Romans 1:17-32 – God Brings Men Low That They Might Come to Their Senses

The Gospel is not merely a message of moral improvement or a new set of rules. It is the very power of God for salvation—because in it, God’s own righteousness is revealed. This is not a righteousness measured by human standards or law-keeping, but the righteousness of God Himself, displayed and vindicated in the death and resurrection of Christ. This is the foundation for our trust, now and for all eternity. The entire structure of God’s kingdom, and our assurance within it, rests on this unshakable foundation: God is righteous, and He has acted righteously in the Gospel.

God on Trial—And Vindicated

We often imagine ourselves as the only ones standing trial before God, but Romans makes it clear: God Himself is on trial before the watching universe. For millennia, humanity has tried every conceivable system—mixing God’s name with human kings, inventing governments without Him, and pursuing utopias apart from His rule. The result? Catastrophe and death on a massive scale. The 20th century alone proved the bankruptcy of every human attempt to establish righteousness apart from God.

But in Christ, God answers every accusation. He deals with sin righteously, not by ignoring it, but by judging it in His own Son. God is vindicated. The cross is not just our acquittal; it is God’s public demonstration that He is just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. When the ages to come unfold, there will be no more questions, no more rebellions—because the righteousness of God has been revealed and established forever in Christ.

The Righteousness of God—Received by Faith

This righteousness is not a distant legal verdict. It is manifested upon all who believe. We are justified before God, before the law, and before every accusation—not by our works, but by faith in Christ. More: Christ Himself, the righteousness of God, now dwells in us. Living by faith is not merely believing we are forgiven, but knowing we have been crucified with Christ and He lives in us. As we walk according to the Spirit, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us. This is the Gospel: not what we do for God, but what God has done for us in Christ, and who Christ is in us.

The Wrath of God—A Holy, Redemptive Tool

Now, Paul turns to the wrath of God. Do not confuse this with human rage or loss of control. God’s wrath is not like ours—polluted, unbalanced, or arbitrary. God’s wrath is as pure, holy, and loving as every other aspect of His character. He is light, love, holiness, and righteousness. Even His wrath is an expression of His perfect nature.

Why does God reveal His wrath? Why does He give men over to the depths of their own depravity? The answer is not arbitrary anger, but pedagogy and hope. God’s wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness—not to destroy for destruction’s sake, but to humble the proud, to bring men low, to exhaust every false hope, so that—like the prodigal son in the pigpen—they might finally come to their senses and turn to Him.

This is not a secondary matter. If you lose sight of God’s purpose in wrath, you lose the Gospel itself. If you imagine God’s wrath as mere vindictiveness, you will never understand the hope that is offered to the worst of sinners. God’s wrath is revealed so that some might be brought to repentance and salvation through Christ. To deny this is to undermine the very logic of justification and the finished work.

Suppressing the Truth—The Path to Darkness

Paul exposes the root problem: men suppress the truth about God. Though God’s invisible attributes—His eternal power and divine nature—are clearly seen in creation, men refuse to glorify Him or give thanks. Instead, they become vain in their imaginations, their hearts are darkened, and they exchange the glory of God for idols. This is not an innocent mistake; it is a willful rejection. The result is a downward spiral: from idolatry to debasement, from uncleanness to a reprobate mind, from knowing the truth to delighting in evil.

This is not just a description of “them out there.” Before we were saved, this was us. The first response to the gift of existence should be thanksgiving, but we were unthankful, puffed up, and alienated from the life of God. The conscience, meant to shine God’s light, becomes twisted—accusing, excusing, and ultimately silenced by self-justifying lies. Legalism and self-righteousness are just as much a suppression of the truth as open idolatry.

God Gives Them Over—A Severe Mercy

Three times, Paul says, “God gave them over.” This is not God abandoning His creation, but God allowing men to experience the full consequences of their choices. He gives them over to uncleanness, to vile affections, to a reprobate mind. The result is a culture filled with every form of unrighteousness, malice, and contempt for God. This is not arbitrary; it is the necessary outcome of rejecting the truth.

Yet even here, God’s goal is redemptive. He brings men low so that, stripped of every illusion, they might finally cry out for mercy. The prodigal son had to taste the emptiness of rebellion before he could return home. So too, God allows humanity to reach the end of itself, that some might be saved. This is not universalism; not all will repent. But as long as it is called “today,” the door of salvation stands open.

What Is Lost If This Is Denied?

If you deny that God’s wrath is a redemptive tool—if you reduce it to mere anger or ignore it altogether—you lose the very logic of the Gospel. You undermine the righteousness of God, the necessity of Christ’s cross, and the hope of restoration for the worst of sinners. You collapse justification into mere moral improvement, and you forfeit the foundation of sonship and inheritance. The Gospel is not “be better”; it is “be brought low, that you might be raised up in Christ.” To accept any other logic is to abandon the very heart of Pauline doctrine.

Creation—God’s Universal Witness

No one is left with an excuse. The universe itself proclaims God’s attributes—His power, His wisdom, His vast love. The scale of creation is designed to communicate the scale of His mercy, His thoughts, His protection. Even those who have never read Scripture know, deep down, that there is a God and that judgment is coming. They suppress this truth, but it is there. When we preach the Gospel, we are not introducing something foreign, but calling men to acknowledge what they already know and to turn to the only One who can save.

The Inevitable Exposure of Religious Hypocrisy

Finally, beware the trap of self-righteous judgment. The religious person who reads Romans 1 and thinks, “Yes, get them, God!” is next in Paul’s sights. In Romans 2, Paul will expose the hypocrisy of those who judge others while practicing the same things. The law does not justify; it exposes. Every mouth will be stopped. All are condemned—Jew and Gentile alike—so that the righteousness of God in Christ might be revealed as the only hope.

Conclusion

God reveals both His righteousness and His wrath—not to destroy, but to save. He brings men low, not to leave them in the dust, but to prepare them for the only foundation that will stand: Christ and His finished work. The Gospel is not advice for the strong, but good news for the broken. Let every mouth be stopped, let every hope in self be dashed, and let Christ alone be exalted as our righteousness, our life, and our hope.