Biblical Theological Seminary

Summer Theological Institute 1986

The Book of Romans

Dr. Robert C. Newman

 

ROMANS 1 AND2:

GOD INCOSMOS AND CONSCIENCE

 

Introduction

 

            Comparemodern secular society with ancient Greco‑Roman:     

                        Theoreticalatheism more common now, but not unknown then

                        Practicalatheism rather common in both societies

            Paul'sargument from general revelation:

                        Openshis section on human guilt before God (1:18‑3:20)

                                    1stpart on man without Bible (1:18‑2:16)

                                    2ndpart on man with Bible (2:17‑3:8)

            Not going to exegete whole section 1:18‑2:16

                        Buta few selected verses showing "God has not left himself w/o witness"even to those without the Bible.

 

ManŐs Responsibility (1:18)

 

            Godis angry at man's sin

            Mansuppresses God's truth

 

Evidence from the Cosmos (1:19‑20)

 

            God'sinvisible attributes (divine nature, eternal power)

                        Revealed,perceived, plainly seen, understood, w/o excuse, suppress truth

                        Inor by the things that are made

            How?  Not told, but hint in "things thatare made"

                        cpPs 19:1 "handiwork"; Acts 14:17: gives rain, crops, food, joy;

                        Acts17:24‑29: man is God‑made not vice versa

                        i.e.,the evidence relates to a maker analogy (cp Dorothy Sayers, The Mind of theMaker)

            Probably details left openso men can rethink in terms of each generation's knowledge and technology

            Even in antiquity, themarvelous nature of mankind, life, environment realized; didn't look like workof chance (note universality of belief in God, below).

            Though argument thought tobe somewhat dliuted by Darwin's evolutionary theory, evidence has come onstrong in recent years: universe with origin, life not accidental, design ininanimate universe.

 


Evidence from the Conscience (1:32;2:1; 2:14‑15)

 

            Rom1:21‑32 sketches consequences of rejecting God

                        Theoretical:replacement of God by man & lesser animals

                                    (theism=> polytheism, animism)

                        Practical:

                                    Abandonmentof created sex for perverted

                                    (maritalsex => free sex, homosexuality, bestiality => various diseases)

                                    Abandonmentof created morality for perverted

                                    (disapproval,avoidance of sin => practice, approval of wickedness)

                        God'sinvisible attributes (righteousness, impartiality, justice)

                                    Revealed,perceived, plainly seen, understood (well enough to judge others), w/o excuse(2:1), suppress truth (in approving wickedness in self & friends, 1:32)

                                    Inor by one thing that is made (human conscience)

                                    How?  Not told, but suggestions in context

                                                CollectiveConscience Argument:

                                                            seeSamuel Zwemer, The Origin of Religion

                                                            DonRichardson, Eternity in Their Hearts

                                                            Anthropologistshave found that evolutionary model of rising level of religion not in accordwith observations; animists, etc., believe in a high god from which they havebecome estranged.

                                                            C.S.Lewis has compiled lists of moral standards found    throughout mankind; see his Abolition of Man

                                                IndividualConscience Argument:

                                                             C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity: universal; not reduceable to logic,preference

                                                            KennethL. Pike in "Christianity and Culture: I. Conscience and Culture" JournalASA 31 (1979): 8‑12:universal; anger as calibrating conscience

 

Conclusions

 

            Weas Christians can cooperate with GodŐs work in the hearts of unsaved people bycalling their attention to the sort of things we have discussed here.

 

            Weneed to realize that discoveries in modern science, both physical science andthe human sciences, though regularly given a secular spin, actually providegood evidence for the sort of thing that Paul is calling our attention to herein Romans 1 and 2.