Understanding God’s Wrath (pt. 4)
1st Depraved Gentile society: 1:18-32
2nd Moralists: 2:1-16
3rd Self-confident Jewish person: 2:17-3:8
4th Entire human race: 3:9-20
1st God’s wrath is not like our wrath
2nd God’s wrath is provoked
3rd God is slow to anger
Exodus 34:6-7 ESV
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”
2 Peter 3:9 NIV
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
4th God’s wrath is already being revealed
Romans 1:18 NIV
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…
Romans 1:24 NIV
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
Romans 1:26 NIV
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.
Romans 1:28 NIV
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
5th God’s wrath is being stored up
6th God’s wrath is on all sinners
John 3:36 ESV
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Ephesians 2:3 ESV
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Romans 3:9a ESV
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all.
Romans 3:1, 2 ESV
Then what advantage has the Jew? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
Romans 3:9b ESV
For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
1st Mankind is guilty in regard to their character
Romans 3:10 ESV
as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
Romans 3:11a ESV
no one understands…
1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Ephesians 4:18 NIV
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
Romans 3:11b ESV
no one seeks for God.
Romans 3:12a ESV
All have turned aside…
Romans 3:12b ESV
together they have become worthless…
Romans 3:12c ESV
…no one does good, not even one.
Luke 16:15 NKJV
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
2nd Mankind is guilty in regard to their conversation
Romans 3:13a ESV
“Their throat is an open grave…”
Romans 3:13b ESV
“they use their tongues to deceive.”
Romans 3:13c ESV
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
Romans 3:14 ESV
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
3rd Mankind is guilty in regard to their conduct
Romans 3:15 ESV
“Their feet are swift to shed blood…”
Romans 3:16 ESV
in their paths are ruin and misery,
Romans 3:17 ESV
and the way of peace they have not known.
Romans 3:18 ESV
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
1st The fear of God is a respect for God’s greatness, glory, and majesty.
Hebrews 12:28, 29 NIV
Therefore, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
2nd The fear of God is the desire to worship God.
1 John 1:3 NIV
Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
3rd The fear of God is a consciousness that God is the Judge of all the earth and we are in His hands.
Hebrews 10:30-31 NLT
For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The LORD will judge his own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
4th The fear of God is a fear of facing His punishment.
Luke 12:5 NLT
But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.
Romans 3:19a ESV
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law…
Romans 3:19 ESV
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
Romans 3:20 ESV
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:20 NLT
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
1. No one is innocent before God.
2. Keeping the law cannot make a person innocent before God.
3. Because God is just He must and will punish sinners.
4. Jesus took your place, took the punishment for your sin, so that if you put your faith in Him your sins will be forgiven.
