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 about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 

  Romans 1:18-20

Observable truth comes in all forms and fashions. We can see the biblical narrative being played out in front of us everyday. First, there is always our experience, in which we are hopefully seeing the activity of God in our lives, but, secondly, we can also observe the lives of others around us. As born again believers in Jesus, we can clearly appraise everything going on in our world today (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). This is one of the attributes of a life filled with the Holy Spirit. Today’s passage contains another indictment on humanity and serves as another example of the general direction in which this world is going. There are several aspects to this passage that we need to explore and understand. A proper comprehending of this passage will help in dispelling much of the myth and false notion swirling around our modern culture.  

The Reality: The Wrath Of God

Taking a look at the social media theologians of today, we can observe a flurry of inadequate and false musings, many, seemingly, taking hold of people’s minds and permeating every facet of society. While there are many great commentators available to us, we need to always ask the question, “Is this biblical?” If the answer is “yes,” then we know that we are probably headed in the right direction. But if the answer is “no,” then we need to reconsider and perhaps reject such notions. One such idea floating around in cyberspace (and, sadly, creeping into some churches as well) is the belief that there is no wrath of God and that any rational, open-minded, or astute person should reject such a thought. But the reality is just the opposite. We will all stand in front of God at the end of our lives and give an account of how we have lived. For the Christian, we will be saved but will still give an account of how we have used the time given to us by God (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). But for the unbeliever, those outside of Christ, there will be a final judgment on their souls. This should cause everyone to consider their spiritual standing and properly assess whether or not they belong to Christ. But the world seems to continue on its way without even the slightest consideration for such things. But our passage is clear: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Yes, there is a wrath of God. But, thankfully, yes, if we belong to Christ, we will escape the final judgment and wrath of God…if we belong to Christ and have been born again. However, those apart from Christ do not enjoy the same spiritual life, salvation, and protection (John 3:18). Denial of God and His just place as Judge over the world is a product of a rebellious heart.

The Problem: Ungodliness And Unrighteousness

So why the wrath of God? It is a proper response from a Holy God toward the sin, depravity, and corruption of mankind and his ways. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” It’s ungodliness and unrighteousness that are the products of our sin nature, something everyone inherits from birth (Romans 5:18). That is why there has to be a “rebirth” in the hearts of mankind. This is not a religious decision nor is it merely following a code, system, or set of rules that make up religious activity. It is a complete transformation of our hearts, minds, and souls (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24). Saving faith in Christ literally moves us from spiritual death to spiritual life (Romans 6:23, Colossians 1:13-14, 1 Peter 3:18). We are then filled with the Spirit of God and are now equipped to live lives that are beyond that of ordinary, human existence. We then begin to see our lives move from ungodliness to godliness. And we see a transformation from unrighteousness to righteousness. Salvation doesn’t make us perfect but it sets us on the road to “being perfected” by the power of God’s Spirit within. The rejection of the necessity of a rebirth is another product of a rebellious heart. 

The Activity Of Mankind: Suppressing The Truth 

Anytime we decide to refute or challenge the very Word of God, we are, in fact, “surpassing the truth.” “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” When God says that a particular action is a sin and we, as mankind, do it anyway or declare that statement to be false, we are suppressing the truth. We can do this by either disagreeing with God, creating our own philosophies that accommodate what we want or by ignoring God’s precepts and living on our own terms anyway. This is the state of an unregenerate heart. We are all affected by the one transgression of Adam (Romans 5:18). No one escapes this reality. Even if we deny, object to, or even ignore this truth, we continue to be in need of spiritual transformation, and this only happens as we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. 

The Activity Of God: God Is Evident Within Us

But even as mankind “surpasses the truth in unrighteousness,” God has revealed himself to all of us. “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” This truth is a reminder that God has made Himself known within each individual heart. We don’t have to wait for God to reveal Himself for us to know Him. That has already been established in our hearts…the knowledge that God is real. This is far from saying that we have undergone saving faith in Christ for that is a decision that must be made during our lifetime. But it is a reminder that, even in the lives of unbelievers, the evidence for God has already been established in the hearts of man. Rebellious hearts suppress the truth by ignoring what is evident in them. A good example of this can be found in childhood. Even when children are still at a very young age, when they lie, take something that doesn’t belong to them, or mistreat another child by hitting them, they instinctively know that what they have done is wrong. The sin nature is built into each of us from birth and so is the knowledge of bad behavior. Similarly, the knowledge that there is a God and that there is a standard for living, set by Him, is also evident. Rebellious hearts simply refuse to accept this or ignore it completely…a byproduct of our sin nature. Nevertheless, God has made the reality of His presence evident within each individual heart, even if he has yet to reside there.   

The Evidence: God’s Invisible Attributes Clearly Seen

In addition to making the knowledge of God evident within our hearts, God has also displayed His mighty nature through that which has been made. Consider the following:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

    Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV)

Creation speaks of God. If we have ever walked along the beach, looked at a star-filled sky, or taken a walk through the woods, we have seen the evidence of God for creation speaks of the Creator. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made.” Only the most hardened, rebellious hearts would deny such majesty in creation. That is why the arguments for our arriving at this place in some sort of arbitrary fashion, which defy the very elements of reason, logic, and common sense,  are not scientific arguments rather they are spiritual ones. These philosophies are designed to erase the reality that we are here by, through, and for God (John 1:1-5). These kinds of beliefs are imperative for hearts that desire to pursue what they want, how they want, and when they want. Yet, the very power of God and all of His eternal attributes are clearly seen through what has be made.

The Result: Mankind Is Without Excuse

This leads to the ultimate result for mankind when facing a Holy and Righteous God. In light of all of this evidence for God, both revealed within us and demonstrated in creation, mankind, in our unregenerate, sinful, and rebellious state will often declare otherwise, “so that they are without excuse.” The reality is that no one will stand before God and be able to use ignorance as an excuse. There simply will be no excuses for anyone at the final judgment. We will either be received by God because, and only because, we belong to Christ or we will be rejected on the basis of our own rejection of the gospel (John 3:18, Revelation 20:11-15). 

This passage is a reminder of the indictment on mankind and is completely observable in our world today by the false notions, beliefs, and philosophies of man. But God loves us and desires for us to come to salvation in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 Timothy 2:4). The news is not bad news, it’s good news! There is a way for all of us to be saved, forgiven, restored, and received by God and His name is Jesus Christ!

Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted.Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.

        Psalm 107:17-19