Romans 1:18-19 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

The Bible gives chronological record of God’s wrath as judgement against man’s sin. God’s wrath is manifested when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden after they sinned against God. A mark was placed by God upon Cain after he murdered his brother Abel. Abel offered an acceptable animal sacrifice to God, a pre-figuring of Christ whereas Cain’s offering was rejected by God. It was an offering of his own concoction from the fruits of the ground.

Matthew 24:1-8 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

The Apostle Paul begins this first theme on sin from verse 18 of chapter 1 to verse 20 of chapter 3. He will now show us why men is under condemnation and ready for God’s judgement.

That is the reason why men need the gospel because they are under God’s wrath for their sin. Because God is infinitely holy, He hates sin. This word “wrath” describes an outpouring of extreme anger, the strongest rendering of indignation. Our text speaks of a deliberateness in the heart of men to rebel against God. And the revelation that God judges us after our sins by His great anger must cause men to fear and repent of their sins.

Witnesses for Christ (Part 2)

The Apostle Paul wrote to encourage the Colossians to greater service for the Lord by (1) glowing for Jesus (Col. 1:9-14) (2) being grounded in Jesus (Col. 1:15-23).

To glow for Jesus, he encouraged them to grow in knowledge of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:9 cf. 15-23), in fruitfulness (Col. 1:10-11) and in gratitude (Col. 1:12-14).

Verses 15-23 tells us it is critical that we are grounded in Christ for (a) He is God (v15), (b) He is Creator (v16-17), (c) He is the Head of the Church – The Pre-eminence (v18), (d) He is Saviour (v19-22), (e) He is the Good News (v23).

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Romans 1:16-17 are the key verses that summarised this epistle. The righteous shall live my faith. This righteousness of the believer is a gift from God that is appropriated by faith. It begins with faith and continues in faith, beginning to end.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The way of being reconciled to our Creator God is in the gospel. “Therein”, that is, in the gospel message, is the way of salvation. The way sinful man can make right with his Creator. How precious is the gospel!

John summarized this revelation succinctly in John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

These verses launched us into the body of this letter. The theme of Paul’s letter was the gospel and its impact in the lives of the saved! He found the cure! The gospel unleashes God’s power to save men and women from sin and death, the greatest disease and plague known to men. This is the only known care. He experienced the power of the gospel in his life and therefore he understood the strength of that power.

Ruth 3:5-9 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. 6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

Romans 1:13-15 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

The Apostle Paul bears his heart with the Christians in Rome giving the reason why he longed to visit them. He tells them that he is a debtor. A responsible person who owes a debt would see to repay the debt as quickly as possible. He will not be slack to fulfil his obligation. Paul was referring to the gospel debt that he owed to his Lord and Saviour for saving him. And he felt a deep moving within his soul to repay this debt by voluntarily sharing the blessing of the gospel to others.

Romans 1:13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

The Apostle Paul speaks of unfulfilled plans to visit the Christians in Rome. He says, “I purposed to come unto you”! A strong word of resolve but the plan did not materialise. He personally made plans, not once but on many occasions to visit Rome. He sought the Lord in prayer and was led to make the journey. But he was being hindered. He was prevented to make the journey. That’s the meaning of the phrase, “was let hitherto”. He did not elaborate concerning these hinderances here but a hint was given in Romans 15:22-29 that God had directed him to go first to Jerusalem to minister to poor saints bringing with him an offering from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia.