Romans 1 is one of the clearest passages in the New Testament that teaches that all mankind, even though they know God, has rejected and sinned against Him and turned to idols.

The wrath of God is a doctrine found in Scripture that is often rejected or downplayed by the unbelieving world and even those who profess to be Christians. But the apostle Paul makes it clear in Romans 1 that the wrath of God is a biblical doctrine that should be understood and embraced. In fact, to not understand the wrath of God is to seriously misunderstand His essential being or who He is.

Romans 1 is a profound paragraph that teaches that God's righteous wrath is being revealed or poured out against every immoral, unbelieving pagan—this is true of all of human history and even today. But it is crucial to understand that the immoral pagan who rejects God isn’t without excuse, because they know God and His law, even if they have never read the Scripture

At the heart of Paul’s teaching, beginning in Romans 1:18, is that God’s wrath is being revealed against the immoral pagan who has willingly rejected Him. Even though this biblical truth is difficult to comprehend, it plays a crucial role in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because although man deserves God’s eternal wrath and punishment, He has provided a way for man to be forgiven of his sins and to be justified before him.

There are many atheists in the world who deny the existence of God, and they do so for a variety of reasons. There are also agnostics who doubt the existence of God for many other reasons. But one of the primary reasons for their denial of God in both cases is that there simply isn’t enough evidence of God. But according to the apostle Paul in Romans 1, God has given evidence of Himself in the world that He has created.

God, in His Word, has told us that He has made himself known to all mankind through what theologians call “general revelation,” that is, through creation, conscience, and providence. But because of man’s sinfulness, we have suppressed this great truth, rejected God, and chosen our own rebellious, sinful ways

So far in our study of Romans 1, Pastor Tom has helped us understand two key realities: 1) God’s wrath is a biblical doctrine, and it must be understood and believed; and 2) all mankind knows God exists through what God has revealed of Himself in the created world. But rather than graciously responding to God’s revelation of Himself, all mankind suppresses that truth and does not give Him glory.

In Romans 1:18–20, the apostle Paul teaches that the existence of God has been abundantly made clear in His creation, in nature. Therefore, all mankind knows God exists, yet, according to Romans 1, utterly rejects him. And this rejection isn’t accidental but a willful, informed rejection of the one true God.

Rather than seeking after and submitting to the God of the Bible, all mankind rejects the truth about Him and desires to live in a way that is antithetical to the Bible. In doing so, mankind creates worldviews that are opposed to what God has revealed in Scripture and His Son, Jesus Christ. In Romans 1, the apostle makes this very point: unredeemed humanity would rather worship the created things of this world than the God of this world.