In last week’s message, we learned that the greatest disease leading mankind to death is sin, and that countless problems come into human life because of sin. We also learned that the cure for this disease is found in faith in Jesus Christ, who has the power to bring us salvation. 1:17  declares that “The righteous will live by faith.”. From Romans 1:18 through 2:29, Paul explains the sinful condition of humanity and shows that all people in the world are spiritually sick and in need of salvation. If a sick person insists that he is not sick, there is no reason for treatment. But this passage clearly explains that we are people suffering from the disease of sin and in desperate need of a “Cure”. Paul speaks about the sins of three different groups of people in order to explain this. Romans 1:18–32 deals with the sins of the Gentiles who live without God. Romans 2:1–16 speaks about the sins of those who consider themselves righteous and judge others. Romans 2:17–29 addresses the sins of those who live only a formal religious life like the Jews. Among these, today I would like us to reflect on the sins of the Gentiles and unbelievers who live without God. Through today’s message, I pray that we may reflect on the sins Paul says the Gentiles committed, how they came under the wrath of God, and why they are in need of the gospel, which is the power of salvation.

1)   The Cause of Sin (Suppress the truth) (1:18–23)

 Let us look at verse 18: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” This verse tells us against whom the wrath of God is revealed. God’s wrath comes upon those who are ungodly and wicked and who suppress the truth through unrighteousness. Here, “the truth” refers to God Himself, and to suppress the truth means to shut and lock the door of the heart so that the truth of God cannot enter. Then how did people bring upon themselves the wrath of God by rejecting God, who is the truth?

First, it is because although God has been made known to them, they deliberately reject Him. How has God revealed Himself to mankind? Let’s look at 19-20, “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” In short, God has revealed Himself both within people and through all creation. First, verse 19 says that God has placed within human beings an awareness of Himself. From the very beginning, when God created mankind, He placed within them the ability and desire to seek and know Him. First of all, people have a conscience. When they sin, they feel guilt in their hearts, and when they do what is good, they experience joy and satisfaction. This shows that the truth of God exists within us. In addition, people continually ask “Why?” and seek after ultimate truth. This is because human beings possess reason, and through that reason they are able to seek and recognize God, who is the source of all truth. Furthermore, human beings are religious beings by nature. That is why people cannot be fully satisfied by material things or physical pleasures alone, but instead seek something greater and transcendent beyond themselves. A Greek man named Plutarch once said, “As I traveled through many nations of the world, I found that some things existed in one nation but not in another. Yet there was one thing I found in every nation, and that was religion.” Human beings do not simply learn religion from others; they are born with a religious nature. It is like a newborn baby who instinctively knows how to drink milk from its mother without being taught. In this way, people recognize the existence of God.

Verse 20 also tells us that God has revealed Himself through creation and nature so that people may know Him. Unlike special revelation given through Scripture and the prophets, this is called general revelation. Although we cannot see God directly with our eyes, we can recognize His existence and power through the order of the universe, the structure of life, and the laws of nature. The earth is positioned at the proper distance from the sun, and its axis is tilted at about 23.5 degrees, allowing balance in the seasons and climate. If these conditions were even slightly different, life as we know it would not be possible. This precise balance and order in the universe is often called “fine-tuning”. In the beauty of nature and the complexity of life, we can also see glimpses of God’s wisdom and divine nature. Through things such as the structure of DNA, the complex design of the human eye, the symmetry of snowflakes, the order of the universe, and the patterns found in plants, we can recognize signs of intelligent design. People sometimes refer to these as the “fingerprints of creation.” Through these things, we can see His invisible nature. I remember seeing a picture in a gospel tract when I was young. On one side was a house, and on the other side was the earth. Underneath was the question: “If a beautiful house has a builder, how could the beautiful and complex earth and universe exist without a Creator?” That question deeply challenged me. It led me to realize that the world and humanity do not exist by accident, but were created according to God’s purpose. It also caused me to think about why I exist and how God wants me to live. That became one of the reasons I began going to church. Likewise, when we look at the awareness of God within our hearts and at the universe and creation around us, we cannot deny that there is a God who created and still sustains this world. His power and divine nature are clearly revealed in us and in creation. Therefore, denying God is not merely ignorance, but a deliberate rejection of Him, and Scripture says that because of this, the wrath of God is revealed.

Second, God’s wrath is revealed because they neither glorified Him nor gave thanks to Him. Let us look at verse 21. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” As Paul said earlier, through nature and conscience people are able to know God—not completely, but sufficiently. If people know that God exists, what is the proper response? We ought to glorify God and give thanks to Him. To glorify God means to honor Him as the highest value and worship Him as God. To give thanks means to accept His sovereignty and receive what He has given with gratitude rather than complaint. This is the proper attitude mankind should have before the Creator. Yet instead of serving God as the highest value, people exalt themselves and live self-centered lives. They act as though everything has been accomplished by their own ability and effort and refuse to thank God. On the other hand, when things do not go as they want, they blame and complain against Him. Human beings trust in advanced civilization and knowledge and think they can live without God. But this is not merely a matter of attitude. It is the fundamental pride of denying the Creator and trying to put mankind, the creature, in the place of God. Scripture says that this is the beginning and root of all sin.

What happens when people become proud and suppress God, who is the truth? Verse 21 says that their thinking becomes futile and their hearts are darkened. First, “their thinking became futile” refers to the emptiness of the human heart. When people turn away from God, they continually pursue things such as success, money, pleasure, and material consumption in order to fill that emptiness. Some people try to satisfy their spiritual thirst through meditation or self-improvement instead of God. But a life lived without God ultimately leads to deeper emptiness. Seeing this reality of human life, Solomon confessed in Ecclesiastes, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Although he experienced wealth, pleasure, and achievement, the conclusion of life without God was emptiness. That is why Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” Only in God can people find true satisfaction. Also, “their foolish hearts were darkened” refers to losing spiritual discernment. God is light, and when people reject Him, they no longer recognize sin as sin, and even when they hear the truth, they cannot understand it and become spiritually darkened. That is why Paul says, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” In the end, mankind begins to worship something other than God. In Paul’s time, people made idols and worshiped emperors as gods. Even today, people place money, success, pleasure, people, culture, and media in the place of God. Some even put themselves in the highest place. In this way, mankind loves and serves created things rather than the Creator.

In the end, although mankind knows God, people deliberately reject Him and live in pride, exalting themselves rather than glorifying God. As a result, their hearts fall into emptiness and their thinking becomes darkened, leading them into the sin of idolatry, worshiping other things in the place of God. Those who abandon God eventually fall into the foolishness of serving lower things, even created things beneath themselves. When people know God yet refuse to glorify Him or give thanks to Him and deliberately reject the truth, the result is not merely that their hearts and minds become sick and darkened. Scripture says that the wrath of God is revealed upon them. Then what does the wrath of God upon them look like?

2)   Result of Sin (God gave them over)  (1:24–32)

In Scripture, there are two major kinds of God’s judgment. One is the final, eschatological judgment. Through the book of Revelation, we learn that in the last days God will pour out His complete wrath and judgment upon the unrighteous. This is the final judgment at the end of history. But there is also a present judgment of God. In the history of Israel, we see God’s discipline and judgment through events such as the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of Israel, and the exile. Yet the wrath and judgment described in today’s passage is another kind of present judgment. It is God “giving them over” to their sin. This means God gave them up and abandoned them to the path of destruction they themselves have chosen because of sin. The phrase “gave them over” appears three times in verses 24, 26, and 28. Why does God do this? Because people reject His Word and insist on living according to their own sinful desires. Fallen mankind needs God’s help in order not to perish, but when they reject that help, God no longer restrains them. So He lets them go their own way and live as they desire. This itself is God’s judgment. Then does this make people truly free and happy? Verses 24–31 clearly show what happens when God gives people over to themselves. What happens to them?

First, verse 24 says, “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.” The phrase “in the sinful desires of their hearts” is connected to verse 23 and describes the result of idol worship. The essence of idolatry is the sinful desire of the heart. After Moses went up Mount Sinai and delayed in returning, the Israelites became anxious and impatient, and they asked Aaron to make a golden calf. Then Exodus 32:6 says, “They sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” This was not merely innocent celebration, but involved indulgence, fleshly pleasure, and immoral behavior. Instead of waiting for God and His Word, they made idols to remove their fears and satisfy their fleshly desires. In the same way today, people pursue money, honor, power, idols, and superstition instead of God because they want to follow the sinful desires of their hearts. God gives such people over to the sinful desires they choose to live in, and as a result, they fall into the corruption of their bodies. This is the wrath of God.

Also, verses 26–27 show that sexual morality falls to the point where people are consumed with lust, and even men commit shameful acts with other men. Many today argue that homosexuality is something inborn or natural and try to justify it. However, this passage clearly describes it as “shameful lusts” that depart from God’s created order. When people remain in God, they are able to live within His order, but when they reject Him, human desire becomes the standard, leading them into deeper corruption. In the end, people lose all absolute moral standards, and even their humanity begins to break down. The passage says that as a result they received in themselves the “due penalty” for their error. The corruption of sexual morality is not merely a personal issue, but one that destroys families and brings confusion and instability to society. In Scripture, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and even the decline of the Roman Empire were connected to such moral corruption. Ultimately, the issue of sexual immorality is not simply a matter of culture or changing times, but the result of people refusing to keep God in their hearts. It is one form of God’s judgment as He gives people over to the sinful desires they have chosen.

Third, when people turn away from God, they are given over to a depraved mind and fill the world with sin. Verse 28 says, “Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.” The phrase “depraved mind” (adokimos nous) does not simply refer to a lack of intelligence, but to a corrupted mind that can no longer discern right from wrong. People no longer recognize sin as sin and commit evil without the conviction of conscience. As mankind turns further away from God, the sense of guilt becomes dull, and sin eventually fills both individual lives and society as a whole. Verses 29–31 list many kinds of evil such as wickedness, greed, envy, murder, deceit, arrogance, and lack of mercy. These verses show how deeply human society can fall when it rejects God. In every generation, when people refuse to keep God in their hearts, society becomes filled with distrust, corruption, violence, and cruelty. When God gives mankind over to sin, humanity eventually collapses and moves toward destruction. This is the result of God’s wrath upon those who reject Him. Even today, we see these sins in the wars and confusion taking place around the world. Leaders and nations fight for their own desires and interests, and countless innocent lives are lost. In these conflicts we see wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, murder, strife, deceit, arrogance, no love, and no mercy. People attack one another without compassion in order to satisfy their own desires, and the world becomes filled with violence, confusion, and sorrow. Therefore, we must pray that this world and its nations would turn away from violence and greed and return to God. We must also pray that we may proclaim the gospel and live as a holy people and a kingdom of priests who reveal the love of Jesus Christ.

But the greater problem is that people not only commit sin, but also rationalize and justify it. Verse 32 said, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” When people sin, they naturally feel guilt and fear of judgment. Even Adam and Eve hid from God after they sinned. Yet people try to escape guilt by justifying their sin and even encouraging others to live the same way. Today, many people disguise sin in the name of changing times, personal freedom, and individual rights, and even promote it. Even some churches follow the standards of the world and no longer call sin “sin,” but instead support things such as homosexuality and abortion. However, refusing to call sin “sin” is not true love. It is like telling a sick person that he is not sick and keeping him from receiving treatment.

In this way, living however people want is not true freedom. Someone once compared the human heart to a cart placed on a hill. If there is no wheel chock holding the cart in place, it will eventually roll downhill. In the same way, because of sin, the human heart is fallen and needs something to keep it from sliding further into destruction. If that restraint is removed, people become like a car with broken brakes, impossible to control. Therefore, we must remain in the Word of God, which serves as the wheel chock that holds us firm. It is a great blessing to recognize our sins through God’s Word, repent, and be transformed. Blessed is the person who humbly turns back when sin is exposed before the Word of God. But if we continue to justify our sins without repentance, we cannot experience God’s help and will remain trapped in sin. At times, we may feel burdened to keep God in our hearts or unwilling to read His Word. Yet we must not turn away from Him. Even when we struggle because of sin, we should pray that we would continue to come before God and obey His Word. Then God will hear our prayers, give us a new heart, and help us repent and overcome sin.

 Conclusion

Through today’s passage, we have seen that when people deliberately reject God and refuse to glorify or thank Him, they begin to worship created things instead of the Creator, and eventually collapse under the weight of their own sin. God’s act of giving them over to their sinful ways is itself a form of judgment, and as a result, the world becomes filled with sin and confusion, making it a difficult place to live. People lament how corrupt the world has become, but Scripture teaches that the root cause is that humanity has abandoned God and placed material things and human desires in His place. Therefore, the restoration of humanity and the world begins with returning to God, glorifying Him, and living a life of thanksgiving. Even when it is difficult, we must live in obedience to God’s Word. Otherwise, no matter how much education, politics, laws, and social systems advance, humanity will ultimately collapse because of sin.

But fallen humanity cannot escape that condition by its own strength, nor can people come before a holy God on their own. Then how can humanity return to God, be restored, and be healed? For this reason, Jesus came into the world. Romans 3:23–24 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Jesus took our sins upon Himself and opened the way for us to come to God through the cross. The cross of Jesus became the bridge that reconnects the broken relationship between God and humanity caused by sin. Therefore, if we are to escape the wrath of God and receive salvation, we must believe in Jesus and return to God. Hebrews 9:14 says that “the blood of Christ cleanses our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God”. Jesus saves us from a life of sin, makes us holy, and leads us into a new life in God. He does not leave us to live according to sinful desires, but leads us into a new life where we fight against sin, overcome it, and experience true freedom. In this way, He restores our broken humanity and enables us to enjoy true joy and peace in reconciliation with God. Jesus is the true healer.

All of us also once lived under God’s wrath without knowing Him. But through the blood of Jesus Christ, we have received forgiveness of sins, been born again, and are now able to live as God’s holy people. We praise God who saved us from the judgment we deserved and who still leads us to fight against sin and live holy lives. Therefore, we must have compassion on those who still do not know God and continue living in sin, and we must pray earnestly for them. We should share the gospel so that they may not remain in sin and come under judgment, but instead receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ and return to God. We pray that God would use us as instruments of salvation so that many people may come back to Him through Jesus Christ.