Wrath and righteousness revealed in the Gospel?

OK, try this:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For [in it] the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth….  For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood through faithfulness. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who is of the faith of  Jesus.

Others have suggested that the wrath is revealed in the Gospel… but they have appealed to passages that don’t speak of God’s wrath revealed now, but rather promise it will be revealed later:

Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

That is still waiting in the future. It can’t be what Romans 1.18 is claiming.

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Again, future. It is involved in the Gospel message but it is not identical to what Paul claims reveals God’s wrath from heaven.

Jesus on the cross revealed God’s wrath on sin. And it is revealed in the Gospel so that it reveals God’s righteousness.

One thought on “Wrath and righteousness revealed in the Gospel?

  1. C. Frank Bernard

    Rom 1:16-7: Gospel reveals power and righteousness of God for every class (Jew, Greek, etc)

    18-23: wrath of God revealed against ungodly/unrighteous/ suppressors of truth about God’s attributes (“eternal power and divine nature”) as revealed by what He made/created (general revelation) leaving no excuse not to honor/glorify/give thanks to Him. They hypocritically declared themselves wise by giving service to the creation instead of the Creator.

    24-5:Therefore God gave them up to dishonor their own bodies (the part of creation they served most) amongst themselves.

    26-7:Therefore God gave them up to dishonorable passions that go even against the nature (natural relations) they worshiped, becoming lesbians and homosexuals.

    28: Therefore God gave them up to debased minds filled with many evil things to do. Yet knowing they surely deserved death, they instead gave approval (further encouragement) to themselves.

    Romans 2:5 emphasizes the future revealed judgement/wrath being presently stored up (and currently filled up by God).

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