Romans_1_18-32

Romans 1:18-32 Across the epistles, the readers of Paul’s letters have been praised and encouraged in their constant struggle for The Kingdom. The book of Romans, however, takes an unfamiliar twist when Paul appears to be angry and criticize the new followers, but with accurate insight one can understand that in actuality Paul seeks to explain God’s unconditional love and the power that it holds. In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, there are many significant details that are overlooked or interpreted improperly because of lack of historical context. First, it is important to understand that the church in Rome is a relatively new church with members who have little knowledge of the historical background in the Bible or the nature of God. Therefore, Paul’s first purpose is to provide a brief summary of the Old Testament and the life of Jesus so the new followers can understand the history of the Israelites. The history provided leads directly into the second goal of explaining who God is, as it highlights the fall from a perfect relationship with God and how Christ restores this. Often in the letters, it appears that Paul is angry or upset about the sin taking place bluntly explaining the wrath of God and highlighting that all sinners deserve to die, however he is only trying to emphasize how much God hates sin and thus how amazing it is that God is willing to forgive us. To properly dissect and analyze what Paul is writing in this passage, it must first be divided into three sections; the first highlighting verses eighteen and nineteen. “18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”1 In this there are two words that stand out and need to be defined in the context of Paul’s message. The first is godlessness, implying that the people have departed from their relationship with God and are living empty lives. God can be defined in one word: perfect, thus if the people are living in such a way that God is not apparent, it can only mean that they are defined as imperfect and sinful. By glorifying sin, the people are electing to live in such a way in which they celebrate the very things that God hates, emphasizing the fact that they do not wish to be in perfect union with Christ and therefore onset His wrath (the second word). Wrath is defined as “the divine Judge’s righteous retribution and personal revulsion evoked by moral evil.” 2 The actions of the people, in completely disobeying the Lord’s commandments, destroying their perfect relationship, and choosing to live in sin instead of communion with Christ is considered moral evil and thus brings upon the wrath of God. Here it is necessary to note that Paul does not use the word anger in place of wrath, showing that God is not enraged at those who sin, but rather angered at sin’s very nature. If God’s love is unconditional it means that He can never hate anyone (to say that someone would only be loved if they did not sin would imply that their love is conditional), however He can hate the actions that tear His children away from Him. Therefore, since God does not hate and only loves, He acts in the same way as a parent when sin occurs; disciplining where necessary in order to highlight how that sin is evil and could hurt His child, however He forgives and never ceases in His love and adoration for them. In conclusion, Paul highlights the wrath of God in order to highlight the hate God holds for sin and the destruction that He brings to those who choose to sin rather than follow Him. The second segment is made up of verses twenty to twenty three, in which the historical background of the Old Testament is clearly seen through the way in which Paul writes. “20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” 3 In verse twenty, Paul highlights the perfect nature of God and all of His creations, emphasizing that His existence is evident by the splendor seen throughout the world. Due to this splendor, God is seen in everything that exists, and therefore people have no excuse for sinning. This ever present beauty is seen and acknowledged by the first people in the world who shared perfect communion with God, otherwise known as Adam and Eve. Verse twenty-one focuses on them as the world begins to move towards following selfish wants and beliefs rather than the commands of God, ultimately leading to the decision to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, separating humanity from God. Due to the complete separation from God, the world begins to slip more and more into total sin and destruction choosing to forsake God for man-made items and beliefs. The final segment of the passage are verses twenty-four to thirty-two, in which Paul fully displays the sin that has overcome the world and the destruction that takes place. In these verses there are two main issues that are addressed; the first being that God allows the world to turn away from Him, and the second being the ultimate gift of forgiveness.4 In multiple verses, Paul says that God “gave [the people] over” to sinful desires or lusts, showing that God hands over control and makes following His commandments a choice. While some argue that this shows that God does not care about His children, because He allows them to reject Him and be separated for eternity in Hell, in actuality allowing believers to choose displays God’s love for His people in that He wants them to have the ability to choose their path. This also enhances the relationship between God and the follower, because if a relationship is chosen, it is automatically more significant and beautiful than if it is forced. The second topic addressed in the final verses, the gift of forgiveness, is central to the passage in that it brings the story of redemption full circle, highlights God’s everlasting love for His children, and shows that those who choose to sin and not accept God’s gift face total destruction. Paul highlights in verses twenty-eight through thirty-two that the world had completely rejected God and chosen sin over eternal salvation, with no hope for ever changing. 5 Yet, all though the people seemed hopeless, God sent the world a gift, that could never be repaid, in Jesus Christ. By dying on the cross, Jesus wiped clean the slate that was previously filled with sin, and therefore offered humanity redemption and the ability to restore a perfect relationship with God. Sacrificing His one and only son so that those who choose to follow can be reunited with Him forever, was God’s gift to the universe that truly highlighted the great love He has for us. This passage speaks greatly about God’s love for us and how important the forgiveness He offers is, as we are truly unworthy and deserve separation from Him. In my life, I constantly struggle with sins that should bar me from the kingdom of Heaven and place me in the pit that is Hell for eternity, however because God sent Jesus to take my sins, I am forgiven of my transgressions and offered new life. This is a cause for rejoicing because just like the prodigal son, I wander away from the Father in search of my selfish desires, yet when I am ready to return He is always welcoming me home with open arms and a loving embrace, putting aside my sins and celebrating my return. In his letter to the Romans, Paul displayed that if we choose to repent for our sins and follow God, we will be offered eternal salvation and forgiveness no matter the severity of the sin, because God will always love us and strive to build a perfect relationship with us. Works Cited Ferguson, Everett. "Romans 1:18-32." The Living Word Commentary / Everett Ferguson, Editor. Austin, TX: R.B. Sweet, 1967. N. pag. Print. Henry, Matthew, and Leslie F. Church. "Romans 1:18-32." Commentary on the Whole Bible: Genesis to Revelation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1961. N. pag. Print. Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. Print. Special thanks to Joshua Ungerecht; Major in Biblical Philosophy from Masters College