Romans 1:16-31
How do you picture God? What words would you use to describe our God? Grace, love, mercy, generous, welcoming, acceptance. But what about judge? Wrath? Angry? Big? Powerful? And dangerous?
Because that is what we see in today’s text.
Why do we need the gospel or Good News as the NLT translates it? We need the gospel because we, you and I, have a problem, a big problem, a problem created by our sin: and it is that God is our enemy.
His anger burns against us. It's not blind fury, out of control, but his anger is the feeling you get when you see someone doing something terrible to someone else and you react to protect them.
His anger is his settled opposition to all that is evil.
And we see it there in v18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
We need the gospel, God's plan of salvation, because our biggest problem is: God.
Therefore, the gospel must be from God, God’s action, God’s achievement, and something that God gives to us. And that’s why we cannot be saved in any other way than through the gospel. Because if we are not in Jesus, in the gospel, we are against God.
Only God can satisfy God's wrath (anger).
That is why we rejoice in the gospel. Because if God had not done something, we would be without hope!
Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
Today we are going to explore the first part of today's text:
1. What is the gospel? The gospel is God's plan of salvation for we who are under Gods anger
2. The gospel is about Jesus. Not me.
3. The gospel is by faith from start to finish
Next week we will look at the rest of the chapter.
1. What is the gospel? The gospel is God's plan of salvation for we who are under Gods anger
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
The “but” there in v18 is a bit of a poor translation. In the original Greek text it is more like “for” or “because”, which makes the link a little more clear. The Apostle Paul who wrote the letter says he is not ashamed of the gospel, the Good News about Jesus, FOR God is showing his anger against all people.
God is angry with us, with our sin and ungodliness, therefore I’m not ashamed of the gospel. Therefore it is Good News. Because otherwise we could earn our salvation. We could be good enough. We could try, strive, achieve nirvana, create our own truth - all the other ways that promise salvation that all rest on us and what we can do. Sacrifice to the ancestors, generate "faith", use crystals, say "oohm" do good deeds, go to worship services every week.
But the Holy Spirit reveals to us in these chapters that all this is in vain. A waste. Pointless. For when we do those things, we are choosing to reject God and we replace him with our own customized version. We don’t want the God of the Bible, but our own god.
Our mind is darkened as it says in v21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
By nature we do not worship God, but instead create something else to worship: a false God. Whether it’s a humanists with "choose your own truth," or Islam with Allah, or today's church, where far too often you meet God created in our image: God as a 21st century Norwegian instead of the God of the Bible. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, [we] worship idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. An idol does not have to be physical, but can be one mentally: God is an idol when we remake him in our own image. As v22 says, claiming to be wise, we have instead become utter fools.
And because we're empty up here, we start to do stupid things. And God allows this. Is this not the worst form of judgment - to let people do exactly what they want? Like an exasperated parent saying to his kid who has whined an moaned about touching the fire – fine, do what you want! WAAAAAHHH!
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired
26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires.
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
That's what we are, by nature. There is nothing in us that chooses God. Even though we can look out of the window at creation and see that "God exists!" we reject him by nature and worship something else. Anything else.
Therefore, the gospel has to be something that God does. And that's exactly what we heard last week. The gospel is the power of God for salvation. In Jesus, achieved by Jesus, through Jesus, in the power of Jesus. In Jesus, and only in Jesus, can we be saved! There is no other name by which we can be saved.
I recently heard a comedian saying, “When I was a kid I thought that quicksand and lava would be a bigger problem than they turned out to be.” And that's true! How many times did we play that the floor is lava or that you have been caught in quicksand? And in so many children's stories!
But maybe we were right as children. Because we are in quicksand. The quicksand of sin. And we are sinking. And the more you try to get yourself out of quicksand, the more you struggle and kick and try to save yourself - the faster you sink. As we try to save ourselves from our own sin, we just sink faster. Sin is, after all, a self-focus instead of God-focus. Depending on ourselves for salvation just makes things worse!
What is the gospel? The gospel is God's plan of salvation for we who are under Gods anger
Is that what you believe? Do you see yourself in quicksand, crying out “help”, saved only by the mighty arm of Jesus who lifts you up and out? Or is it a little more 50/50? Or maybe it's you who have chosen this, you’re a good person who does good things. Well, if that’s what you think, let me warn you that you do not believe in the gospel and you worship an idol. A false Jesus. A Jesus created in your own image. Repent!
But what about those of us who know the truth, that we are sinners saved by the grace of God - how often do we live as everything depends on us? That our salvation stands or falls on what we do? Brothers and sisters, we should be the happiest, most free of all people. We are saved by Jesus! We were under the wrath of God, but now he has saved us and accepted us.
Let's be happy today and every day to come.
What is the gospel? The gospel is God's plan of salvation for we who are under Gods anger.
And the gospel is about Jesus.
2. The Gospel is about Jesus. Not me.
1: 16 It [the Good News, gospel] is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes
The Gospel is about God's power for salvation, about the Son of God Jesus and what He has done. So I want to stop here and remind us of what we learned last week from Christian because it is so important that we get this in place.
Turn back to v1-4 and see how the Holy Spirit has inspired Paul to present the gospel right up front.
Ro 1:1–4 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
What is the gospel? It is "Jesus Christ, our Lord." He who was promised through the prophets, he who is Jesus, the man born in Bethlehem, and Christ, the promised rescuer who fulfils the covenants, who is also our Lord, God most High, the Second Person of the Trinity. Jesus Christ our Lord.
God has not hidden this, but He has revealed Himself in the Bible through the history of Israel, through the great covenants with Adam and Abraham and Moses and David. And everything finds its origin and fulfilment in Jesus Christ. He is Plan No. 1. He has always been the plan, and indeed the purpose of all creation is to glorify Jesus! We were created so that Jesus could be glorified through his salvation work in the gospel.
Jesus was not something new, a new dispensation, a plan B or C. The Bible has always been looking forward to Jesus, the better Adam, the better Moses, the better David. Jesus did not sin, he did not only save Israel but the whole world, he fulfilled the law, and he is the everlasting king on David’s throne. He is the fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant that the whole world would be blessed through his descendent. Jesus blesses the whole world. And Jesus is the answer to the Old Testament's dilemma: How can a holy and good God forgive sinners?
Jesus is and has always been our representative. He stands in our place, as our substitute. He does what we could not do. Obeysthe law, fulfils the covenants, lives a perfect life. Jesus does all that we could not. For by nature, we reject God, we sin, we forget God, we ignore God, we do not listen to the Word of God and instead we form another god in our image and worship it instead. Just like the Israelites in front of God on the Mount Sinai (Horeb), they made a golden calf and worshiped that while Moses received the Word of God! Doh! They didn’t bother to listen to God but instead chose to make an idol. A false god.
The gospel is about Jesus, and it is the Bible that defines both the content of the gospel and who Jesus is.
When Kristin and Kaleb were small, they really struggled when it was someone else's birthday. I think most young children struggle with that! They were convinced that the birthday was about them. And that the presents were theirs. How embarrassing! When you sit in the place of honour and have to be moved. When you have to give back the present you took for yourself to the rightful person.
We are like toddlers on someone else’s birthday when we believe the gospel is about us. We are not the focus, we are not the one who will be honoured either now or in the future. That is Jesus.
Do we believe that? Or are we still living as if we were the one who must be honoured and worshiped in our lives? The Gospel is about Jesus. Not me. It is about what he has done on the cross, and the resurrection. And that is why the gospel must be by faith from start to finish. From faith to faith.
3. The gospel is by faith from start to finish
17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
Have you ever wondered why the gospel is by faith? Why is it faithm belief that matters, and not what we do (actions, deeds)? Because faith is a nothing. Faith is not special. Faith is trust: "I trust this". Like sitting on a chair: I trust this chair. Faith is so ordinary, so boring. Why can’t it be “the good people who want to seek God”? That’s what the Jehovah's Witnesses say. And many “churches” today.
Have you heard such messages? “God helps those who help themselves.” “Do what is right and God will love you, bless you.” Or “Seek the Lord within”
This is not the gospel – it’s paganism. It is humanism: “We will succeed by our own efforts. We will save ourselves.”
That's not what the Bible says! It’s the opposite of what the Bible says. Why do we need the gospel? We need the gospel because God does not look down on us with love in his eyes, simpering “so lovely” beaming with delight as one of his creations stumbles into the light, like a mother’s delight in watching her children take their first faltering steps.
That is how God is presented in many places. And it’s completely unbiblical and wrong. Romans 1: 18-31 tells us the truth.
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
God looks at us in anger. Like a mother who walks in on her children bleeding all over because they’ve been kicking, biting and beating each other. “No no no! Stop it! What do you think you are doing?”
What are we doing? We are exchanging the glory of God for with our own image of god.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
We who were created to praise and honour God, who are surrounded by His amazing creation which bellows the truth that “God is great and almighty and creative and beautiful and good”, we who were placed as rulers over all the earth to take care of it and each other and we have done a terrible job: war, famine, climate change, rape, lies, cheating, theft, etc., etc. – that’s us! Do we really believe that God should love us? Should love those who ruin and vandalise his creation. That destroy and break down each other. Who takes each new invention into a weapon and each new technology is twisted to oppress others.
So God is rightfully angry with us!
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
God’s anger is shown. God's wrath is revealed. That's what the Bible tells us. And we must believe it. Belief, faith - so boring. So ordinary. And so hard. I have to accept this? I have to believe in all that God says? Can’t I just choose the parts I like? Must my faith, my belief, really include all that God says?
Because we can reject God's anger. “I do not want to believe what the Bible says”
But if I do that, am I a Christian? Because the Bible is God's revelation of himself to us. So if we are Christians we can not pick and choose our “truth” because if we do we have made an idol, a false god image - in fact formed a whole different religion.
And then you may as well be honest with yourself and cross the street to the "Make God a 21st Century Norwegian Club" also known as the Norwegian State Department of Religious Indoctrination.
Am I exaggerating? Maybe. But isn’t this what God is warning us about in His Word today?
25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
When a church, when “the church” fails to talk about God's anger and God's judgment as the Bible does, they are preaching a false gospel. A false gospel that places you and me in the centre and not Jesus. “We’re good people who struggle a bit, but if we try hard and are good Norwegian citizens and follow the government's guidelines then God will like us.” That is no gospel. That is emptiness and folly.
If you really want to change God to be more palatable, rather drop the whole pretence, be honest and become a humanist. They say right up front “You create your own truth”!
Am I being too harsh? Maybe. Maybe I’m overdoing this. But I would rather overdo this than not, for this is life and death. This is the core of today's debate in the state church. Will we believe and obey God's word or not?
Am I still a Christian if I refuse to accept parts of the gospel, the parts of the Bible I do not like? Will we have faith in, will we believe in the word of God, or will we exchange him for a lie?
And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people. A tame God for the "modern" Norwegian?
Look at my T-shirt. From a distance it looks like any Christian T-shirt, with a good Christian message. “Jesus saved my life”. Amen and Hallelujah. But look a little closer. That’s not what it says. Because a small printing error has crept in - and it changes the entire message. Because Jesus can save, yes, but not Jusus! “Jusus saved my life.”
Unfortunately, many people have their faith in “Jusus” – they believe in a false god. And there is no power for salvation there. For it is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The gospel as a whole, also with those parts that we don’t agree with and don’t like. The gospel is God’s revelation - it's not something we've made up or discovered. It is God's message, and so we are not at liberty to change it. Because even a slight change can mislead people. Jusus instead of Jesus.
Whatever it is we struggle with in the Bible – whether it’s the wrath of God, God's judgment, God's sovereignty, it doesn’t matter. We must believe it. It is by faith from first to last. We must have faith that what He has said is true. And we can have faith. God has made that clear that this is something we can trust. Because Jusus didn’t do anything, your false image of God didn’t do anything… but Jesus: Jesus was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He proved who he is when he rose from the grave. And that's impossible! Nobody did that before Jesus, and nobody’æs done it since. The resurrection of Jesus is the great demonstration that he is God.
Therefore, brothers and sister, let's listen to what he says and obey it. Have faith, living faith to do as he says, leaving the consequences to him.
Do what’s right and trust in God.
The gospel is by faith from start to finish.
1. What is the gospel? The gospel is God's plan of salvation for we who are under Gods anger
2. The gospel is about Jesus. Not me.
3. The gospel is by faith from start to finish
This means we have absolute freedom to obey God. For example we can support the church by giving money and serve with our time and effort, we can block out put on Sundays and Wednesday evenings and time each day to read the Bible and pray, and we can care for others who can’t repay us, we can work for the Lord and not just for a paycheck, we can fight injustice, and we can love our spouse and our children even when they don’t deserve it, because Jesus first loved us when we didn’t deserve it!
Because God has saved us, we are free to do what is right! Not oppressive, not a heavy burden of the law that weighs us down, but Jesus who lifts us up. Yes, we deserve God’s anger, but in the gospel we have the power of God for salvation for all who believe. Let's believe. Living faith. Amen.