ACC ~ Romans 1 v18

THE RELATION OF TRUTH TO WRATH. TERTULLIAN: Whose wrath? The Creator’s, of course! The truth therefore belongs to the Creator, as does the wrath, which has to be revealed in order to vindicate the truth. AGAINST MARCION 5.13.

AGAINST ALL UNGODLINESS. ORIGEN: Here the wrath of God is said to be revealed not in part but against all ungodliness and wickedness; yet not against all men but only against those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. … Ungodliness refers to sin against God; wickedness, to sin against human beings. Those who suppress the truth by their wickedness sin against both God and humanity. Humans know this truth by the natural and God-given powers of the mind. Enough wisdom is given to them so that they might know what is known of God, i.e., what may be known of God, apprehending the invisible things from those things which can be seen, using the powers of human thought. For this reason God’s judgment is just on those who, before the coming of Christ, could have known God but instead turned away from him and fell into worshiping images of men and animals. To sum up: to worship anything at all apart from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the offense of ungodliness. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

THE REVELATION OF BOTH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. AMBROSIASTER: Just as the righteousness of God is revealed in the one who believes, as I recalled earlier, so ungodliness and unrighteousness are revealed in the one who does not believe. From the very structure of heaven it appears that God is angry with them. For this reason he made the stars so beautiful that from them he might be known as their great and wonderful Creator, and alone be adored. It is written in the eighteenth psalm: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork,”and so the human race is made guilty by the natural law. For men could learn this by the law of nature, with the structure of the world bearing witness that God its author ought alone to be loved, which Moses put down in writing. But they became ungodly, not worshiping the Creator, and so unrighteousness appeared in them, in that seeing they suppressed the truth, not confessing the one God. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

SUPPRESSING THE TRUTH. APOLLINARIS OF LAODICEA: This means that although the visible creation was sufficient to reveal the invisible God, they nevertheless abandoned God and deified creatures instead, “suppressing the truth of God in unrighteousness.” PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPENT. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: Since the forthcoming punishment of the ungodly and unrighteous has already been decreed, it is essential to walk in the righteousness of faith, in order to avoid the evils to come. Paul rightly said that the wrath of God is being revealed … in this present age, when God restrains himself and does not render the full punishment, so as not to remove the opportunity to repent, with the result that either they will turn around and be saved or else they will turn away and have no excuse. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

FROM GENTLER TO DREADFUL THINGS. CHRYSOSTOM: Notice Paul’s discretion, that after encouraging the Romans by the gentler things he turns to the more dreadful ones. For after saying that the gospel is the cause of salvation and life, that it is the power of God, and that it brings forth salvation and righteousness, he mentions what might well make them fear, if they were heedless of it. For since in general most men are drawn not as much by the promise of what is good as by the fear of what is painful, Paul draws them on both sides. It was because of this that God not only promised a kingdom; he threatened hell as well. The prophets spoke to the Jews in the same way, always mingling the evil with the good. Paul changes tack for the same reason, but not arbitrarily. Notice how he puts the good things first and after them the bad ones, in order to show that the former came from the guiding purpose of God but the latter from the wickedness of their backsliding. The prophet also puts the good first: “If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured by the sword.”

“The wrath of God is revealed from heaven”—and this often takes place in famines and plagues and wars, for then each person individually and all in common are punished. What will be new then about this coming judgment? The punishment will be greater and common to all, and it will have a different purpose. For what happens now happens for correction, but then it will be for vengeance. Paul showed this elsewhere when he said: “But when we are judged by the Lord we are chastened, so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” Another point is that now many of these things seem to come not from the wrath from above but from human malice. But then the punishment from God will be manifest, when the Judge, sitting upon the terrible tribunal, will order some to be dragged to the furnaces, some to the outer darkness, and some to other inexorable and intolerable punishments. Why then does he not speak as clearly as this … but says rather that “the wrath of God is revealed”? This is because his hearers were still new converts, and he wants to win them over by talking in a way they can accept. And besides what is stated here, he seems to me to be aiming at the Greeks. This is why he starts with God’s wrath and only afterwards introduces the subject of Christ’s judgment.

The ways of ungodliness are many, but the way of truth is only one. Error is something various and multiform and compound, but the truth is one. After speaking of doctrines, Paul speaks of life, mentioning the unrighteousness of humanity. For there are also different kinds of unrighteousness. One is in financial affairs, as when someone deals unrighteously with his neighbor in these, and another in regard to women, when a man leaves his own wife and intrudes upon the marriage of another. … Others do not injure wife or property but the reputation of their neighbor, and this too is unrighteousness. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 3.

COUNTERING MANICHEAN FANTASIES ON THE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: If, as the Manichees claim, the God of the Old Testament is cruel because he brings vengeance on sinners, how is it said by the apostle here that vengeance will be brought by the God of the New Testament on the ungodly? From this it appears that the God of the Old and the God of the New Testament are one and the same. THE HOLY LETTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS.

REPROOF OF IDOLATRY. AUGUSTINE: Those whom the apostle reproved knew but did not give thanks and, claiming to be wise, actually became fools and fell into idolatry. For when the apostle spoke to the Athenians, he showed plainly that the wise among the Gentiles had discovered the Creator. … He condemned the unbelief of the Gentiles first, in order to show that they could obtain grace if they converted. For it would be unjust for them to suffer a penalty for unbelief but not obtain the reward of faith. AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 3.

TO STUN THOSE WHO REBEL. THEODORET OF CYR: For nature taught them both that God is the Creator of all things and also that they should flee unrighteousness and embrace righteousness. But even when teachers were given to them, they did not live up to this. So God threatened them with future punishment. … This punishment is called the wrath of God, not because God punishes people for any emotional reason but in order to stun those who rebel against him. INTERPRETATION OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS.

UNGODLINESS AND WICKEDNESS. GENNADIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE: Generally speaking there are two main types of sin—discord with God and discord with one’s neighbor. Paul mentions them both, putting discord with God first because it is the greater sin, and calling it “ungodliness.” He then mentions the second kind of discord, the one with one’s neighbor, calling it “wickedness.” He even states that our entire race has rightly come under judgment, saying that they have suppressed the truth in wickedness. Nor can they claim to be ignorant, for knowing the truth, they perverted it. … And outlining their sins, Paul lists the one against God first, saying that they had clear and plain knowledge about God because God had revealed himself to them. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

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