Romans 1:19
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
Truth to Learn
God does not hide Himself from mankind.
Behind the Words
The phrase, “the thing which may be known” is from the Greek to gnoston, which literally means “that which is knowable.”
“Clearly revealed” is translated from the Greek word phaneros, which means “to cause to shine” or “to cause to appear.” Therefore, it could be translated as “made to appear” or “revealed.” The words “has shown it” are translated from the verb form of this same word.
The word “in” is translated from the Greek preposition en, which denotes a position in place or time. As it is used here it implies “in the presence of.” So, even though some translations read “in them” or “within them,” it could also be translated as “among them.” Paul is not saying “that which may be known of God is revealed inside each person” rather, he is saying “that which may be known of God is revealed among mankind.” This interpretation is further supported by the following verse.
Meaning Explained
The reason that God’s anger is revealed against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men is because they suppress and deny the truth about God. “But,” you may ask, “how can they suppress and deny the truth about God if they don’t know the truth in the first place?” In other words, “How can God hold men accountable before Him if they never know Him?”
Paul anticipates this question and answers it in today’s verse and the verse to follow. Not all things about God are apparent or even knowable by the finite minds of humans. However, there are many things about God that are knowable such as His godliness, His presence, and His power. The reason we know that God is revealed among mankind, according to Paul, is because God has personally revealed Himself to man. In the next verse, Paul will go on to explain how God has revealed Himself among us.
The point is that our God does not want to be separated from us. He doesn’t want to be hidden from us. He wants to have a personal relationship with us. As we will see in the next verse, He has revealed Himself to all of mankind through creation. In spite of that, most of mankind chooses to ignore the evidence of creation and refuses to acknowledge Him. Therefore, God sees mankind as unrighteous and irreverent. Nonetheless, He still sent His Son to die on the cross so that we could become righteous and experience close, personal fellowship with Him. And we can experience this personal relationship with Him, not just for a few years, but for all of eternity.
Application
Paul is telling us in these verses that God has already revealed Himself to all of mankind and, as a result, all of mankind is without excuse. We, who have believed the additional revelation about Jesus Christ, have been credited with a righteousness that we didn’t earn and that we don’t deserve. These facts alone should cause all Christians to fall to their knees praising God for His mercy and His revelation!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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