Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Paul gives us an introduction into the salvation bought with the blood of Christ and then transitions from this to now discussing the wrath of God. Apart from the message we have just read in this section of Romans, God’s wrath abides upon sinners. He does not begin his writing with wrath, but those for whom Christ has shed His blood should see the wrath that opposes those who are left unto themselves, lest we see ourselves as better than they. Unless Christ is revealed in our hearts, we will never see our sin and never see our need for Him. We must be shown the light to know there is something other than darkness that exists. How can you see your sin if you do not first see that which opposes it? We are born in sin and would continue in sin until that light is placed upon us. We are drawn to Christ. We are not drawn to Him as a place where our sins can be cleansed, we are drawn to Him because His cleansing blood has already been shed. We are drawn because He has purchased us in His blood. All of this has already occurred and is revealed in His word. Look at how the apostle Paul himself was drawn. Christ was revealed to him on the road to Damascus. He did not have his weight of sin waved in front of him to urge him to Christ. Christ came to him and then his sin was shown to him. Our sin is not a tool to convince us to look for Christ. He finds us out of love and we come. We are convinced out of love, not out of self-preservation because of our sin. We preach Christ and Him crucified and the mercy and grace shown that God did not leave us under the law. Conversely, those whom Christ does not seek abide under the wrath of God even in life.
It is hard to imagine the full extent of the wrath of God. I don’t think it is something we can begin to comprehend. Scripture tells us:
Psalms 11: 5 The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Proverbs 15:9 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
Proverbs 15:26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.
God loves righteousness and He hates iniquity. God hates the worship of the wicked, He hates the way of the wicked, and He hates the thoughts of the wicked. This may seem harsh, but God is a holy God. He cannot love unrighteousness. He is just in all He does so He must give a just recompense to injustice. There is unrighteousness in religion today. For those who preach God extends an offer of righteousness but to receive this righteousness you must do ____, that is not a message of good news. There is nothing good about a message that God has not performed a work and waits upon a sinner to complete what He has started. Asking a wicked vile creature to participate in righteousness is not a message that gives surety. God looks at those who look to participate in His imputation of righteousness as wicked. Christ has earned the title of Savior. He will not share this with anyone. Man will take the very message of a free salvation and turn this into an idol teaching man that he can participate with God in salvation.
Why should this hatred for the wicked concern any of us?
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
That is why we should take notice of these words. All have sinned. All are condemned. There is not one of us that has escaped the touch of sin, and as such we were all viewed as unrighteous. All had the judgment of God upon us. Starting here in Romans 1:18 Paul will begin to show the justice of God in condemning sinners. This section explaining the just condemnation of sinners will go through Romans 3:20. God can only love that which is righteous, that is man’s fundamental problem before God.
Job 9:2 I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
Job saw the plight of man. Paul will show us how the Gentiles have sinned and deserve the wrath of God in Romans 1:18 – 32. He will show us how the Jews also deserve the wrath of God in Romans 2:1 – 29. In Romans 3:1 – 20 Paul shows the desperate state of man in that he is powerless to appease God. We then see the beautiful transition in Romans 3:21 but now.
I will begin the next section, chapter 2 of Romans, by showing us why we need a savior. We will see why man cannot save himself. Man needs a righteousness that he cannot establish. This will show us the need for the salvation that came by Jesus Christ. Both Jew and Gentile are in the same boat before God. All are under the sentence of death.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
From 1:18 Paul will speak of the Gentiles and why God was just in condemning them. Chapter 2 shows us why God was just in condemning the Jews. Chapter 3 can even be said to tell us why God was just to condemn the very elect. The bottom line here is that all are condemned. All find themselves in need of the same salvation. Jesus gives us a glimpse at a personal solution in Matthew 5:
Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus tells us that unless we were more able to follow the law than those who devoted their lives to just that and still could not commend themselves to God, we would not see the kingdom of heaven. Thankfully, God in His purpose set forth Christ. Starting in Romans 3:21 we will see the solution to this problem man faces.
Romans 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
The wrath of God is revealed against sinful man. Sin is the breaking of the law of God. Simply what is the law of God? Look at the response of the lawyer in Luke 10 just before Jesus gave the parable of the good Samaritan.
Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
The law is summed up in two simple categories. The love of God and the love of others. Here in Romans 1:18 Paul shows tells us for what the wrath of God is against. The wrath of God abides on those who are ungodly and those who practice unrighteousness. It is for those who do not love God and for those who do not love their neighbor. Wrath abides on those who break the law of God.