Look at the beginning of Romans 1:17 and 1:18:
For the | righteousness | of God is revealed | in the gospel… |
For the | wrath | of God is revealed | from heaven… |
Two different things are revealed from two different sources.
In verse seventeen the righteousness of God, that is, the justification that God provides for sinners, is revealed in the gospel. The way of salvation is made known to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is specifically the death of Christ in our place that paid our sin debt and gives us a right standing before God.
In verse eighteen the wrath of God, that is the just condemnation that God pronounces over sinners, is revealed from heaven, that is, at God’s divine appointment. This would most certainly include destructive natural events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, but also includes the law that is written on our hearts which testifies against us (Romans 2:15).
The wrath of God is already made known to us. Our only hope is in the righteousness provided through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. It is to the gospel, not the world around us, that we must turn for salvation and peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment