Commentary on Romans 1.17–1.32

“For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith.” He says this because in the one who believes, whether Jew or Greek, the righteousness of God is revealed. He calls it the righteousness of God because he justifies the ungodly freely through faith, without the works of the law, as he says elsewhere: “That I may be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is from faith, the righteousness from God in faith” (Phil 3:9). He says that this righteousness is revealed in the gospel, when he gives a person faith through which he is justified. For in him is shown the truth and righteousness of God, when he believes and confesses: it is the righteousness of God because he gave what he promised. Therefore the believer, who has obtained what God had promised through his prophets, proves God righteous and is a witness of his righteousness. “From faith to faith.” What else is “from faith to faith” but that there is the faithfulness of God in what he promised about himself, and the faith of the man who believes the one who promises; so that from the faithfulness of God who promises to the faith of the man who believes, the righteousness of God is revealed? For in the believer God appears righteous; but in the one who does not believe he seems unrighteous; for he who does not believe that God has given what he promised denies that God is truthful. He says this against the Jews, who deny that this is the Christ whom God promised. “As it is written: But the righteous lives from faith” (Hab 2:4). For this reason he turns to the example of the prophet Habakkuk, to declare that it had long ago been shown that the righteous lives from faith, not from the law, that is, that a person is not justified before God through the law but through faith; for the life that is from faith is not this present life but the future one; because the righteous lives from faith, but with God.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of those people who hold back the truth of God in unrighteousness.” For as the righteousness of God is revealed in the one who believes, as I said above, so in the one who does not believe ungodliness and unrighteousness are revealed. For from the very structure of the heaven God is seen to be angry with them; for he made the stars so beautiful so that from them it could be recognized how great and how wonderful their Creator is, and he alone might be worshipped. Hence it is written in the psalm: “The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the works of his hands” (Ps 19:1). Through the natural law, then, he makes the human race guilty; for they could have grasped through the law of nature, the structure of the world bearing witness, that God the Maker alone is to be loved, which Moses handed down in writing (Deut 6:5). But they became ungodly by not worshipping the Creator, and unrighteousness appears in them when, seeing, they turn aside from the truth, not confessing one God.

“Because what is known of God is manifest in them.” The knowledge of God is manifest from the structure of the world; for in order that God, who is invisible by nature, might be known also through visible things, he made a work which by its visibility would make its Maker manifest, so that through the certain the uncertain might be known; and so that he who made this work, which is impossible for others, might be believed to be the God of all. For God manifested it to them, that is, he made a work through which he could be recognized by faith.

“For his invisible things, from the creation of the world, are understood and seen through the things that have been made.” It is the same sense, which he repeats in order to teach more fully that, though the power and majesty of God cannot of themselves be seen by the eyes of a creature, they are understood and seen through the work of the world. In this way, then, he makes guilty those who lived without the law both of nature and of Moses; for by the habit of sinning they buried the law of nature and forgot its memory, and the law which had been given for reformation they would not receive, so that they became liable to condemnation in a double way. “His eternal power also and divinity, so that they are without excuse.” So that ungodliness could not be excused at all, he added also that the power of God and his eternal divinity were known to people, and that they had grown dull, by a kind of stupor, in honouring God, though they were not ignorant that he exists and works for their benefit; for it comes into doubt with no one that he ordained the things that are produced for human use as the year rolls round. His eternal power, then, is Christ, through whom he founded things that were not, and they remain in him. Though his person was not recognized formerly, his works are nevertheless manifest. And his divinity, because the elements of things endure in the work decreed for them. “So that they are without excuse.” For one who is convicted as guilty in many ways cannot be excused.

“Because, when they had known God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks.” So far were they from being ignorant that they confessed that there is one principle from which all things took their beginning, things in heaven, on earth and below; and that this one is he who ordained for all their properties and functions by nature; and knowing these things they did not give thanks. He speaks of those of former times in order to correct those of the present and the future. “But they became vain in their thoughts.” They became vain; for seeing the world fitted with wonderful order by the one whom they had known as its Maker, they ignored it. “And their foolish heart was darkened.” A cloud of error covered their heart; because, when they ought to have honoured the Creator all the more from the beautiful things he made, they became dull and, leaving him, said that these visible things alone were enough for them to worship.

“For, saying that they were wise, they became fools.” They think themselves wise because they suppose they have investigated the reasons of nature, examining the courses of the stars and the qualities of the elements, while despising the Lord of these things; therefore they are fools, since, if these things are to be praised, how much more their Creator! Yet, when put to shame, they are accustomed to use a wretched excuse for having neglected God, saying that through these one can go to God, as one reaches a king through his counts. Come now, is anyone so mad or so careless of his own safety as to claim the honour of a king for a count, when, if any were found even to discuss such a thing, they would rightly be condemned as guilty of treason? And these people do not think themselves guilty, who give the honour of God’s name to a creature and, leaving the Lord, worship their fellow servants, as if there were anything more to be kept for God. For one goes to a king through tribunes or counts because the king is, after all, a man and does not know to whom he ought to entrust the commonwealth. But to win the favour of God, from whom nothing is hidden (for he knows the merits of all), there is no need of a patron, but of a devout mind. For wherever such a one has spoken to him, he will answer him.

“And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Their heart was so blinded that they changed the majesty of the invisible God, whom they had recognized from these works, not into men, but, what is worse and an inexcusable crime, into the likeness of men; so that the form of a corruptible man is called God by them, that is, an image of a man; so that those whom they did not dare to honour with this name while alive, they receive as images of the dead to the glory of God. What dullness, what folly, to call these men wise to their own condemnation, with whom an image counts for more than the truth, and the dead are preferred to the living! For withdrawing from the living God they favour the dead, among whose number they are, as it is written in the Wisdom of Solomon: “A mortal fashions a dead thing with lawless hands.” “And of birds and four-footed beasts and serpents.” He heaped these on as a further penalty of their dullness, that such people are beyond folly and vanity. For they so diminished the majesty and glory of God that they gave the honour of God’s likeness to these, which are the least and small things. For the Babylonians first called God an image of Bel, a certain man once dead, who is said to have exercised rule over them. They also worshipped the serpent dragon which Daniel, the man of God, killed, whose likeness they keep. The Egyptians worshipped a four-footed beast which they called Apis, in the likeness of a cow; an evil which Jeroboam imitated, setting up cows in Samaria to which the Jews might sacrifice; and birds, because the pagans had rites of the raven. Of all these things that I have mentioned the Egyptians worshipped images, and other things which there is no need to mention now. These things were done by those who thought themselves wise in the world; for since, recognizing the invisible God, they did not honour him, by doing these things they could not be wise even in visible things. For one who is not prudent in greater things is hardly wise in lesser.

“Therefore God handed them over to the desires of their heart, to uncleanness, so that they dishonour their bodies among themselves.” Because, he says, they deified images and likenesses of things to the injury of God the Creator, they were handed over to be mocked; and handed over not to do things they did not want, but to accomplish the things they desired. And here is the goodness of God; for it would have been fitting for them to be made to do what they did not want and be tormented, since even a good thing, if done against one’s will, is bitter and bad. But these, turning away from God, were handed over to the devil. To hand over is to permit, not to incite or to send in; so that what they had conceived in their desires they might, helped by the devil, carry out in deed; for such people could not have a good thought. They were handed over, then, to uncleanness, so that they dishonour their bodies among themselves. While he recalls things past, he also signifies the evils of the present time; for people are handed over even now to dishonour their bodies. For there are people of that stock even now who are said to dishonour their bodies with one another. Though the thought of the soul is in the crime, the bodies are said to be dishonoured; why, unless because the stain of the body is the sign of the soul’s sin? For when the body is defiled, no one doubts that the soul has sinned.

“Who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” They exchanged the truth of God for a lie: that is, they had given the name of God, who is true, to those who are not gods. For taking from stones and wood and other metals what they are, they give them what they are not; and this is to change the true into the false. For they are no longer called stone or wood, but God: this is to serve the creature rather than the Creator. For they do not deny God, but serve the creature; and by this they are not excused but are accused the more, since, knowing God, they do not honour him. “Who is blessed for ever. Amen,” that is, truly. He says that God is blessed for ever because God remains; but to the gods of the gentiles the time of ungodliness gives honour, therefore it is not true; but in God the truth remains. Hence in another place he assigns blessing to the Son of God, saying among other things: “And from whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed for ever. Amen” (Rom 9:5). Either both refer to Christ, or he said the same things of the Son as of the Father.

“Therefore God handed them over to passions of disgrace. For their women changed the natural use into the use which is against nature.” He testifies that these things befell the human race because God was angry on account of idolatry, so that woman desired woman for use with shameful desire. Some interpret this otherwise, not perceiving the force of what is said. For what is it to change the natural use into the use which is against nature, if not to set aside the use that is granted and use it otherwise, so that one and the same part of the body of each sex offers itself for use with one another otherwise than is granted? For if it is the part of the body which they suppose, how did they change the use of nature, when they have no such use given by nature? He had already said above that they were handed over to uncleanness, but had not shown the kind of act of that uncleanness; on which he now declares:

“Likewise also the males, leaving the natural use of the female, burned in their desires toward one another, males working shamefulness with males.” Now he has shown how what he said above about the women ought to be understood. For when he added, “Likewise also the males … burned in their desire,” he shows plainly the sin of the women. Indeed, he did not say of the men that they changed the natural use toward one another, because such a use is not granted to that part, but he said it of the women. And what wonder, when such women are found even today, so that as that was invented by men, so this was by women? Indeed women accuse one another, and men likewise. It is plain, then, that those who had already changed the truth of God into a lie should also change the natural use into the use by which they were dishonoured, becoming guilty of the second death. And since Satan cannot give another law (for he has nothing of his own), he turns what is granted and lawful into another order, so that, being done otherwise than granted, they become sin. “And receiving in themselves the recompense of their error which was due.” He says that this is the recompense for despising God, that is, shamefulness and defilement; for this is the first cause of this sin. For what is worse, what more depraved, than this sin? For as idolatry is an utterly impious and most grievous offence, so its recompense too is horrible, and a most foul passion.

“And as they did not approve to have God in knowledge, God handed them over to a reprobate mind, to do what is not fitting.” Because of the errors of idols they were handed over to doing shameful things to one another, as has already been said. And because they thought these things went unpunished, judging God to be unconcerned, and so to be disregarded, this was added to them, that, growing duller and duller, they became readier to commit every evil; so that they believed that God does not punish deeds which they did not doubt displeased men. Now he lists all the evils that were added to them, so that, turned in this way to natural understanding, they might understand that these things befell them because God was angry. (Verses 29, 30.) “Filled,” he says, “with all iniquity.” Here he has spoken in summary, and he adds the members of iniquity: “malice, sexual immorality,” he says, “greed, wickedness; full of envy, murders, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, proud, arrogant, inventors of evils.” He called malice the head of iniquity, whose works he set down as sexual immorality and greed. Sexual immorality includes adultery too; for had he said adultery, he would have seemed to excuse sexual immorality, as the Roman laws do; so he set down the lesser, so that the greater could not be believed to go unpunished. Then he added wickedness, whose disposition gives birth to envy and murders, strife and deceit. After these he added malignity, which begets whisperings and slanders; and since these could not but displease God, he says, “hateful to God”; and since they do not please men either, “insolent,” he says, “proud, arrogant, inventors,” that is, authors, “of evils.” So evil did not always exist. These, having become imitators of their father the devil, invented the evil of idolatry, through which all vices were born in the world, and the greatest perdition. For the devil, whom Scripture testifies sins from the beginning (1 John 3:8), although he strives after tyrannical presumption, did not dare to profess this, so as to say, “I am God.” Indeed, among other things he said to the Lord, “All these things have been handed over to me” (Luke 4:6); he does not say, “they are from me,” or “they are mine.” And in the book of Job he asks that power be given him (Job 1:12). Therefore these people are worse, who attribute deity not only to the elements but even to images.

“Disobedient to parents.” With such insolence were they seized that they did not acknowledge even their parents, whom they have as the authors of their birth, and though they rejoiced to have been born, they despised those through whom they had begun to exist! This is to be “without understanding, without love” — but love of God; for there was in them carnal love. These, knowing the righteousness of God through the law of nature (for they knew that these things displease God, but would not take to heart that “those who do these things are worthy of death”), so far knew the righteousness of God that they do not deny that all these things they do deserve punishment and death. “And not only those who do them, but also those who consent to those who do them.” For assent is participation.

“Who, though they had known the righteousness of God, did not understand that those who do these things are worthy of death; and not only do them, but also consent to those who do them.” All these evils are the body of sins, to whose power they have been made slaves, so as to do things worthy of punishment. For this cause of evils was purchased by the Sodomites through offending God, as was said above, and it stretched its branches into almost every part of the world: idolatry, announcing the cause of God’s wrath, which is the first part of error and ungodliness, and which he condemns first; so that when it has been amended, the faults of conduct too may easily be corrected. For when the seed of malice is removed, the fruits of wickedness will wither; for a tree whose roots have been cut away does not give fruit. For this reason Moses also recorded the deeds of Sodom and Gomorrah and did not pass over their destruction in silence, to instil fear so that this thing would be avoided. This vice, then, and the defilement of a dishonoured life is not committed by one who thinks of God in his mind. There are some who do not think themselves guilty if they do not do evil things but assent to those who do them. To assent is to keep silent when one could rebuke, or to flatter when one hears these stories. For the impure and malicious man, knowing that what he does is not unknown and that he is not shunned at all but is even held in honour, perhaps boasts that he is such; nor can he be put to shame in these things when he sees himself favoured and humoured by those who are not such; and so it is that they supply fuel to their offences; and therefore it is right that they should be held guilty of equal crime. Again there are others who not only do evil but also consent to those who do it, so that they not only do it but also agree with such people. Their wickedness, then, is double. For those who do evil and speak against those who do it are not so bad; for knowing them to be wicked they do not defend them. But those are most wicked who both do it and consent to those who do it, so that they do not even fear God; but, desiring evils to increase, they do not punish them at all, in order to persuade people that they need not be avoided.