Lesson 2: The Gentile Error

The City

In Paul's time, Rome was the largest city in the world, with more than a million inhabitants.[1] There was a mixture of ethnic groups, languages, and religions. Most people were slaves.

The First Missionaries to Rome

We do not know who was the very first to carry the gospel to Rome. On the day of Pentecost, Jews were present from Rome (Acts 2:10). Those who were converted surely took the message of the gospel back to Rome. Their announcement that the Messiah had come would have caused excitement and controversy. The gospel would have spread most rapidly among Gentiles who already respected Judaism.

A Gentile Church

Though Jews are addressed in parts of the letter, the church at Rome was mostly Gentile. Paul called them Gentiles (1:13-15) and said that since he was debtor to both Greeks and barbarians, he was ready to preach to the Romans. However, the Jewish influence in the Roman church was strong, since the first believers there were Jews. It is possible that the gospel had not been clearly explained in a way that showed believers their freedom from the rules of Judaism.

[1] Bruce Wilkinson & Kenneth Boa, Talk through the New Testament, 375

Since Paul's purpose was to promote missionary work, a question that would naturally arise is, “Does everyone really need justification by faith?” After all, there are some things that not everyone needs. People in the Arctic don't need anyone to bring them ice, and desert dwellers don't need sand.

Someone might think that maybe justification by faith is not something everyone in the world needs; maybe some people have lived a righteous life and are accepted by God already. Part 2 of the letter (1:18-3:20) is written to show that everyone needs justification by faith and, therefore, needs the message about it.

Main Point of 1:18-3:20

Everyone in the world has violated God's requirements and is under condemnation. No one can be saved on the basis of meeting God's requirements because every person has already violated them.

Summary of 1:18-3:20

First, Paul describes the condition of the pagan Gentiles who were without God's revealed Word and shows that they have rejected the knowledge of God that he showed them in creation. Then, he describes the condition of the Israelites, who had God's written Word but did not obey it. He concludes by describing the general sinfulness of the world. The conclusion is that all the world is guilty before God. The gospel is needed because nobody can be saved by his own merits.

For these lessons, Part 2 (1:18-3:20) will be divided into three passages. In this lesson, we will study the first passage (1:18-32).

1:18 is the transitional verse between this passage and the previous one.

Main Point of 1:18-32

The Gentiles had a basic knowledge of God, but rejected it and turned to idols, becoming thoroughly depraved.

► A student should read 1:18-32 for the group.

Notes Verse-by-Verse

(1:18) God has given them a basic knowledge of himself. They suppress the truth. This implies that they possessed some truth, as the next verse explains. Their condemnation is that they rejected the truth they had. “Ungodliness describes an offense in the religious realm and expresses itself as idolatry, the worship of the creature more than the Creator (1:19-23). Unrighteousness means moral perversity and is illustrated by immorality and wickedness (1:24-32).”[1]

The truth they suppressed is specified in 1:20. It includes the knowledge of God's authority over them. Their lifestyle demonstrates that they deny God's authority. In contrast, a Christian's lifestyle demonstrates submission to God's authority, both in what he does and in what he does not do.

[1] Adapted from William Greathouse, “Romans”, in Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol VIII. (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1968) 50.

► What are some ways that God’s truth is revealed to all people?

Because God has revealed truth many ways, we talk about two categories: General Revelation and Special Revelation. Paul refers to these in the book of Romans, though not with these terms.

General Revelation is what we can understand about God by looking at his creation. We see the amazing intelligence and power of God in the design of the universe.

We see significance about God in the way that man is designed. The fact that we can reason, appreciate beauty, and tell the difference between right and wrong (though not infallibly) shows us that our Creator must possess those abilities to a higher degree. We know that God can think and communicate because we have those abilities. (See Psalm 19:1-4 and 94:9.)

Because General Revelation shows us that God could speak, we realize that Special Revelation could happen. God is a person[1] and able to speak to his rational creatures. That helps us to realize that there can be messages from God and even a book from God.

By General Revelation, even without scripture, people know that there is a God, that they should obey him, and that they have already disobeyed him (Romans 1:20). But General Revelation does not tell us how to come into a right relationship with God. General Revelation shows us the need for Special Revelation because it shows that people are sinful and without excuse before their Creator.

General Revelation shows us that humanity is fallen and guilty. Special Revelation explains why humanity is in that condition. Special Revelation is the truth revealed in the inspiration of the Bible and in the incarnation of Christ. Special Revelation describes the character of God, explains the Fall and sin, and shows how we can be reconciled to God.

[1] We are not saying that God is a human; but that He is a person ‒ able to think, will, and speak ‒ instead of some impersonal force.

Notes Verse-by-Verse continued

► What does Special Revelation tell us beyond what we know from General Revelation?

(1:19) By observing creation we see truth about God. Even the Greek philosophers acknowledged that there must be some kind of divine mind that controls the universe. An especially significant part of creation is the nature of man. We see truth about the existence and nature of God by observing that man has a moral consciousness of right and wrong. (See 1:32.)

► What can we understand about God when we look at man?

(1:20) From creation people know that they are created, and that God has eternal power and authority over them. This is enough knowledge to make their rejection of God inexcusable. They will justly be judged for their sins. They know that they are guilty of rebellion.[1] The fact that they know these things about God and themselves leaves them without excuse.

God's justice requires that sin be shown to be willful before it is punished. It is also necessary that the knowledge they had be sufficient for them to have chosen better. If it were impossible for them to choose to do differently, then they could not be without excuse. God is here explaining himself.[2]

Almost every culture in the world has the assumption that there is a supreme God who created the world. Usually they worship some other supernatural power instead of God because they know that they are separated from the supreme God. Paul did not try to prove the existence of God but pointed out that the existence and authority of God are known in every culture. This knowledge leads to the conviction of guilt.

There are limitations to General Revelation. Knowledge of Christ and the gospel are not revealed except by Special Revelation. Also, the created world does not accurately portray God, because it is under the curse of sin and does not completely show its original design. Creation is like a beautiful painting with a muddy footprint on it. It has been damaged, but some of its original beauty still remains, showing something about the artist.

(1:21-22) God deserves that man honor him as God (worship) and be thankful (praise). But they resented his authority rather than being thankful for what they received from him. They wanted to be gods themselves, taking the credit for all that they had. Claiming such independent godhood was foolish.

Their hearts became darkened. The heart represents the will and loyalty of the person. Light represents truth. Because they rejected the truth, they lost their ability to see it. They lost their understanding of spiritual and eternal things and, therefore, did not understand the material world accurately either.

(1:23, 25) Their focus on themselves and the material world and rejection of the Creator led to their making gods that commended their own fallen natures. They transferred to creatures the glory that belonged to God. To avoid the responsibility they had to the Creator, they denied his existence and honored the creature. This attitude is the basis of modern evolution and humanism. If people produced themselves, then they can also set their own purpose, values, and morality.[4]

The essence of idolatry is to serve and worship something God created. To serve something is to give it the first place in life and to order life according to that priority. To worship something is to give it reliance and honor that belongs only to God. Idolatry expects from created things the satisfaction that only the Creator can give. Modern materialism is idolatry. A person cannot honor material things without diminishing his worship to God.[3]

► How did the Gentiles respond to knowledge of God?

(1:24) This verse introduces the theme that is expanded in 1:26-27. Idolatrous love of the creature leads naturally to immorality, including sexual sin. Sexual sin makes physical desires the priority but dishonors the body because the body should be holy and devoted to God's service.

(1:26-27) Immorality was the natural result of glorifying self and letting selfish passions rule. When desires rule, they become distorted. One cannot love anyone properly or enjoy anything properly unless he loves and enjoys God supremely. 1:24 introduces this subject and shows the connection between immorality and rejection of God.

All sin is a perversion of something good God made; sexual perversion is just more obvious than some sins. The further man gets from God’s way, the more brutal, cruel, and perverted he becomes. Some people think that there are simple cultures that live a better life because they are uncorrupted by civilization. The fact is that most people of primitive cultures live in fear of death and the supernatural, most practice cruel customs, and most suffer the results of a perverted, sinful lifestyle.

Man was created to function as a man in relationship with God. If he is separated from God, he cannot really be what humanity was intended to be. He falls short of even his own ideals. The ideals of manhood and womanhood become unreachable for the person without God. Sexual perversion is the most obvious extreme, but every person is affected by the loss of true humanity in other ways also. To reject God as God is to reject man as man. To refuse to worship God is to reject your own humanity.

Ironically, those who worshipped created things ended up perverting even the creature, against what was natural. If people allow themselves to be ruled by their natural desires, those desires take extreme, unnatural forms.

It is ironic that if a person honors the desires of the body above God he will ultimately treat the body with disrespect. The parts of the body that people worship in sexual sin are the same parts they mention when they want to say something obscene and insulting.

Usually, women are not as quick as men to give themselves to sexual immorality and perversion. They instinctively want to protect the wholeness of the family. That the women were doing this great evil shows that the debauchery of their society was complete.

► What are some forms of perversion that are common in your society?

The sinful condition they entered is what they justly deserved. The condition of sinfulness is an appropriate punishment for sin, causing suffering and shame in its growing, unsatisfied desires and the results of debauchery.

[1] See the note on 1:32.

[2] For more discussion of this concept, see the section in Lesson 9 entitled “God's Justice on Trial.”

[3] Image: “Athena Pallas austrian Parliament”, taken by Jebulon on Feb 20, 2012, retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Athena_Pallas_austrian_Parliament.jpg, public domain.

[4]“If the root of man's sin is religious perversity, the fruit is moral corruption.”
- William Greathouse, Commentary on Romans

There is no evidence that the Bible recognizes the validity of “loving, committed homosexual (or lesbian) relationships.”[1] If this were the case, we would expect to find teaching throughout scripture just as is done with every other form of human relationship (e.g. husbands and wives, parents and children, citizens and government). Instead, there is not one verse indicating the possibility of such a relationship being acceptable in God’s eyes.

It is not temptation, feelings of love or attraction between two human beings, or the struggle in our souls that is prohibited in scripture. In fact, God tells us that he is close to the hurting, the confused, and the tempted. Sin occurs when lustful thoughts are welcomed (James 1:15) or we engage in behavior outside of God’s design.

The appropriate response from the church to homosexuality must include compassionate love, gentle truth, and authentic humility. Loving others means caring for them and extending the love of Christ whether or not they ever turn from their sin. Loving others means seeing them with the eyes of Christ, just as he viewed (and still views) us in our sin. Often, it’s our relationship with an individual that initially guides that person into a saving relationship with Christ. Subsequently, it’s the Holy Spirit’s job, usually working within a local church, to restore to wholeness.

Yet, loving someone also means speaking the truth, even if it’s met with hostility or indifference. Sharing God’s Word could save a man or woman from a lifetime of poor decisions, confusion, sin, and suffering. Not everyone is ready to accept biblical precepts. Patience and gentleness must guide our discussions concerning truth. We must listen with an open heart and use scripture with love and discernment. We must show our genuine care for the person, so that they will value our input.

Authentic humility is essential to the Christian message. Humility comes from conversation and time with God; acknowledging, confessing, and turning from our own sin; and embracing God’s deep love as expressed on the cross. We must let love and compassion be our motive rather than fear, anger, and hatred.

[1] This section is revised from the article “What Does the Bible Say about Homosexuality: Answering Revisionist Gay Theology” from Focus on the Family. For the full article, visit http://media.focusonthefamily.com/fotf/pdf/channels/social-issues/what-does-the-bible-say_final3.pdf?refcd=209501

Notes Verse-by-Verse continued

1:28) Because they rejected God in their thinking as well as in their lifestyle, their thought patterns and philosophies became as distorted as their behavior. There is a play on words in the Greek which shows that since they rejected God, God left them to a mind which he rejected – that is, ceased to influence. God has given man a free will and allows it to operate. After some point, God allows those who totally reject him to be free from his influence. Their minds then follow the course of depravity unhindered by God.

The statement that God gave them up (1:24, 26, & 28) implies that these people were in a practically hopeless condition and had made choices that they could not reverse (compare to 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).

People’s minds and thinking are negatively affected by depravity. Depravity hinders people when they must make moral decisions. It causes people to defend their sinful desires and actions.[1]

► What are some examples of the unreasonable excuses people make for their sins?

(1:29-31) In these verses we find a list of terrible sins. Culture and government restrain these tendencies, but they exist in the heart of the sinful man. If cultural and governmental restraints were removed, many people would quickly turn into savages.

The sins and descriptions of sinners listed here are not all completely distinct from each other. Here are some of the main ideas implied by each.

Unrighteousness - a general term, perhaps containing all of the others.

Fornication – any kind of sexual immorality.[2]

Evil – also a general term for wrong actions and wrong character.

Covetousness – a term used much in Greek writings to refer to aggressive selfishness. It describes a person pursuing his own interests, willing to trample the interests of others. It includes the wrongful use of a position of authority for profit.

Malice – inner viciousness and tendency to evil.

Envy – desire for what others have, along with resentment of those who have desirable things.

Murder – the illegal, deliberate killing of another person which is an extreme result of hatred and resentment.

Strife – quarrelsomeness, perhaps from rivalry.

Deceit – fraud, can imply the offering of bait for entrapment.

Maliciousness – spiteful, ready to hurt others for no reason.

Gossips – secret slanderers.

Slanderers – Slanderers ruin others’ reputations by saying evil or false things about them.

Haters of God – They see God as an enemy because his laws condemn them.

Insolent – This person is prideful and cruel. A weak person with this characteristic wants to insult others that he should respect. A powerful person with this characteristic is cruel to others and takes extreme revenge on those who fail to show the respect he wants.

Haughty – Pride is an exalted view of oneself. It is the root of all sin since it motivates the person to rule his own life in defiance of his Creator.

Boastful – exalting self. These people are self-centered. If considered with the other traits here, they exalt themselves deceptively, at the expense of others and to harm others.

Inventors of evil – They are creative in their development of evil and harmful things.

Disobedient to parents – destruction of the family is the result of sin and leads to the further disintegration of society. The sinful tendency finds early expression in the child who rebels against the first authority he knows.

Foolish – not conscious of moral values. This person is not persuaded by reasoning based on morality. It is not a lack of intelligence, but a crippled moral sense that is the result of a wicked heart.

Faithless – untrustworthy. Having left morality and authority, hating absolute truth that does not bend for them, and making self the priority, breaking their promises.

Heartless – the opposite of having protective and affectionate instincts. They can leave their families and follow their own desires. The most basic instincts of love can be twisted. They can abuse the people who depend on their protection.

Implacable – will not be pleased.[3]

Ruthless – without pity. They can observe suffering without having compassion. They are not turned from a wicked direction by seeing the suffering to others that their actions will cause. They are not moved to remorse by seeing the suffering already caused by their own wrongdoing.

(1:32) They know that these things are wrong. Heathen people are not faithfully following even the truth that they have. They know that they are under condemnation. Yet they not only follow sin but approve sin in others. The morality of the society sinks so low that the new standard of conduct approves immorality.

A person who completely accepts sin approves himself as a sinner and approves others as sinners. He can be entertained by the sins of others. People applauded killing in the Roman arenas. Many people in modern times enjoy watching violence and immoral sexual acts. They admire people who excel in the amount of sin they can do.

[1] “It is hard to grasp the full damage sin causes to human personality. Beyond the weakness of a will that has yielded and the clamor of aroused emotions lies a mind that has been dulled and made a slave to desire. It has been taught to make excuses instead of to give reasons. It decides first, and thinks afterwards. It rationalizes, instead of reasons. It sometimes tells the truth but not consistently. It cannot be depended upon... it traded truth for a lie, God for idolatry, wisdom for folly…”
- Wilbur Dayton

[2] Some Greek manuscripts do not have this term in this list.

[3] Many Greek manuscripts do not have this term in this list.

Not every person has actively committed all these sins. However, fallen humanity has a tendency toward all these sins, and every person might have committed any of these sins if they were in different circumstances.

Seneca was a Roman philosopher and government official who lived during the time of Paul. He was not a Christian and was not familiar with the Bible, but he observed that the potential of every sin is in every person. He said, “All vices exist in all men, though all vices do not stand out prominently in each man.”[1] We can observe that Paul's description of the unconverted sinner applies to every time period and every culture.

Government and standards of society restrain much of the evil tendency of individuals. Many people indulge in their hearts and minds sinful desires that they do not openly show because they want the approval of others. People have secret tendencies toward the sins listed in this passage and are guilty of these sins in the heart.

[1] Quoted by F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Romans, in Tyndale Bible Commentaries (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1963), 87.

This passage is primarily a description of people in societies that have not heard the gospel. They rejected the knowledge of God that is revealed in creation and in their consciences. Then they found something else to worship that allowed them to indulge the desires of their sinful nature, and their desires became perverted. This passage explains why those people need the gospel.

The passage is important to everyone, because it lists many kinds of sin and shows that all sin is hated by God. It is also a warning that all sin has the tendency to take the sinner to further wickedness. People who hear the gospel and reject it are in danger of going through the same process of losing their understanding of right and wrong.

The passage explains the conditions we see in our own societies, though the gospel has been preached there. A culture finds a way to make certain sins acceptable, ignoring God’s standard.

Shmagi was born in the country of Georgia, in Eastern Europe. Shmagi’s parents were atheists, and he did not attend church as a child. His name means “quick tempered,” and the name fit his temperament. He frequently got into trouble as a young man. After being convicted of crimes, he was sent to prison in Russia for two years. He was released and returned to Georgia during Georgia’s revolt against Russia.

Shmagi’s liver had been badly damaged by alcohol, and a doctor told him that he would not live long. Shmagi was unhappy with his life and began to feel a desire to know God. He asked some Christian friends to take him to church. At first, they told him that church was not for him. Then they told him he could come to church, if he promised not to argue. He went and was saved at age 22. His life was completely changed.

Shmagi was healed of his liver disease. He had not expected to marry because of his disease, but God gave him a new future. Now he has a wife and three daughters. Shmagi serves as a pastor and ministry trainer.

(1) By what means do people receive General Revelation?

(2) What do all people know about God even without scripture?

(3) What is Special Revelation?

(4) What is idolatry?

(5) Name two ways depravity affects people’s thinking.

Write a page describing the condition of a society that has not heard the gospel but has rejected God. What knowledge of God did they have? What happened to their thinking? Describe their wickedness. Explain why not everyone shows the same kind of wickedness.