Romans 1:20-21

DISCOURSE: 1822
THE LOST STATE OF THE GENTILE WORLD

Romans 1:20. They are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God.

HERE the plan of the epistle begins to be developed. St. Paul, intending to prove that there was one only way of salvation for the whole race of mankind, begins with shewing, that the Gentile world were altogether guilty before God, and lying under a just sentence of condemnation. In the next chapter he shews the same respecting the Jews: and, in the third, he confirms, from the Scriptures of truth, all that he hath spoken respecting both the one and the other; and from thence deduces the general conclusion, that they are all shut up unto the faith of Christ, and must seek salvation by him alone.
In this present discourse we shall have to consider the state of the Gentiles, against whom universally the judgments of God are denounced; “the wrath of God being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,” and especially against “those who hold (or imprison) the truth in unrighteousness,” which they have done in all ages of the world [Note: ver. 18.].

But that we may bring the matter home to ourselves also, we shall shew

I. How inexcusable they are for their conduct towards God—

The Gentiles have in every age had sufficient opportunities of attaining the knowledge of God—
[The things of God which are exclusively made known to us in the book of revelation, they could not be acquainted with, because the light of revelation was not vouchsafed to them: but the book of creation was open to them, and equally legible to all; and from thence they might acquire a considerable knowledge of God s nature and perfections. In beholding the heavenly bodies all moving in their orbits; and the earth so abundantly furnished with every thing for the accommodation of man; and man himself the most noble of all God’s works, his body so curiously wrought, and his soul so richly endowed; in beholding these things, I say, they could not but know, that there was some superior Being, who had formed them all. They could not look upon any work of art,—a house, for instance, or a watch, or any thing that required skill,—but their minds must of necessity be led to contemplate the maker of it: and a similar necessity was imposed upon them by all the works of creation. Having traced up every thing to a First Cause, they must see that, as He was the cause of all that existed besides himself, there could be nothing to give existence to him; and that consequently, he must be self-existent and eternal. Moreover, they must see, from the immensity and the excellency of all his works, that there can be no limit to his wisdom, his power, or his goodness; but that these perfections of his must of necessity be infinite. That these deductions were open to them we are sure, because some of their more enlightened philosophers have actually made these discoveries, though certainly with less clearness and precision than we by the means of revelation are enabled to do. And God himself affirms it in the verses preceding our text; saying, that the things concerning him which were invisible to human eyes, were nevertheless “clearly to be seen and understood in his visible works, even his eternal power and Godhead [Note: ver. 19, 20.].” St. Paul also, when addressing heathens, quotes to them their own poets, to shew, that, in the representations which they foolishly made of the Supreme Being, they did in fact violate the law that was in their own minds, and act contrary to the light that was within them [Note: Acts 17:28.]

But they did not improve these opportunities aright—
[They entertained most unworthy conceptions of the Deity. Instead of regarding him as a Spirit who pervaded all space, they “made images of him like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things;” and then bowed down to the work of their own hands, and said, “Deliver me; for thou art my god [Note: Compare ver. 23. with Isaiah 44:9.].” What could be more insulting to the Divine Majesty than such conduct as this?

Moreover they testified no gratitude towards him for all the benefits that he conferred upon them. Innumerable were the blessings which in constant succession he bestowed upon them [Note: Acts 14:16.]; yet “were they not thankful [Note: ver. 21.],” but abused his gifts, instead of taking occasion from them to love and glorify the Giver.

They sought not in any thing to please him, nor cared however much they might displease him. The abominations they committed cannot even be thought of but with horror and amazement [Note: ver. 26, 27.]. And, whilst they were thus bent on the gratification of their lusts and appetites, and purposely cast out of their minds all those notices of a Supreme Being, which from time to time arose to check them in their excesses [Note: ver. 28.], they were given over to the dominion of every hateful disposition that could assimilate them to the god of this world, whose willing servants they were. What an assemblage of evils was there accumulated in their character [Note: ver. 29–31.]! — — — Yet was this representation of them by no means overcharged. Their own historians, and poets, and philosophers have justified every word that is here spoken. What the poet said of the Cretans might, with few exceptions, be applied to all; “The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow-bellies [Note: Titus 1:12.],” a wretched compound of falsehood, and cruelty, and abominable sensuality.

Nor were they merely impelled to these things by the impetuosity of their own passions; for, whilst they had internal convictions of the impiety of this conduct, they deliberately approved and honoured those who were most addicted to it.]

From hence it appears how inexcusable they were, and how justly sentenced to eternal condemnation—
[Had they been able to plead ignorance, they would have had some kind of excuse: but they could not do this: for “they did really know God;” but “did not choose to retain him in their knowledge:” and so far were they from having this plea to extenuate their crimes, that the light which they resisted constitutes the heaviest aggravation of their guilt: “This is their condemnation, that they loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil [Note: John 3:19.].” Again, if they could not plead ignorance, neither could they plead necessity; for they were under no necessity to dishonour God in this way, either from without or from within. They were perfectly free agents in all that they did: and though they could not, nor can any child of man, fulfil all the Divine will, or themselves do any thing spiritually good, yet they might have abstained from much which they did amiss, and done much which they neglected to do: and therefore they are justly chargeable with all the guilt that they contracted; and are as reprehensible before God for not using the powers which they possessed, as they would have been if those powers had been ever so enlarged.

All that has been spoken in reference to the heathen in former days, is still applicable to them at this time. The notices of a Deity may be much more obscured in the minds of some than of others; and the criminality of all must be estimated in some measure according to the peculiar circumstances under which they live: but, inasmuch as all violate the law that is in their own minds, and neglect to improve the advantages they enjoy, they all are obnoxious to the charge contained in our text, and are therefore “without excuse.”]
But, that we may bring this matter home to ourselves, let us consider,

II.

How much more inexcusable we are, if we resemble them—

We have opportunities of knowing God, far beyond any that the heathen ever enjoyed—
[Even in reading the book of creation, we, by means of our superior advantages, are enabled to see much that was hid from them, or, at least, to discover with incomparably greater clearness the unity and perfections of God, which they could but faintly and doubtingly discern. But we have a revelation, wherein God has proclaimed his own name, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty [Note: Exodus 34:6].” We have also a yet clearer revelation of God in the person of his own Son, who is “the image of the invisible God [Note: Colossians 1:15.],” “the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person [Note: Hebrews 1:3.].” Nor is it from words only that we discover his excellency, but from actions also. We behold our God incarnate: we behold his glory veiled, so that, without being blinded with the overwhelming splendour of his majesty, we may contemplate him, and familiarize ourselves, as it were, with his adorable perfections. In this especially the most ignorant amongst us excels all the greatest philosophers of Greece and Rome; we behold the attribute of mercy; we can tell how that may be exercised in perfect consistency with justice: we can tell how God can be “just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly [Note: Romans 3:26; Romans 4:5.].” In a word, all the wonders of redeeming love are set before us in terms so plain, that “he who runs may read them.”]

But how have we improved these advantages?
[Have we glorified God as God, or his blessed Son as the one hope of a ruined world? Alas! alas! if we take a survey of our own spirit and conduct through life, we shall find, that there has been but little difference between us and heathens.

Consider our defects. “We have not glorified God as God, neither been thankful.” What might justly have been expected of persons privileged as we have been? Might it not have been reasonably hoped that persons redeemed from death and hell by the blood of God’s only dear Son should have been incessantly pouring out their souls in grateful adorations, and dedicating to his service their every faculty, and every instant of their time? Methinks, it should have been a work of pain and self-denial to devote so much as a thought to any other subject, especially to any subject unconnected with this. But have our hearts been thus exercised? Has it been thus our delight to anticipate the employment of heaven? Or rather, have not the wonders of redemption had far less influence on our minds than the things of time and sense? Yea, have they not for the most part been passed by, as though they were only “a cunningly-devised fable,” wherein we had no interest?

Consider also our errors. We have not, it is true, transformed our God into an idol: but we have had scarcely more worthy conceptions of him than if he had been an idol. In theory we have ascribed to him the different perfections of his nature; but in practice we have denied them all—his omniscience, his holiness, his justice, and his truth, by vainly imagining, either that he did not behold, or that he would not punish, our iniquities. We, as he himself tells us, have “thought him to be even such an one as ourselves:” whilst exalting in our minds his attribute of mercy, we have, in fact, divested him of all that belongs to him as the Governor of the universe: a God all mercy, is a God unjust.

Consider yet further our excesses. These, as to the overt act, do not proceed to such extremes as were common among the Gentiles: but the abominations that we do commit, sufficiently shew, that we are not restrained by any regard to God, so much as by public laws and popular opinion. Christianity having elevated the general tone of morals, those hideous crimes which were but too frequent among the Gentiles are scarcely so much as thought of amongst us: but, in all that we can do consistently with the laws of society, we are not a whit superior to the heathen themselves. What juster picture could the Apostle have drawn, if he had intended to describe, what is improperly called, the Christian world? Take us as a people, and say, whether we are not “filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; yea, whether we be not full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whether we be not whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, implacable, unmerciful: and say particularly, whether, notwithstanding [Note: ver. 29–31. In reading this, pause after every word.] we know the evil of such things, we do not both practise them ourselves, and choose for our friends and companions those who are guilty of those very practices? Who, I would ask, are the favourites with the world? the godly, and they who are conformed to the Saviour’s image? No: but the ungodly, who by their conduct and example sanction all the corruptions of the human heart [Note: ver. 32.]

How inexcusable then must we be!
[Verily, “the men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment against us;” yea, the Gentiles also, throughout the universe, will condemn us, because of the extent to which we have imitated their evils, and abused our infinitely superior advantages. “The Gospel which we enjoy, if it prevail not with us to put away our sins, and to walk as Christ walked,” will only prove to us “a savour of death” to our more aggravated and heavier condemnation [Note: 2 Corinthians 2:16.]. “If Christ had not come and spoken unto us, we had not had sin: but now we have no cloak for our sin [Note: John 15:22.].”]

See then,
1.

How thankful we should be for the Gospel of Christ!

[Doubtless one reason why the world was left without a Saviour for four thousand years, was, that the world might see how little they could do to restore themselves to the favour and image of God. At no period were the powers of the human intellect carried to a greater extent, than at the time of our Saviour’s advent: but what did philosophy effect? what did it effect even amongst those who most exalted it? Nothing to any good purpose. The poets and philosophers themselves were as much addicted to sin as the vulgar, whom they looked down upon with contempt: and, if it were not for the light of the Gospel, we should be as much immersed in sensuality as they. Let this be borne in mind, that, whether born in a Christian or a heathen land, we are all by nature equally corrupt and helpless; and all need a Saviour, the one as much as the other. To us a Saviour is revealed, and precisely such an one as we stand in need of. O let us then bless our God for the revelation of his grace: let us be thankful that we see what many prophets and kings desired to see, but desired it in vain: and let Christ, who is the sum and substance of the Gospel, be truly “precious” to all our souls.]

2. What effect our superior advantages should produce upon us—

[We should aspire after the highest possible attainments, in love and gratitude, in purity and holiness. We should aim at “glorifying God as God,” and Christ as Christ. Let us then contemplate Christ in all his offices, as our Prophet, as our Priest, as our King. Let us not be contented with a theoretical or superficial survey of his character, but let us search into it, and ruminate upon it, and get our souls suitably impressed with it. Let us get such views of him, as shall render us insensible to all created excellency; as a man who looks at the meridian sun is blinded to all inferior objects. Let us in these holy exercises seek to obtain a conformity to his image; agreeably to what the Apostle has said, “We beholding his glory are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [Note: 2 Corinthians 3:18.].” Let no measure of resemblance to him ever satisfy us; no efforts in his service ever content us. Let us, even if we have attained an apostolic measure of zeal and holiness, “forget it all, and reach forward” to higher attainments [Note: Philippians 3:13.]. Let our trust in him be simple; our fellowship with him intimate; our confidence in him assured; our expectation from him large; our devotion to him ardent; our obedience uniform; our surrender of ourselves to him entire, and unreserved. Let us live for him, and “walk worthy of him;” so that he may be glorified, yea, and “be magnified in us” also, both in life and death [Note: Philippians 1:20.].”]