Romans Study Notes - John MacArthur

MacArthur: (Study Bible Notes)
Romans 1:18-23
Rom. 1:18 wrath of God. This is not an impulsive outburst of anger aimed capriciously at people whom God does not like. It is the settled, determined response of a righteous God against sin (cf. Ps. 2:5; 12; 45:7; 75:8; 76:6–7; 78:49–51; 90:7–9; Isa. 51:17; Jer. 25:15–16; John 3:36; Rom. 9:22; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:5–6). is revealed. More accurately, "is constantly revealed." The word essentially means "to uncover, make visible, or make known." God reveals his wrath in two ways: 1) indirectly, through the natural consequences of violating his universal moral law, and 2) directly through his personal intervention (the OT record—from the sentence passed on Adam and Eve to the worldwide flood, from the fire and brimstone that leveled Sodom to the Babylonian captivity—clearly displays this kind of intervention). The most graphic revelation of God's holy wrath and hatred against sin was when he poured out divine judgment on his Son on the cross. God has various kinds of wrath: 1) eternal wrath, which is hell; 2) eschatological wrath, which is the final day of the Lord; 3) cataclysmic wrath like the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; 4) consequential wrath, which is the principle of sowing and reaping; and 5) the wrath of abandonment, which is removing restraint and letting people go to their sins (for examples of this wrath, see Ps. 81:11–12; Prov. 1:23–31; see note on Hos. 4:17). Here, it is that fifth form, God's abandoning the wicked continually through history to pursue their sin and its consequences (Rom. 1:24–32). ungodliness. This indicates a lack of reverence for, devotion to, and worship of the true God—a defective relationship with him (cf. Jude 14–15). unrighteousness. This refers to the result of ungodliness: a lack of conformity in thought, word, and deed to the character and law of God (see note on Rom. 1:17). suppress the truth. Although the evidence from conscience (1:19; 2:14), creation (1:20), and God's word is irrefutable, men choose to resist and oppose God's truth by holding fast to their sin (cf. Ps. 14:1; John 3:19–20).
Rom. 1:19 is plain to them. God has sovereignly planted evidence of his existence in the very nature of man by reason and moral law (1:20–21; 28; 32; 2:15).
Rom. 1:20 invisible attributes. This refers specifically to the two mentioned in this verse. his eternal power. The Creator, who made all that we see around us and constantly sustains it, must be a being of awesome power. divine nature. That is, his faithfulness (Gen. 8:21–22), kindness, and graciousness (Acts 14:17). in the things that have been made. The creation delivers a clear, unmistakable message about God's person (cf. Ps. 19:1–8; 94:9; Acts 14:15–17; 17:23–28). they are without excuse. God holds all men responsible for their refusal to acknowledge what he has shown them of himself in his creation. Even those who have never had an opportunity to hear the gospel have received a clear witness about the existence and character of God—and have suppressed it. If a person will respond to the revelation he has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God will provide some means for that person to hear the gospel (cf. Acts 8:26–39; 10:1–48; 17:27).
Rom. 1:21 knew God. Man is conscious of God's existence, power, and divine nature through general revelation (v v. 19–20). they did not honor him. Man's chief end is to glorify God (Lev. 10:3; 1 Chron. 16:24–29; Ps. 148; Rom. 15:5–6), and Scripture constantly demands it (Ps. 29:1–2; 1 Cor. 10:31; Rev. 4:11). To glorify him is to honor him, to acknowledge his attributes, and to praise him for his perfections (cf. Ex. 34:5–7). It is to recognize his glory and extol him for it. Failing to give him glory is man's greatest affront to his Creator (Acts 12:22–23). or give thanks. They refused to acknowledge that every good thing they enjoyed came from God (Matt. 5:45; Acts 14:15–17; 1 Tim. 6:17; James 1:17). futile. Man's search for meaning and purpose will produce only vain, meaningless conclusions. hearts were darkened. When man rejects the truth, the darkness of spiritual falsehood replaces it (cf. John 3:19–20).
Rom. 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools. Man rationalizes his sin and proves his utter foolishness by devising and believing his own philosophies about God, the universe, and himself (cf. Ps. 14:1; 53:1).
Rom. 1:23 exchanged the glory . . . for images. They substitute the worship of idols for the worship of the true God. Historians report that many ancient cultures did not originally have idols. For example, Persia (Herodotus; The Histories, 1:31), Rome (Varro in Augustine; The City of God, 4:31), even Greece and Egypt (Lucian; The Syrian Goddess, 34) had no idolatry at their founding. The fourth-century a.d. historian Eusebius reported that the oldest civilizations had no idols. The earliest biblical record of idolatry was among Abram's family in Ur (Josh. 24:2). The first commandment forbids it (Ex. 20:3–5), and the prophets continually ridiculed those who foolishly practiced it (Isa. 44:9–17; cf. 2 Kings 17:13–16). Although the false gods which men worship do not exist, demons often impersonate them (1 Cor. 10:20).
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