“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” (Romans 1:18-19)
In Romans 1:18-32, Paul describes why God gets so angry with human society. The idea of suffering “the wrath of God” should terrify us. Better to be ignored by God than to become the focal point of his perfectly reasonable anger. Paul shows how human culture falls, step by step, into chaos and destruction.
It all starts with the one powerful lie: There is no God. Or better: The God of the Bible is not really God. If there is a God, he is different—less powerful, less good, less holy, less interested in us, not so serious about sin. We eliminate God by changing what we mean by the name “God.”
To believe that lie is a choice—and a foolish one. Why? Because God is not hiding, Paul writes. He made himself plain to everyone. He’s available for examination. To disbelieve him requires a strategy to hide from truth.
Think: Do you think God’s anger against sinful humans is justified? How has he made himself plain to us?
Pray: Ask God to give you wisdom and insight into Romans 1 as we study it this week.
Do: Make a list: Write down ways in which God makes himself plain to people.