "lifts the lid of hell," and man's wickedness is described vividly. In The Brothers Karamozov, Dostoevski has Ivan saying, "If God is not, everything is permitted." In other words, "if Heaven did not hold down the forces of evil, all hell would break loose." What a horrible cesspool Paul describes in verses 26-31! Unrighteousness seems to cover all sins. The catalog of sins begins with fornication, which Paul has exposed in preceding verses. Then comes wickedness or wicked ways; doing wrong. Covetousness is greediness, grasping, itching for more; extortions. Maliciousness is sometimes referred to as depravity, ill-will, not ashamed to break laws. Envy is that transgression related to greed, to begrudge those who have more. Murder is the slaughter of another human being. Strife is translated debate, contention, quarreling and wrangling. Deceit includes tongues practicing vice, treachery; the Greek word can also be translated 'fish-bait.' Malignity includes bad character, craftiness and a desire to do harm. Whisperers are those people who gossip and slander; those who are spreaders of confidential rumors.
Backbiters are those who slander and speak against someone; open gossip; character assassins. Haters of God include those who are insolent and arrogant against God. Insolent ones are despiteful, those who would use insulting language upon others and treat others with contempt. Proud people are those who are arrogant toward men; haughty; those acting like supermen. Boasters are braggarts and empty pretenders. Inventors of evil things are those who look for new ways and methods of doing evil. Disobedient to parents are those children who have disregard for parent's wishes.
Without understanding includes those who are senseless, unintelligent and stupid. Covenant breakers are those who are faithless or without good faith. Without natural affection speaks of those who are heartless; inhuman like those who practice infanticide and abortion. The word implacable conveys the idea of those who make up their minds and will not give consideration to change; not capable of being appeased. Unmerciful people are ruthless; cruel; those who conduct themselves like savages.
'Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them." (Verse 32) Barnhouse calls this verse "a damning text." The only hope and help for sinful men is "refuge in Christ." Whenever "God gave man over" to do his desires, man became a reactionary, a revolutionist and a rebel. As long as man lives his life apart from God, he will live in evil and suffering. The only remedy is man's return to God.
In almost every society of the world, the sins Paul mentioned here are not only considered wrong but are held as crimes. To justify one's own sin is wicked enough but to approve and encourage others to commit these sins is immeasurably worse. To openly condone and defend the evils mentioned here is to reach the deepest level of corruption. So in Romans 1:18-32 the prosecuting attorney, in the courtroom scene, has successfully indicted all the heathen world before the bar of divine justice.
Paul writes of the road to hell. Sinful man has made his earthly environment a "hell on earth." God gave man up; oh, the horror of man's choice. Is there a remedy for man's sins, depravity and degradation? Thank God, there is - it's in the gospel! Will we share it with others?