“But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18 NLT).
Romans 1:18 identifies three elements that provoke God’s wrath: the ungodliness and unrighteousness of human beings who suppress the truth. We have already considered two of those elements, and now it is time to move to the third item in this trilogy: those who “suppress the truth.”
The word “suppress” refers to the act of holding something down. A common analogy for understanding this word is that of a sailor who is determined to pilot his or her boat against a strong current of water. To accomplish this, the sailor must work to “suppress” or counteract the natural flow of water by forcing the rudder to take the boat in the direction he or she wishes to go instead of the direction of the current.
We can also draw a comparison between “the truth” as mentioned in this passage and the current of water in our illustration. In the context of Romans 1:18, “the truth” refers to what we can know about the reality of God’s existence. When the truth of God’s reality begins to press upon us, many respond with an attempt to suppress it, much like a ship that seeks to navigate against the current.
We’ll consider this reference to truth at greater length in our next study. But before we approach that topic, we should note that the act of suppressing the truth reflects an attitude of wickedness (Phillips), injustice (CEB), or unrighteousness (ESV) according to our text. In other words, there is a specific (and ungodly) mindset that serves as the driving force behind that response.
One source illustrates this idea with a memorable word-picture: “Truth… is out in the open, but wicked men, so to speak, put it in a box and sit on the lid and ‘hold it down in unrighteousness.'” (1) Another commentator offers a straightforward explanation that characterizes the mindset behind that response….
“Romans 1:18 informs us about man’s spiritual condition in relation to the truth we are trying to proclaim. Here, Paul makes it clear that our hearers don’t have an information problem; they have a sin problem. Of course, ignorance figures into the equation. However, at a fundamental level, ignorance is not their issue. They ‘suppress the truth’ in their unrighteousness.” (2)
Romans chapter one will go on to explain how God communicates this truth regarding His existence (and why many attempt to suppress it) over the course of the next few verses.
Image Attribution: Photo by iSAW Company: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-speed-boat-on-sea-3274984/
(1) A.T. Robertson: Word Pictures in the New Testament – Christian Classics Ethereal Library. (n.d.). [Rom. 1:18] https://ccel.org/ccel/robertson_at/word/word.ix.i.html
(2) Baucham, V., Jr. (2015). Expository Apologetics: Answering Objections with the Power of the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. [p. 19]