Sermon Tone Analysis

The Unrighteous Suppression of Truth (18-19)

The Wrath of God

What is meant by the phrase ὀργὴ θεοῦ ‘wrath of God’?

ORGE: strong indignation directed at wrongdoing, with focus on retribution.

36x in the NT.

Translated wrath 28x, anger 6x, and fierce wrath 2x.

It appears in the LXX 230x.

87x from the Hebrew אַף.

Nose, an idiom, his nose became hot, has to do with the flaring of the nostrils.

Hot anger.

Another idiom, long nose of God, is used to refer to his being slow to anger.

The Revelation of Divine Wrath

Why do we no longer tell sinners to repent of their sin and flee from the wrath that is coming?

The Revelation of Divine Wrath

ἀποκαλύπτω: it is a present tense, indicative mood verb.

It should be understood as being currently being revealed.

It means to cause something to be fully known, reveal, disclose, bring to light.

This word appears 26x in the NT; 25x it is rendered reveal and 1x, revelation.

In what sense is the wrath of God revealed?

The Objects of Divine Wrath

God’s wrath is being manifested in action in human history.

It is revealed in the current conditions of the world.

It is revealed in both natural as well as moral evil.

What positive aspects does the wrath of God reveal about God?

The Objects of Divine Wrath

We need to stop seeing people as the victims of sin and start seeing them as the perpetrators of sin.

All ungodliness and unrighteousness of men

Who are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.

κατέχω: present active participle.

It means to prevent the doing of something or cause to be ineffective, prevent, hinder, restrain.

The Sensus Divinitatis

There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity.2

This we take to be beyond controversy.

To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God himself has implanted bin all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty

Therefore, since from the beginning of the world there has been no region, no city, in short, no household, that could do without religion, there lies in this a tacit confession of a sense of deity inscribed in the hearts of all.

It is evident within them; for God made it evidence to them.

The phrase “that which is known about God” speaks to the knowability of God possessed by all men.

It is plainly within them.

God made it plain within them.

The Unrighteous Refusal to Acknowledge God (20-21)

Start here 8/6/18

The Culpability of all Humanity

1-6

ἀναπολόγητος: This is from the apologia, where we get our word apologetics, defending the faith.

Those who live in God’s world while refusing to acknowledge God do not have a defense for their worldview.

The Refuse to Acknowledge God as God

They knew God.

But they engaged in the practice of self-deception.

They did not acknowledge God or give thanks.

Futile Speculations and a Darkened Heart

ματαιόω: render futile/worthless.

to be given over to worthlessness.

ἀσύνετος: void of understanding, senseless, foolish, implying also a lack of high moral quality.

1 cor

The Unrighteous Act of Distorting the Nature of God (22-23)

Start here 8/6/2018

The Exaltation of Human Reason

The Degradation of the Incorruptible God

Verses 24-32 are made up of three paragraphs: 1) 24-25 begins with the logical inference dio, and moves to a summary of what was just stated in 18-23; 2) 26-29 describes in detail the consequences of their rejecting God; 3) 29-32 provides the ontological state of sinners.

Summary of God’s Revealed Wrath (24-25)

1.

διό is a conjunction, functions as a logical inference.

Therefore, or for this reason.

To understand the connection between what is about to be said we have to look back at what was just said.

God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts - to impurity

Gave: Aorist focusing on the entire action of giving them over.

Impurity: a state of moral corruption.

So that their bodies would be dishonored

Dishonor: Middle Voice, deprive someone of honor, respect, to shame.

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie

By worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator

God is far less sensitive than modern American Christians.

He calls men out for the wicked people they are and renders them without excuse.

God’s Wrath Revealed in Detail (26-28)

For this reason: again we must read backwards in order to understand what is coming.

What is coming is coming because of what has just passed us.

God gave: same Greek word παραδίδωμι and same form as above.

Degrading passions: Greek word ἀτιμία, a state of dishonor, or disrespect.

Used 7x in the GNT.

It is used to describe things that are shameful.

This lust is, among other lusts, a shameful lust, a dishonorable lust.

The desire itself is shameful.

Homosexual desires are shameful desires and the acts are described as unnatural.

Unnatural: παρὰ φύσιν which literally means against nature, contrary to nature.

Homosexual acts are further described by Paul as indecent acts, ἀσχημοσύνη, behavior that elicits disgrace, shameless deed.

παρὰ φύσιν

They are receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error

Penalty, ἀντιμισθία, recompense based on what one deserves, either positive or negative, but with special emphasis upon the reciprocal nature of the recompense.

I believe this could be a mind that is filled with turmoil, discontentment, and despair.

God gave them (same word) 3x now over

A depraved mind: semantic domain is ethical, moral, pertaining to not being in accordance with what is right, appropriate, or fitting.

Not fitting.

To do those things which are not proper, καθήκω, to be fitting, right, possible moral judgment involved.

The True State of the Unregenerate

πληρόω, being filled with

to cause someone to be full.

It is the same Greek word used in where believers are commanded to be filled with the Spirit.

What are they filled with?

rom 1

Read the list

Wickedness

-5

They are worthy of death