Lessons #35 and 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revealed wrath of God (Rom 1:18-23)
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
The message of this section that we are considering is You should avoid rejecting God’s truth communicated to you since that will draw His displeasure towards you. This message is because we indicated that the section of Romans 1:18-23 that we are considering is concerned first with the origin and target of God’s revealed wrath towards unrighteousness stated in Romans 1:18. This is followed by the reasons for God’s revealed wrath in verses 19 to 23. We have considered the target of His wrath or punishment as “disregard for Him” in the sense of rejecting His word. We stated that the primary description of “disregard” for God in the sense of rejecting His word is given in the word “godlessness” that we asserted the apostle explained with the word “wickedness.” So, by considering the Greek words translated “godlessness” and “wickedness” in the Septuagint we affirmed that a Hebrew mind would understand what godlessness means in a sense of a state of soul condition that includes violence, rebellion, and falsehood. Furthermore, we noted that the apostle gave a further description of those who are the object or target of the wrath of God as those who strive to prevent God’s truth being spread or applied. As we stated in our last study, God’s truth in the context of our passage is multifaceted. It refers to truth about God especially of His nature as the righteous creator that should be worshipped and to the gospel of Jesus Christ that deals with how to be in right standing with God through faith in Christ. So, we proceed to consider the reasons for the wrath of God.
There are three reasons, Apostle Paul gave in the section of Romans 1:19-23 for God’s wrath or punishment. I will summarize them before we begin their detailed study. The first reason has to do with clear revelation from God about Himself discoursed in Romans 1:19-20. The second concerns the actions and state of the target of God’s wrath or punishment as described in Romans 1:21-22. The third deals with foolishness on the part of the targets of God’s wrath or punishment implied in verse 23.
Rejection of clear revelation from God about Himself (Rom 1:19-20)
We begin with the first reason given for God’s wrath or punishment which is rejection of clear revelation from God about Himself. We know that the apostle provided the first reason for the wrath of God towards the objects of His wrath because of the first word since that begins Romans 1:19. The word “since” is translated from a Greek conjunction (dioti) that may mean “because” as marker of a causal connection between two statements. It may mean “therefore” as a marker to introduce inference. In our passage of Romans 1:19, it means “for” as “a marker used to indicate why something just stated can reasonably be considered valid.” The word is used to provide in what follow the reason for God’s wrath and also the reason those who try to prevent God’s truth from being spread are the targets of His wrath.
The apostle, as we have stated, introduced the fact that he was about to supply the reasons for God’s wrath or punishment. Why is it necessary for the apostle to provide any reason for what God does? It is because the Holy Spirit through the apostle certainly wants to remind us that our God is not capricious, so He does not do anything as it relates to us without justifiable reason(s). We can see this fact quite early in God’s dealing with humans. The first general punishment on humans following the fall recorded was the flood judgment. God provided Noah the reason for it, being the sinfulness of humanity as given in Genesis 6:13:
So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
Before God brought punishment on His covenant people Israel, He warned them ahead of time that their punishment would be due to their failure to keep to the terms of His covenant with them as stated in Deuteronomy 29:24–25:
24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the LORD done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?” 25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.
Even in God’s dealing with individuals, we find Him explaining His reason for punishment as was the case for His punishment on the family of Eli, the priest, as we read in 1 Samuel 3:13:
For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.
The Lord Jesus warned the church in Laodicea that He was about to bring judgment on her because of the spiritual condition of its members as we read in Revelation 3:16:
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
The point is that God often provides justification for His punishment. By the way, although our focus is on punishment we should also recognize that at times, God provides explanation for His special blessing on individuals or groups of people. For example, God gave His reason for extending the land promise to Abraham to Isaac as due to Abraham’s obedience as we may gather from Genesis 26:4–5:
4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.”
We are also given the reason God provided children to the Hebrew midwives in Egypt who defied the order of Pharaoh by not killing the first-born sons of the Israelites as we read in Exodus 1:21:
And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
Queen of Sheba understood the point we are stressing that she gave reason for God choosing and blessing Solomon as His eternal love for Israel as we read in 1 Kings 10:9:
Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
Anyhow, it is because God is not capricious and He does not act without reason, especially when it comes to His punishment that Apostle Paul began Romans 1:19 with the word since or “for” as we have indicated is a meaning of the Greek conjunction the apostle used that fits our verse.
Be that as it may, we stated that the first reason for God’s wrath has to do with clear revelation from God about Himself. This clear revelation of God about Himself is presented as first involving what can easily be observed or learned as in the sentence of Romans 1:19 what may be known about God is plain to them.
The expression “may be known” is translated from a Greek adjective (gnōstos) that may mean “remarkable” or “outstanding” as the word is used by the Jewish authorities to acknowledge that the miracles performed by the apostles were undeniably true as we read in Acts 4:16:
“What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it.
In our passage of Romans 1:19, the word means “capable of being known, intelligible.” What is capable of being known about God is said to be plain as in the verbal phrase of Romans 1:19 is plain.
The word “plain” is translated from a Greek word (phaneros) that as an adjective pertains to being evident so as to be readily known so may mean “clear” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the fact that his imprisonment because of the gospel of Christ was clear to all those in the palace guard (either in Rome or the residence of provincial governor outside Rome) as we read in Philippians 1:13:
As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.
As a noun, the word refers to that which is exposed to general view or knowledge, that is, “(in) the open, public notice” so that the word is translated as a verb “be disclosed” or “become evident” in reporting Jesus’ teaching about the fact that nothing that is secret that will not become evident in Luke 8:17:
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
In our passage of Romans 1:19, the word is used as an adjective so means “clear,” that is, “to be or become clearly revealed to the mind, the senses, or judgment.”
What does the apostle mean in the sentence of Romans 1:19 what may be known about God is plain to them? The apostle means that visible creation reveals who God is. In effect, the apostle is teaching that there is such a thing as natural or general revelation through God’s creation. When a person looks at creation without the bias from scientists or uninfluenced by scientific declarations about creation, the individual will recognize that there is a creator. Prophet Isaiah implied this in the question recorded in Isaiah 40:26:
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Apostle Paul referenced this fact when he preached the gospel in Athens since he referred to the Athenians as recognizing the unknown God as we read in Acts 17:23–28:
23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
The psalmist referenced this natural or general revelation that shows that God exists as he indicated that there is no language barrier to recognizing the fact that creation points to the fact of God the creator as we read in Psalm 19:1–6:
1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 5which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
The point is that when the apostle wrote in Romans 1:19 what may be known about God is plain to them he had in mind the concept of natural or general revelation. This general revelation is plain to those who reject God’s truth or those who try to prevent the spreading of truth about God since the pronoun them refers to such individual mentioned in verse 18 although in a general sense the pronoun would refer to all humans to whom creation reveals the truth of existence of God.
It is not only that the apostle emphasized the fact of natural or general revelation, but he insisted that God revealed Himself through it as in the last clause of Romans 1:19 because God has made it plain to them. The pronoun “it” does not appear in the Greek text but is implied since literally the Greek reads for God made clear to them. The question that a reader would want to know is what God made clear and so the pronoun “it” is included to indicate that what God made clear is what God has made plain, that is, creation. The clause because God has made it plain to them serves either to explain or give reason what may be known of God is plain.
The expression “has made plain” is translated from a Greek word (phaneroō) that may mean “to cause to become visible,” hence may mean “to appear” as it is used in describing the post resurrection appearance of the Lord Jesus in John 21:14:
This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
The word may mean “to reveal” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing the grace of God that has been revealed in Christ in 2 Timothy 1:10:
but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
The word may mean “to cause to become known” and so may mean “to show” or “make known” as the word is used by Apostle Paul in describing the Corinthians as evidence of his apostolic ministry as stated in 2 Corinthians 3:3:
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
In our passage of Romans 1:19, the word has the sense of “to make manifest,” that is, “to cause to become clearly revealed to the mind, the senses, or judgment.”
The thing God made manifest to humans in general, although the focus in our passage is on those who reject truth about God, is, as we have previously stated, His creation. The heavens or the sky above us demonstrate there is a creator because of the presence of the luminaries in the sky. The psalmist in the passage of Psalm 19 we cited previously focused on the sun but that is a representative of the luminaries since God created the sun and the moon and stars that are visible to the human eyes as stated in creation narrative of Genesis 1:14–18:
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
This passage describes the creation of the sun, moon, and stars although at this point the words sun and moon were not used but they are meant as the greater and lesser lights that govern day and night. The first use of the word “sun” in the Hebrew text appears with the description of Abraham’s vision when God appeared to him as stated in Genesis 15:12:
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
The first usage of the word “moon” in the Hebrew text occurs in connection with the dream of Joseph as indicated in Genesis 37:9:
Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
These notwithstanding, there is no doubt that the greater light that governs the day is the sun as the psalmist stated in Psalm 136:8:
the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
Likewise, the lesser light that governs the night is identified as the moon in Psalm 136:9:
the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
God placed the sun, moon, and stars in the sky so that unless a person is blind, they are clear or visible to the eyes. The psalmist attested to this when he wrote in Psalm 8:3–5:
3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
Those who reject the God of creation look up to the sky and see these luminaries and recognize that they did not appear without a creator. Of course, some ancient people looked up in the sky and observed them but instead of worshipping the creator began to worship them. Thus, it is not surprising that God prohibited Israel from such idolatrous practice as we read in Deuteronomy 4:19:
And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
The point we are making is that the luminaries in the sky attest to a creator and so those who reject truth about God accept that these luminaries are to be worshipped in contrast to the creator, something Apostle Paul stated later in this first chapter of Romans. These luminaries are in part what the apostle meant when he wrote the clause of Romans 1:19 we are considering. In any event, we stated that the first reason for God’s wrath has to do with clear revelation from God about Himself. This clear revelation of God about Himself is presented as firstly involving what can easily be observed or learned as in the clause of Romans 1:19 what may be known about God is plain to them. This brings us to consider the second thing involved in clear revelation of God about Himself.
The clear revelation of God about Himself is presented as secondly involving His invisible nature. The apostle alerts us that he was still providing reason or explanation for the wrath of God because of the word for that begins Romans 1:20 is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) that has several usages but here it is used as a marker of reason for God’s wrath on those who reject truth about Him or those who prevent the spreading of truth about Him, especially in the form of the gospel message.
In any case, the apostle’s focus was on the invisible things about God as conveyed in the first phrase of Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities. The translators of the NIV rendered the Greek smoother to the English reader and so we do not have the sense that the focus of the apostle is the invisible things about God. The focus on the apostle’s emphasis is clearer in the literal translation that reads For the invisible (things) of him since (the) creation of (the) world.
The first word in the Greek of Romans 1:20 is the word translated in the NIV as invisible qualities. We have a Greek word (aoratos) that pertains to not being subject to being seen so means “unseen, invisible.” It is a word that is predominantly used to describe God. Apostle Paul used it to describe Jesus Christ as the image of the unseen God in Colossians 1:15:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
By way, the phrase the image of the invisible is illogical to us the modern people since it does not make sense to have an image of something that is invisible since the modern man thinks of image mostly in artistic form or in terms of visual or mental representation. So, by the modern understanding, there is no way we can comprehend the image of something invisible. Again, logically, how can a person have an image of that which is invisible? Or how can you have a photograph of something that is invisible? Reflect on this observation and you will agree that the phrase should not be understood with modern understanding of image. However, to the ancient, image is not limited to that which appeals to human’s sense but includes the action of coming out or springing forth from a source, of a revelation of the being with a substantial participation in the object. This notwithstanding, when the apostle described Jesus Christ as image of the invisible God, he meant to say that Jesus Christ is the very God revealed to the extent that human beings can understand and perceive. Or we may put it in another way: that Christ is a perfect revelation of the being and nature of God. In effect, the apostle is saying that God as a divine being is invisible but has chosen to make Himself known to humans through the person of Jesus Christ so that Christ is everything God is. We cannot see God, but we do see His manifestation in His work. Anyway, as we stated, the Greek word translated “invisible qualities” in Romans 1:20 is a word that is predominantly used for God in the Greek NT. The human author of Hebrews used it to indicate that Moses rejected the privileges of royalty in Egypt because of his faith in God described as the invisible in Hebrews 11:27:
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
Of course, we have indicated that our Greek word is used predominantly with respect to God because our Greek word appears five times in the Greek NT; however, only once that it is not used to describe God but unseen creatures of God in heaven that were created by the Lord Jesus Christ as stated in Colossians 1:16:
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
In our passage of Romans 1:20, the word definitely means “invisible” used in connection with God. The problem is how to interpret what the apostle meant since literally in the Greek what he wrote reads the invisible (things).
The full Greek phrase where our Greek word is used in Romans 1:20 reads the invisible (things) of God although literally the Greek reads the invisible things of him. Of course, the pronoun “him” in the context refers to God. That aside, the phrase could be read to mean the visible things with reference to God or the invisible things possessed by God. Since the apostle had referenced creation as that which is visible, it is unlikely that he was still concerned with it – whether visible or invisible – so the most logical things that the apostle was thinking had to be what God possesses, that is, His attributes or qualities. In effect, the invisible things of God refer to His attributes or qualities hence the translation of the NIV of Romans 1:20 God’s invisible qualities. We are certain of this interpretation because the apostle defined later what the invisible things he had in mind were that are clearly what God possesses.
We should remember that the first reason the apostle stated for God’s wrath has to do with clear revelation from God about Himself. This means that the invisible things of God have been revealed so that the things that are invisible become visible. Therefore, the question then concerns the time when the invisible things of God became visible. This, the apostle answered in the phrase of Romans 1:20 since the creation of the world. The reason we stated that the phrase is concerned with time when the invisible things of God became visible is first because of the word since in the phrase we are considering. The word “since” is translated from a Greek preposition (apo) that may mean “from” in the sense of a marker of place from which something begins as Apostle Paul used the word to indicate that the example of Christian life from the Thessalonians has influenced believers in other areas so that it can be said that the message concerning the Lord Jesus came out loud and clear from them as we read in 1 Thessalonians 1:8:
The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,
The meaning “from” of the Greek preposition used, may be used to indicate the time from which something begins although to avoid any confusion with the use of the meaning “from” in any other usage, the word may be translated “since” as it is used by Apostle Paul to define the time he began to pray for the Colossians as the time he heard of their spiritual life as stated in Colossians 1:9:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
It is in this later sense of “since” that the Greek preposition is used in our phrase in the NIV of Romans 1:20 since the creation of the world and in majority of our English versions.
The reference point of time that the invisible things became visible is given in the phrase of Romans 1:20 the creation of the world. The word “creation” is translated from a Greek word (ktisis) that may mean “that which is created,” that is, the result of creative act as the word is used with the meaning “creature” to describe those that are recipients of the gospel of Jesus Christ that Apostle Paul proclaimed as we read in Colossians 1:23:
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
The word may mean “system of established authority that is the result of some founding action,” hence “governance system, authority system” or simply “authority” as that which believers should submit themselves to, according to the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter given in 1 Peter 2:13:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority,
In our passage of Romans 1:20, the word means “creation,” that is, “the act of bringing into existence”. This thing that is brought into existence is described as the world.
The word “world” is translated from a Greek word (kosmos) with several meanings. For example, it can mean the planet earth in which people live. It is in this sense that that apostle used the word to justify the reason believers should not be materialistic in 1 Timothy 6:7:
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
It is in this sense that Apostle Peter used the word in encouraging believers to endure suffering since believers in different parts of the planet earth are suffering the same, according to the instruction in 1 Peter 5:9:
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
The Greek word translated “world” can also mean that which serves to beautify through decoration, hence means “adornment, adorning”, as in 1 Peter 3:3:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
In our passage of Romans 1:20, the word means “world” in the sense of “the created realm considered as a distinct, spatial-temporal entity in distinction to the heavenly realm.”
The phrase the creation of the world is one that is used several times in the NT Scripture to define point of time associated with significant events. It is used in quotation from Psalm (78:2) to indicate that Jesus Christ would speak in parables to the Jews as He communicated things hidden from creation of the world as we read in Matthew 13:35:
So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
The phrase the creation of the world is used in the priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus to indicate the Father’s love for Him is eternal as implied in John 17:24:
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Apostle Paul used the phrase the creation of the world to indicate the eternal nature of our election as stated in Ephesians 1:4:
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love.
Apostle Peter used the phrase the creation of the world to convey that Jesus Christ was chosen to die for our salvation prior to the beginning of time as we read in 1 Peter 1:20:
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Apostle John used the phrase the creation of the world in the sense of election of believers being prior to beginning of time, only that he presented it in terms of having one’s name written in the book of life according to Revelation 17:8:
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
Thus, we get the point that the phrase the creation of the world is an important one used in the NT Scripture to describe important events. In Romans 1:20, as we have indicated, the phrase is used to define the time the invisible things of God were made visible to humans.
Apostle Paul having defined the beginning point or time that the invisible things of God or His attributes became visible, defined what these invisible things or attributes are as in the sentence of Romans 1:20 his eternal power and divine nature.
The first thing or attribute of God that is invisible but made visible beginning with creation of the word is His power. The word “power” in the phrase his eternal power is translated from a Greek word (dynamis) from which our English word “dynamite” is derived; it basically means “power.” The word may refer to special enablement or strength that the Lord Jesus promised the disciples would receive to help them be His witnesses as we read in Acts 1:8:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The word can refer to the power that works wonders as the power associated with Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry, as the Apostle Peter stated in Acts 10:38:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Power may be understood in a general way of the potential for functioning in some way. It is in this way that the word is used to describe the gospel message in Romans 1:16:
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
When the Greek word is used in the plural the word predominantly means “miracles” as that done by God through Apostle Paul as stated in Acts 19:11:
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
In our passage of Romans 1:20, our word means “power” in the sense of “potential for functioning in some way.” This power of God is not limited by time, hence the apostle qualified God’s power with the adjective eternal.
The second thing of God on a surface reading of our verse that is invisible but made visible beginning with creation of the world is His divine nature as in the phrase of Romans 1:20 and divine nature. The expression “divine nature” is translated from a Greek word (theiotēs) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it refers to the quality or characteristic(s) that pertain to deity and so means “divine nature, divinity.” Its use in our verse does not seem to be an additional description of the invisible things of God but probably a further explanation of the power of God. In effect, the apostle described God’s power as eternal but adds that the power he described could only belong to God. This understanding is supported by fact that the related adjective to our word is used to describe God’s power by Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:3:
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
The word “divine” here in 2 Peter is translated from a Greek adjective (theios) that pertains to having the nature of God hence the meaning “divine.” The point is that the phrase divine nature was probably used by Apostle Paul to explain further the power of God that he described as eternal. Of course, as some interpret the phrase, it could be a way to summarize God’s attributes. Nonetheless, we contend that because of the use of an adjective related to the word Apostle Paul used in Romans 1:20 that describe power in 2 Peter 1:3, the phrase divine nature is probably Apostle Paul’s way of further explaining the power of God that he described with the word “eternal.” It is a power that only the One described as God has. Anyway, because the apostle used the plural in the Greek to describe the invisible things of God, the mention of power may be a way that points to all the other divine attributes such as goodness, wisdom, and faithfulness that are evident in creation.
In any case, Apostle Paul indicates that God’s qualities or attributes are clearly revealed in His creative work as in the verbal phrase of Romans 1:20 have been clearly seen. This verbal phrase clearly seen is translated from a Greek verb (kathoraō) that appears only once in the Greek NT; in our passage, it has the sense of “to perceive, notice.” The apostle used a present tense in the Greek so that he conveyed that the perception of the display of God’s attributes is not something that is done once. Instead, he meant that it is something that occurs regularly. You see, for example, each time a person looks up in the sky the individual notices God’s creative power. In addition, God has placed in our minds the ability to constantly reason out that there is a creator each time we see the beauty of creation unless a person has consistently rejected such a notion in which case such a person would suppress such thought of God. Thus, the apostle conveys something that is regularly occurring both mentally and physically through our observation of creation.
It is not only that a person is noticing or perceiving the attributes of God, but the individual is also comprehending what is noticed. This we say because of the verbal phrase of Romans 1:20 being understood from what has been made. The expression “being understood” is translated from a Greek verb (noeō) that means “to grasp or comprehend something on the basis of careful thought,” and so means “to understand, gain an insight into” as Apostle Paul used it to inform the Ephesians that in reading his epistle to them, they would grasp or understand the insight he has regarding the “mystery of Christ” in Ephesians 3:4:
In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
The word may mean “to imagine” as Apostle Paul used it to describe how indescribable the work of God is with respect to believers in Ephesians 3:20:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
The word may mean “to reflect” in the sense of to think over carefully something as in the instruction of Apostle Paul to Timothy to carefully think over what he wrote to him as we read in 2 Timothy 2:7:
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
In our passage of Romans 1:20, the word has the meaning of “to grasp or comprehend something.” The apostle used a present participle in the Greek so that the implication is that the grasping or comprehension takes place at the same time someone observes or notices something.
The things that are comprehended when observed are God’s creative works as in the clause of the NIV of Romans 1:20 from what has been made. The expression “has been made” is how the translators of the NIV rendered a Greek noun (poiēma) that appears only twice in the Greek NT with the meaning of “creation, work,” that is, that which is made. In its other occurrence, the word is translated “workmanship” or “handiwork” in the NIV of Ephesians 2:10:
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In our passage of Romans 1:20, the word means “that which has been brought into existence,” certainly by God. The apostle used the plural so that as a person observes creative works of God the creative works help the person to comprehend the attributes of God, especially of His eternal power that can be reasoned out from creation. The apostle would have also thought of the goodness of God as reflected in his provisions for all creatures as he stated while he preached in Lystra as recorded in Acts 14:17:
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
The apostle having stated that God’s creative works are sufficient to recognize His attributes especially, that of power, a person has no reason not to accept the truth about the reality of the supreme God as the object of worship. It is this conclusion that he gave in the last clause of Romans 1:20 so that men are without excuse. Again, the word “men” here refers to male and females and so the Greek word used is translated “people” in most of our English versions. That aside, the point of the apostle is that because God has revealed Himself through creation that no one has any excuse to turn away from truth about Him. Therefore, His wrath towards those who have turned away from truth about God is justified. Let me end by reminding you of the message of the passage we are expounding. It is: You should avoid rejecting God’s truth communicated to you since that will draw His displeasure towards you.
08/02/24