The book of Romans was written by the famous Apostle Paul, the man that God used to write most of the things that He wanted to say to people in the New Testament. The Biblical book that we know today as Romans was originally sent as a letter from Paul to the church in the city of Rome. One of the more controversial things in this letter is found right in the very first chapter:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18 NIV).
It’s probably fair to say that most people are a lot more comfortable thinking about God as a God of love rather than a God of wrath as the Scripture quoted above indicates. But then again, the Bible does say that “God is love” according to 1 John 4:8, right? So how do we make sense of these two statements about God that appear to be at odds with each other?
It gets a liitle more confusing when we find out what the word “wrath” really means as seen above. You see, in the original language, the word used for wrath means “violent emotion” and “passionate anger.” In other places in the Bible, the word for “wrath” is simply translated as “anger” or “indignation.”
So what could possibly cause this God of love to express such violent, emotional anger? Well, the answer to that question is found within the verse quoted above: “…the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (NAS, emphasis added).
Ungodliness and Unrighteousness
Romans 1:18 tells us that there are three things generating this wrath of God: the ungodliness and unrighteousness of human beings who suppress the truth. These three things are all important in helping us understand the reason for God’s wrath as mentioned above.
First, the word “ungodliness” means “without reverence for God.” It refers to living in a way that presumes that God doesn’t exist or showing disrespect for God in the way that someone speaks or acts. In short, “ungodliness” means that there’s something seriously wrong in someone’s vertical relationship with God.
On the other hand, “unrighteousness” means that there’s something wrong horizontally in someone’s relationship with other people. As used in the Bible, this word “unrighteousness” refers to injustice, wrong conduct towards other people or actions that violate the law. For example, if someone that you thought was a friend began to gossip and talk about you behind your back, then the Bible would identify that kind of behavior as “unrighteousness.”
Unrighteousness is almost always certain to follow ungodliness because once someone’s vertical relationship with God is messed up, then his or her horizontal relationship with others will also tend to be messed up too. This happens for a very good reason…
Relativism Returns
You see, once someone rejects the existence of God then things like “right” and “wrong” become things that are determined by whatever that person thinks or feels, right? This means that concepts like acting justly or doing right become relative to whatever someone thinks or feels.
For example, if one person thinks that it’s OK for another person to be mocked, ridiculed, or treated disrespectfully, then it is OK and nothing else matters because there are no objective standards of right and wrong. This way of thinking leads to certain consequences because everyone’s attitudes and beliefs are sure to influence their actions eventually.
So Romans 1:18 tells us that God’s anger is directed towards those who have a disrespectful attitude towards Him and act in an unjust manner. This passage of Scripture then goes on to tell us that these beliefs and attitudes lead these people to “…suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”
Suppressing the Truth
The word “suppress” literally means “to hold (something) down.” It’s been said that this word can be illustrated by a sailor who is determined to steer his boat against a current of water. To accomplish this, the sailor must “suppress” or hold back the natural flow of water by forcing the rudder to take the boat in the direction that he wants to go instead of the direction that the current wants to take him.
So what is this “something” that people try to hold down or suppress? Well, Romans 1:18 describes that “something” as the truth:
“…the wrath of God is revealed… against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth…” (emphasis added).
Now you should take notice that it’s not “truth” or “a truth” that people try to suppress- it’s “the truth.” So what’s the big deal about this little three letter word? Well, just ask yourself this question: what is the most basic, essential, foundational truth about anyone? Well, the most basic truth about any human being (including you) is that they exist– they “are.” While there may be many things that are true about someone, the truth about someone on the most basic level is that they have reality.
With this in mind, we can ask, “So what’s ‘the truth’ about God?” Well, “the truth” about God is that He exists– He “is.” This can be seen in a conversation that God once had with Moses that is written down for us in the Old Testament book of Exodus:
“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you'” (Exodus 3:13-14 NIV).
That term “I AM” is very important because it identifies God as the self existent, eternal Being. Unlike human beings, there was never a time when God did not exist and only God alone can say in every time and in every place, “I AM.”
What’s the point of trying to suppress the truth about God? Well, that’s what we’ll talk about next.