Romans 1:18–25

Context

This passage is part of the Epistle to the Romans, a letter Paul wrote to the church in Rome, which he had not yet visited. In 1:16–17, Paul declares that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. From verse 18 through 3:20, he argues that Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin, and this section forms the first part of that argument. Paul says that the wrath of God is revealed against those who, though they could have known God, did not glorify him and instead served the creature. The phrase "God also gave them up" in verse 24 recurs in verses 26 and 28. It is commonly understood to mean that God's wrath is revealed in his handing people over to the path they have chosen for themselves.

Interpretation

• As general revelation: The Reformed tradition reads verse 20 as the basis for "general revelation," the doctrine that God reveals himself to all people through the things he has made. John Calvin held that human beings possess a "sense of divinity" (sensus divinitatis). He maintained, however, that this knowledge only leaves people without excuse and does not bring them to salvation.
• As a basis for natural theology: At the First Vatican Council (1870), the Catholic Church cited this passage in teaching that human beings can know God with certainty by the light of reason. By contrast, Karl Barth rejected natural theology, the attempt to know God through reason and nature apart from revelation.
• As connected with prevenient grace: Wesleyan theology attributes humanity's dim knowledge of God to the working of prevenient grace, which is given beforehand to all people.
• As an echo of the biblical story: Some biblical scholars hold that the reference in verse 23 to "corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things" recalls the creation account of Genesis 1. They also see the language of exchanging glory as resembling Psalm 106:20, which recounts the golden calf incident: "Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass." On these grounds, they read the section as an account of the Fall of all humanity, including Adam and Israel, rather than of the Gentiles alone.

Debates and Issues

• The Greek word rendered "hold" in verse 18 ("who hold the truth in unrighteousness") can also mean "suppress." Accordingly, some interpret the verse to mean that people suppress the truth even while knowing it.
• The statement that even those who have not heard the gospel can know God well enough to be "without excuse" is often raised in discussions of religious pluralism that address the salvation of such people.
• Verses 26–27, which immediately follow, are a central text in discussions of homosexuality and the church, and this section is read alongside them as the premise for their interpretation. Denominations and scholars differ on whether these verses can be applied directly to present-day circumstances.

In the Korean Church

Verse 20 is frequently cited in sermons and evangelism that explain belief in creation or introduce God through nature.

Related Passages

• Psalm 19:1
• Acts 14:17
• Acts 17:24–28
• Romans 2:14–15
• Romans 3:10–12