Romans 1:18-25 (WEB)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.
Because, knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.
Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves;
who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
🔑 Key Points
1. God's Wrath Is Revealed
Paul does not introduce God's wrath as a future possibility but as a present reality already revealed from heaven. God's wrath is His settled, holy opposition to all ungodliness and unrighteousness — not a loss of temper but His consistent moral response to evil.
2. The Suppression of Truth
Humanity's fundamental sin is not ignorance but suppression. People know God through general revelation — creation itself — yet actively hold down that truth in unrighteousness. The problem is not a lack of evidence but a rebellion of the will.
3. General Revelation Leaves All Without Excuse
Since creation, God's invisible attributes — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly perceived in the things He has made. This natural revelation is sufficient to render every person without excuse before God.
4. The Downward Spiral of Idolatry
Knowing God but refusing to glorify or thank Him, humanity became futile in thinking and darkened in heart. Professing wisdom, they became fools — exchanging the glory of the immortal God for images of created things. Idolatry is not merely error; it is treason against the Creator.
5. God Gave Them Over
Three times in this passage Paul says 'God gave them over' (vv. 24, 26, 28). God's judgment is sometimes active handing-over rather than active restraint. When people persistently reject truth, God withdraws His restraining grace and allows the natural consequences of rebellion to unfold.
💬 Discussion Questions
What does it mean that God's wrath is 'revealed from heaven' — how does this differ from how the world typically views God's anger?
Sproul says 'the problem is not a lack of evidence but a rebellion of the will.' How does Romans 1:18-25 support this claim?
How does the doctrine of general revelation affect the way we approach evangelism and apologetics?
In what ways do modern forms of idolatry mirror Paul's description of exchanging 'the glory of the incorruptible God' for created things?
What does it mean that God 'gave them over' — is this an act of wrath or an act of letting sin run its course? Can it be both?
Romans 1:18-25 strips away every excuse. We are not innocent seekers of truth; we are suppressors of what we already know. Yet the very revelation of wrath prepares us for the greater revelation of grace that follows in Romans 3 and 5. The God whose wrath is revealed is the same God who justifies the ungodly through faith in Christ.
