Everyone Needs a Savior

Last time. Paul said the gospel “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (1:16). Now he shows why every person needs it. God’s wrath. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (1:18). Wrath means God’s holy, right anger against sin. It is not a bad temper. God is perfectly good, so He is against everything that is evil. Two kinds of wrong. Ungodliness means living as if God does not matter. Unrighteousness means doing wrong to other people. Both are sin. Hiding the truth. Paul says people “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (1:18). To suppress something is to push it down so it stays hidden. God has shown it. “What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them” (1:19). Manifest means plain to see. Clearly seen. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (1:20). We cannot see God Himself, but we can see what He made. Attributes are what God is like. Godhead means everything that makes God who He is. Without excuse. Because God has shown Himself, people “are without excuse” (1:20). No one can say that God gave no sign of Himself. What we learn. God is not hiding. Every sunrise and every starry night says that God is real and powerful. He made you to know Him, thank Him and love Him.

Where Paul begins (1:18). Paul has just called the gospel “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (1:16). Before he explains how God saves, he shows why everyone needs saving: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Wrath. God’s wrath is His settled, holy opposition to sin. It is not a flash of temper or a loss of control. A God who loves what is good must stand against what destroys it. Two words for sin. Ungodliness is living as if God does not matter. Unrighteousness is wronging other people. Paul names the sin against God first, because every other wrong grows from it. Suppressing the truth. To suppress is to hold something down by force. People do not lack the truth about God; they push it out of sight. What God has shown (1:19). “What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” The knowledge of God is not locked in a secret book. God Himself has put it in plain view. Anapologetos (1:20). “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” “Without excuse” is anapologetos (say: ah-nah-poh-LOH-gay-tos), with no defense to give. Creation itself is the evidence. Godhead. Here the word means everything that makes God who He is. Creation does not tell us everything about God, but it tells enough to leave every person accountable to Him. Application. The sky over your house is a daily invitation to know your Maker. The right response is not to push the truth down but to come to Him.

Last time, Paul said the good news is God’s power to save. Now Paul shows why every person needs that good news. God is holy and good. So God is against sin. Paul calls this God’s anger. God’s anger is never mean or unfair. It is right, because sin hurts people and goes against God. We cannot see God with our eyes. But we can see what He has made. The sun, the stars, and the mountains show His great power. They show that He really is God. So no one has an excuse for not honoring Him. God is not hiding from you. He made you so you could know Him and love Him.

God made the stars and the mountains. They show how great God is. God is good, so He is against sin.

They knew God. “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful” (1:21). To glorify God is to honor Him as great and good. They knew He was there, but they would not honor Him or thank Him. Darkened. They “became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (1:21). Futile means useless. When people turn from God, their thinking goes wrong. Wise or foolish? “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (1:22). Professing means saying loudly about yourself. A bad trade. They “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image” (1:23). Incorruptible means God can never wear out or spoil. Instead of worshiping Him, they bowed to statues of people, birds and animals. God let them go. “Therefore God also gave them up” (1:24). God let them have what they wanted: a life without Him. That always leads to more sin and more sadness. The truth and the lie. They “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (1:25). The creature means anything God has made. What we learn. An idol is anything we love, trust or serve more than God. Sin often starts when we stop thanking God and put something else first. Your heart was made to worship the Creator.

Knowing without honoring (1:21). “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful.” The problem was not a lack of information. They knew, and they refused to honor Him or thank Him. The mind goes dark. They “became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Turning from the light does not leave a person neutral. It leaves them in the dark. Wise in their own eyes (1:22). “Professing to be wise, they became fools.” The more people claimed wisdom without God, the more foolish their choices became. A trade of glory (1:23). They “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” Incorruptible means unable to decay; corruptible means made to wear out. People traded the God who never fades for things that do. Given up (1:24). “Therefore God also gave them up.” Here God’s judgment is to let people have what they chose. When God is pushed out, many kinds of sin follow. Metallasso (1:25). They “exchanged the truth of God for the lie.” “Exchanged” is metallasso (say: meh-tahl-LAHS-soh), to swap one thing for another. “The lie” is the oldest lie of all: that something made can take the place of the Maker. Creature or Creator. They “worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Even here God is praised, because He remains worthy whether people honor Him or not. Application. Idols today rarely look like statues. They look like screens, popularity, money or our own way. A thankful heart is a strong guard against idols, because it keeps the Giver in first place.

People knew about God. But they did not honor Him or thank Him. Their thinking became useless and dark. They said they were wise, but they became fools. They made idols that looked like people and animals. Then they bowed down to things they had made! Paul says they traded the truth of God for a lie. So God let them go their own way. Without God, people fall into many kinds of sin. An idol cannot see you, hear you, or love you. Only God made you, and only God can save you. Your heart was made to thank Him and worship Him.

People did not thank God. They worshiped things God had made instead. Only God should be worshiped.

The person who points. “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (2:1). Some people agreed with Paul about the sins of others, but they were doing the same things. God judges rightly. “The judgment of God is according to truth” (2:2). God sees the heart, so His judgment is always true and fair. God’s kindness. God is rich in kindness and patience, giving people time to turn from sin (2:4). A hard heart. A stubborn heart is “treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath” (2:5). That day is the day when God will judge every sin fairly. Each one. God “will render to each one according to his deeds” (2:6). Render means give back. Everyone. “To the Jew first and also to the Greek” (2:10) means everyone: God’s people Israel and every other nation. “For there is no partiality with God” (2:11). Partiality means having favorites. A question. Can anyone earn eternal life by being good enough? No. Paul will soon show that “there is none who does good, no, not one” (3:12). What we learn. It is easy to see someone else’s wrong. When you notice it, remember that you need God’s mercy too, and pray for that person. If someone is hurting you or others, telling a parent or a trusted grown-up is not judging; it is the right thing to do.

The one who judges (2:1). “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” Paul turns from people who reject God to people who think they are better. They agree that sin deserves judgment, yet they practice the same things. “Inexcusable” is anapologetos again: the moral person has no defense either. Judgment by truth (2:2-3). “But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.” Paul asks whether such a person thinks “that you will escape the judgment of God.” Kindness with a purpose (2:4). “the goodness of God leads you to repentance”: His patience is time given to turn, not approval. Treasuring up wrath (2:5). A hard and impenitent (unrepentant) heart is “treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” Every day of stubbornness adds to what will be judged. According to deeds (2:6-10). God “will render to each one according to his deeds.” Does that mean people earn eternal life by being good? No. Paul is describing God’s fair standard. By 3:20 he will show that no one is made right with God by deeds. No favorites (2:11). “For there is no partiality with God.” “To the Jew first and also to the Greek” (2:10) means the same standard for everyone: Israel, who had the law, and the nations, who did not. Application. It is easy to see sin clearly in someone else. God’s Word turns the light on our own hearts first, and then sends us to Him for mercy.

Some people thought they were better than others. They pointed at the wrong things others did. But they did the same things themselves! Paul said, “You too are guilty of sin.” Only God judges in a way that is always right. God has been very kind and patient. He gives people time to turn from sin. God will judge every person for what he has done. That is true in every nation. He does not have favorites. Can anyone be good enough to earn heaven? No! Paul will soon show that everyone has sinned. When you see someone do wrong, remember this. We all need God’s mercy too. If someone is hurting you, tell a parent or a trusted grown-up.

We have done wrong too, so we do not point. God is fair and kind to every person. If someone hurts you, tell a grown-up you trust.

Under sin. “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin” (3:9). Paul was Jewish himself. He says every group of people is in the same place. None righteous. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (3:10). Righteous means right with God. Paul quotes the Psalms to show that God said this long ago. All turned aside. “They have all turned aside” (3:12). Everyone has gone their own way instead of God’s way. Every part of life. Sin shows up in what we say (3:13-14), in how we treat others (3:15-17) and in not fearing God: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (3:18). Every mouth stopped. The law speaks “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (3:19). When someone is caught with no excuse left, they have nothing to say. What the law cannot do. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (3:20). Justified means made right with God. The law shows us our sin, but it cannot take it away. Bad news first. Many Christians see these chapters as the bad news that shows why the good news is so good. But now. Next time we read, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed” (3:21). Everyone needs a Savior, and God has given one: Jesus.

The verdict (3:9). “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.” Paul, a Jew, includes his own people. To be “under sin” is to be under its power and its guilt. The witnesses (3:10-12). Paul gathers Old Testament verses, starting with Psalm 14: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.” The charge comes from God’s own Word, not from Paul’s opinion. Every part of life (3:13-18). Sin reaches our words (3:13-14), our actions toward others (3:15-17, from Isaiah 59:7-8) and our attitude toward God: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Hypodikos (3:19). “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” “Guilty” is hypodikos (say: hoo-PAH-dee-kos), answerable to a court with no defense left. The picture is a defendant who has nothing more to say. The limit of the law (3:20). “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law tells the truth about us, but it cannot change us or pay for what we have done. Bad news first. Many Christians see Romans 1:18-3:20 as the bad news that shows why the good news is so good. But now. Next lesson opens with “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed” (3:21). Every mouth is stopped so that every mouth can be opened to thank the Savior.

Paul asked, “So are we Jews better than others?” His answer was, “No!” Everyone is guilty of sin. The Bible says, “There is no one without sin. None!” Grown-ups and kids have all done wrong. We have told lies and been unkind. We have wanted our own way instead of God’s way. God’s law shows us what is right. But the law cannot make us right with God. It only shows us our sin. Then no one has any excuse left. Many Christians see this as the bad news before the good news. So what can we do? We need a Savior! Next time, we will hear God’s good news. That good news is Jesus!

Everyone has sinned, grown-ups and kids. Being good cannot take sin away. Jesus came to save us all!