The Wrath of God Revealed

The Wrath of God Revealed | Romans 1:18-20 | Ian Goodman

Father, give us ear to hear Your message. Help us to live by Your Word.
- God's wrath is a subject that is to be approached with great trembling and care.
- This is a subject that many people, even Christians, do not want to talk about.
- This is a side of God that we need to know—for all other sides are meaningless until we know that we have been saved from His wrath.
- Paul's very first words after his introductory comments are about the "wrath being revealed from heaven". He will also remain talking about it for two more chapters, till Rom 3:21.
- Is it good for us to spend some time thinking about this subject? Yes! Why?
a. It is true.
b. Without an understanding of it, the Gospel is totally meaningless. The degree we appreciate the wrath is the degree to which we appreciate grace.
c. Nobody else is - the world has completely abandoned this subject. We live at a time when we talk about people being victims and needing rehabilitation rather than about punishment.

I. What is the wrath of God?
- It is not like human wrath (reactionary, partial, hypocritical, unjust).
- It is more like a dignified judge with all the weight of the law on their side.
- it does not tolerate even the slightest sin; it is not tainted by sin at all.
- It is perfect in every way.
- It is personal, zealous and passionate.

II. How is it revealed from Heaven?
- It doesn't say that the wrath WILL one day be revealed from heaven.
- "Therefore, God gave them up ..." (verse 24)—that is the present revealing of God's wrath. His wrath is revealed by the ever-increasing giving up of people to depravity and degradation.
- Sin is not just the cause of God's wrath. It is also part of that wrath. Sin carries in itself its own punishment.
- None of these is true for you if you are a Christian—this is comfort for us!

III. Why it has been revealed?
- Everybody knows this to be true but is suppressing and pushing it down. "God has made it plain to them...so they are without excuse." (verse 19-20).
By appreciating these truths, do we come to truly rejoice in Christ?