Fridays, for the next six months, are devoted to meditations on Paul’s letter to the Romans. In verse 1, Paul says that he was “set apart for the gospel” and he introduces us to the key word in the letter of Romans: “Gospel.” He uses the word 10 times in the letter, 4 of those times in the first 16 verses. He discusses the gospel in the first six verses, saying that it was promised beforehand by God through the prophets in the holy Scriptures and the substance of the Gospel was about the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
With part of Paul’s audience in Rome being Jews, it was important to show that the Gospel message he preached was continuous with the message of the OT. In fact, it is the fulfillment of that OT message (16:25-27).
So it is that Paul will quote the OT at least 60 times in these 16 chapters. The first quotation is at 1:17 where Paul quotes the minor prophet Habakkuk (2:4). Faith is also a key word in the letter of Romans, used 41 times in these 16 chapters. The verb “believe” is used 20 times.
The theme verse of Romans is 1:16: “The Gospel is God’s power unto salvation, to everyone who believes.” We are not saved by faith only. If you notice in 1:5, Paul says that he was chosen to be an apostle “to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles.”
That brings us to the next major section of Paul’s letter, 1:18-32, where Paul discusses the sin of the Gentile world. Paul will mention the Gentiles twenty-four times in this letter. The Gospel is for all.
The key idea in verse 18 is that the wrath of God is revealed against ungodliness and unrighteous of men who suppress the truth. If lawlessness means “being without law”, then “ungodliness” means “being without God.” It is a person who does not retain God in his heart or life.
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We know they suppress the truth because the evidences of God are clearly seen, being understood by what has been made (vss 19-20). So it is that the nations are without excuse. The man in the jungles of the Amazon ought to be asking himself, “Where did this come from?” If he were sincere, he would be led to the truth.
However, the nations professed themselves to be wise while making themselves fools as they exchanged the incorruptible God into the form of something corruptible (vss 22-23). That is, they gave themselves to idol worship. But idol worship leads to immoral behavior. So, God washed His hands of them, leaving them to dishonor themselves while they exchanged God’s truth for the devil’s lie (vss 24-25).
They also showed themselves fools by exchanging the natural use of the woman (among men) for men and the natural use of man (among women) for women (vss 26-27). In other words, they gave themselves to homosexual pursuits. You cannot honor the God of heaven and engage in homosexual practices at the same time. God washed His hands of them to receive the “due penalty of their error.”
Thirdly, the nations professed themselves to be wise but showed themselves foolish by committing a number of practices that “are not proper” (vss 29-31). In an early rendition of the famous statement from 3:23, here, Paul states simply that those who “practice such things are worthy of death” (vs 32). That’s why the nations need the Gospel, the power of God for salvation (vs 16).
The purpose of Paul here in Romans 1:18-32 was to show that Gentiles need the Gospel. The Jews also need the Gospel – as we see in chapter 2: “The Kindness of God Leads You to Repent.”
