The Attributes of God Revealed

Romans 1:16-32
June 20, 2021
Peter Yoo

Sermon Script

Review

By way of review, two weeks ago we began a little series on Paul’s letter to the Romans. And Paul’s letter to the Romans is, in one sense, a mission support letter. And Paul’s writing this letter to the Romans for a few reasons: one, he’s introducing himself to them because he hasn’t personally met them yet; two, he’s trying to unite them over some internal disputes and disagreements amongst themselves; and three, he’s trying to unite them with himself so that they can support him on his mission to go to Spain. So clearly, in one sense, Paul’s letter to the Romans is a situation-specific and personal letter to the Romans. And at the same time, it would be highly inappropriate of us to interpret Romans as just a support letter.

And so, two weeks ago, we saw how Paul began his letter, talking about the gospel as it relates to Paul, the gospel as it relates to the Romans, and the gospel as it relates to all believers. For Paul, the gospel is something proclaimed in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament; for the Romans, the gospel is something that unites them and transforms them from the inside-out unto obedience of faith; and for all believers, in verse 16, the gospel is something we shouldn’t be ashamed about because it’s the very power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. And this movement of the gospel starts with the gospel given to the Jews, and then spreads outward to the Gentiles.

Preview

And this morning, we will look at something that’s not often talked about when interpreting Romans. In fact, it’s actually something that’s not often talked about in general when interpreting the Bible, despite how important it is. And you can probably guess from the sermon title, but I’m talking about this idea of revelation. Something being revealed. Something being made known. And the thing being revealed is God himself. More than that, God, in our passage this morning, is both the Revealer and the one revealed. And specifically, the thing being revealed is God’s attributes, his essential characteristics. And this morning, we will be looking at what about God is being revealed and how his revelation so deeply affects us all.

The Righteousness of God Revealed

The first thing we see revealed is the righteousness of God. God’s righteousness is revealed. Look at verse 17. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed. And when Paul says, in it, he’s talking about the gospel. God’s righteousness is revealed in the gospel. What does it mean for God’s righteousness to be revealed in the gospel? When Paul talks about something being revealed, there’s a visible aspect to it. Something that was once not known is now known visibly. God has visibly revealed something about himself in the gospel. To be more precise, God has revealed his righteousness in the cross of Jesus Christ.

God has promised to defeat sin and death as early as Genesis 3:15. God has promised that through the seed of the woman, God would, by his own faithfulness, bring about salvation. And slowly but surely, we see this promise unfold throughout the Old Testament. And especially when Christ was on the cross, you could visibly see the righteousness of God put on full display. You could visibly witness the very power of God and God’s perfect righteousness being executed upon his Son.

And this is what verse 17 means. God’s righteousness is revealed in the cross of Jesus Christ. And when Paul says from faith for faith, he’s talking about the source and destination of God’s righteousness. God’s righteousness comes from his own faithfulness and it goes to human faith. Paul talks more about this later.

And then we can see why Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4. Because when God promised a coming judgment to Habakkuk, God also promised that those who would live, those who would survive the wrath to come would be those who placed their trust and hope in the Lord, that is by faith. In other words, the basic idea here is that God’s righteousness is revealed and made visible and made known in the cross of Christ, which begins from God’s own faithfulness and goes to human faith. God’s righteousness is revealed and made visible and made known in the cross of Christ, which begins from God’s own faithfulness and goes to human faith.

The Wrath of God Revealed

But before Paul talks more about how God reveals his righteousness on the cross, the second thing we see revealed is the wrath of God. God’s wrath is revealed. And this will be the main focus of today’s sermon. Look at verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. And in verses 19-20, Paul mentions how God has revealed his eternal power and divine nature in creation, but our lengthy passage this morning focuses primarily on God revealing his wrath.

And here’s the main point of verses 18-31: God’s wrath can already by seen in significant ways right now as God hands them over to their sin. God’s wrath can already be seen (not fully, that will come on the day of Christ’s return), but God’s wrath can already be seen in some as God hands them over to their sin.

How do we know this? First of all, Paul repeats himself 3 times in almost the exact same words. And if anyone is repeating to you the same thing in almost exactly the same words, we should probably pay attention. Paul repeats this idea of God giving them up 3 times. Verse 24, Therefore God gave them up…to impurity; verse 26, For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions; and verse 28, God gave them up to a debased mind.

And before each of these 3 gave them ups, the same thing is being said each time. In other words, the same thing precedes each of these 3 gave them ups. Verses 21-23, For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things; verse 25, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen; and verse 28, they did not see fit to acknowledge God, or better yet to have God in mind or to keep God in mind. Each of these sentences getting progressively shorter.

And after each of these 3 gave them ups, the same thing is being said as well. And what’s being said is that there’s this cyclical, exponential increase in both the number of sin being committed but also the severity of sin. In other words, after God hands someone over to their sin, they commit more and more sin, and they commit more and more severe sins. Verse 24, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves; verses 26-27, For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error; and verses 28-31, to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Each of these sentences getting progressively longer.

What’s Paul doing here? He’s giving us this idea of a vortex or whirlpool, a cycle that progressively gets worse. God made man in his image, male and female, they rejected the truth about God that they know through creation, God handed them over to their sin, and as a result they committed more sin and they committed more severe sins. In other words, things get progressive worse. Look at the shift in verse 21, where it says that they knew God, [but] they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. And look where that ends up; verse 29, They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, and etc.

But what started off as an internal rejection of God (both heart and mind) ended up as this niagra falls of sin. And the point Paul’s making here is that what was once an internal problem of rejecting the truth of God became a more severe inward and outward problem. That’s the result.

But Psalm 1 could’ve easily gotten this point across, right? Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, this downward progression of furthering into sin of walking, then standing, then sitting. But Paul’s point here is that God has handed them over in his wrath. And this further progression of both inward and outward problems is a manifest and visible form of God’s wrath. God’s wrath has been revealed, made visible, shown and seen before all the world in his handing them over to sin, giving them up to their sin due to their rebellion against God.

And verse 32 is the summary of the net result of everything: Though they know God’s righteous decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Interestingly enough, this passage isn’t just about how God is angry with sin in a general way. It’s true, God hates all sin, God hates all things that are contrary to who he is, all things that are contrary to his law, we know this elsewhere in Scripture. But this passage is focused on how in some circumstances, in some people, God actually reveals, makes known, shows, and displays his anger in the world now for all to see.

So, as a broad structure to today’s passage, verse 17 talks about God’s righteousness revealed in the gospel, verse 18 talks about a partial display of God’s wrath now (a glimpse of the future wrath to come), verses 19-20 talk about how they know the truth about God through creation, verses 21-31 talk about the 3 cycles, and verse 32 summarizes the final outcome, the visible display of God’s wrath, even now in history.

Who’s Paul Talking About Here?

But here’s an interesting question. Because this whole time, I’ve mentioned how God has handed people over to their sin, but I’ve never actually mentioned who they are. Even while I was talking, some of you may have had some people come to mind. Some of you might even be thinking that this person Paul’s talking about is you. But I can assure this morning that if you are in the Lord Jesus Christ, then this passage is not about you.

This passage is not describing every single person in the world. This passage isn’t even describing every unbeliever in the world. This will be clearer as we talk about Romans 2, but in short, Paul ends verse 32 with the unbeliever committing sin and praising those who do them. But in Romans 2:1, Paul’s talking about someone who commits sin, but judges it. Big difference. So this person in our passage and in Romans 2 are both unbelievers, but different kinds of unbelievers if I can say it like that. In other words, our passage this morning describes some unbelievers in their sin whom God has handed over in his wrath and it clearly expressed in visible ways.

But let’s be very careful at this point. God’s Word is clear about this teaching, that sin gives birth more sin and more severe sin because God has given them up, handed them over to their sin. But we need to be very careful not to go further than this. What I mean is this: let us not think about particular people or peer into different peoples’ lives and think, “Okay, I’m pretty sure God has handed that person over to their sins.” Interestingly enough, Paul doesn’t even do this! In other words, Paul’s not pointing fingers, and neither should we. In any case, that’s not even the point of the passage. But even if that were the point of the passage, then be honest with yourself. If it wasn’t for God’s grace, then who should you really be pointing the finger to? Romans 2 will talk more about what we ought to do with this information, cautioning us not to think we’re superior.

Let us not forget that the passage is not focused on the individual unrepentant sinner, but the passage is really about God and how he reveals his wrath in the handing people over to their sins and their proliferation of sin is evidence, a clear revelation that God has handed them over to their sin in his wrath. And I hope this morning that I’ve made it abundantly clear from God’s Word that our God is indeed a God of wrath. This is something I don’t want to take lightly, because this is our God we’re talking about. He tells us in his Word that he is a God of wrath.

But it would be blasphemous of us to say that’s all he is. Because is God not a God of mercy? Is God not longsuffering, and does he not forgive, as we talked about in evening worship? Is God not tender toward those who repent and believe? Is not the gospel the very power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes? Were it not for God’s grace according to his good pleasure, we could have easily been a subject to a partial display of God’s wrath now. And we all know how devastating sin and its effects are.

Application

So, what are some things that we can glean from this passage? First, may we continue to grow and deepen in our hatred for sin. Let’s take sin seriously, because God chooses to reveal his wrath now in those who sin. In your moments of temptation, don’t sin! Sin is not something to mess with. And overcoming sin is not an overnight thing. People don’t read our passage and think, “Yeah, I want to be like that, I want to be given over to a debased mind.” No. In fact, if Psalm 1 is any indication, sin is gradual. And our passage especially, progressing into worse and worse things, started off small. Our passage starts with us thinking of ourselves as wise, seeking independence, preferring the pleasures of this world over the holy and just will of God in our lives. In other words, it begins with every day experiences, doesn’t it? We would do well to heed the words of Solomon, There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (Prov 16:25).

And I remind you that apostasy is a real thing. People indeed grow up in the church, hearing of the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they leave the church and [exchange] the truth about God for a lie and [worship] and [serve] the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. I urge you this morning to not entertain sin. Let us not think to ourselves, “I can sin now and repent of it later.” No. We are Christians by God’s grace and we are kept and preserved as Christians by God’s grace. But any one of us here could turn our backs on the Lord in a sense, and there may be a manifestation of God’s wrath then. I’m not saying we can lose our salvation, I affirm the exact opposite conclusion. But I want to remind you this morning at apostasy is a real thing. Therefore, pray to the Lord, Lead me not into temptation. But if he seeks to sanctify us through those difficult times, then let us pray, deliver us from evil.

Some of you might be thinking, “But a part of me still really likes sin.” Well, yeah. We’re not in the New Heavens and New Earth yet. And so, there will be that constant struggle against sin until Christ returns. And the pursuit of righteousness and holiness is not easy. But I want to remind you about what sin really is. Allow me to reveal to you what sin really is. Let me pull back the veil and show you what’s really going on. There is no sin that will ever bring lasting joy, not one. Not even the one that you seem to love so much. Quite the contrary, it only ever produces guilt and shame and disgust and filth. There is not a single sin that will give you lasting joy. Every sin appeals to your sinful nature, flirting with you, but that’s why we must be born again by the Holy Spirit to have new affections and new desires that are at war with the old. So as Pastor Abe always says, according to Scripture, let us take off the old and put on the new. I pray that our affections for holy living will surpass our affections for sin and disobedience against God.

Second, this is a bit of an apologetic application. I remind you that if you share your faith with people, some will tell you that they don’t believe in God. Surprisingly, most will tell you they believe in God, but have a distorted view of him, as our passage reminds us of. But some might say that they don’t believe in God. But I remind you that what they’ve just said to you is a lie. They know God exists. All image-bearers of God know the truth about God. He made us for himself, he revealed himself in all of creation, and what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. This isn’t a new thing, all image-bearers have always known since God laid the foundations of the world. So there is no need to reason your way up to God, so-to-speak. You don’t need to prove God’s existence to anyone, in fact quite the contrary, Scripture tells us they already know God exists. Why tell them something that they already know? I encourage us to tell them something perhaps that they don’t know: the gospel, which is the very power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

There is good news though, in light of all of this wrath talk. Yes, it’s true that God does at times hand some people over to their sin in his wrath. Romans 1:24, Therefore God gave them up…to impurity; Romans 1:26, For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions; Romans 1:28, God gave them up to a debased mind. But read with me Romans 8:32, He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Same Greek word. Was it not according to God’s good pleasure to give up his only Son so that we might be saved? Could this be the same God? The same God who is wrathful against sin yet shows compassion to those who repent and believe? Yes! So what do we have to be ashamed about? Paul isn’t, and neither should we. It’s the very power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Let us thank the Lord with a fearful reverence but also humble thankfulness because he has chosen, out of his good pleasure, to keep us in his grace.

Soli Deo Gloria