“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18 NIV).
Paul the Apostle paints a compelling word-picture that enriches our appreciation for the ideas he presents in this passage. For example, notice that God’s wrath emanates from His very dwelling place, for it is “…being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness.” And lest we fall into the mistaken notion that such judgment is reserved for the distant future, we are told that God’s wrath “is being revealed” even today. Psalm 7:11 offers a counterpart to this idea when it tells us, “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.”
That brings us to this reference to “godlessness,” a term that means “without reverence for God.” A godless person is someone who lives as if God did not exist, or exhibits irreverence for Him in thought, word, or deed. Much like a warning lamp that signals the presence of a fault condition, godlessness signals a defect in one’s vertical relationship with his or her Creator.
Of course, this attribute is not the sole property of those who explicitly reject their Creator. For instance, there are many who choose to live as “practical atheists.” This phrase describes those who acknowledge the existence of a god in theory, but show little evidence of that acknowledgment in their daily lives. In pragmatic terms, there is a substantial difference between the abstract concept of a higher power or a superior being, and the God of the Scriptures.
You see, it is one thing to affirm the existence of an idealistic god who makes no demands upon one’s life. Such a “god” can assume any form we like and asks nothing more of us than whatever we are already willing to offer. It also liberates us from the prospect of a potentially uncomfortable assessment of our lives in the hereafter. However, it is quite another matter to affirm the existence of a God who holds His human creation accountable for every thought, word, and deed.
If our concept of “god” is built upon something other than the God who is revealed to us in the Biblical Scriptures, then we are undoubtedly preparing ourselves for a future we do not expect. God has always been who He said He is, but He may not be who we say He is if our image of Him is not based on the God who is revealed to us in the Scriptures.
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