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Romans 1:18-23
As Paul began his letter, we have seen that he introduced himself to the members of the assembly in Rome,
who have never met him before, and established a connection with them, based on their mutual faith in
Christ.
Paul was eager to preach the gospel in Rome, and the Lord had given him to see that he would soon have
that opportunity. But meanwhile, Paul purposes to introduce the Roman believers to his gospel which is
the gospel of Christ through his letter, to add to the foundation in which they have already been
instructed, and to strengthen their faith.
Paul first gives a summary explanation of the gospel its power and its purpose. The gospel is no less than
the power of God to salvation for all men both Jew and Gentile.
In the gospel, God reveals how a man can become righteous by receiving the righteousness of God,
through faith in Jesus Christ. In becoming righteous, men are saved from sin and death, and receive Life
everlasting, fulfilling Gods purpose for them. The righteous shall live Life everlasting, in a glorified
body by faith.
Paul now addresses why this righteousness can only come to men through faith in His Christ. To
demonstrate this, Paul shows next that men, apart from God, are unrighteous; and that they do not have any
means of justifying themselves in His sight.
As Paul begins to make his case, we will see that he is initially speaking of the universal rejection of God
by men by mankind in general (1:18-23); but then, as he continues with God allowing these men to pursue
their own way, the description of what they do takes on a distinctly Gentile flavor (1:24-32).
Then Paul describes a subset of mankind who have rejected Him, but who stand in condemnation of this
first group. As this group is further described, it takes on a distinctly Jewish flavor (2:1-6). Paul eventually
names the two groups (2:9-11).
Now, you might wonder why Paul laid out his argument in this way. Remember that the Roman assembly
had more than the usual struggle with its Jewish and Gentile members, based on their unique history. The
Jews tended to think of themselves as superior to the Gentiles, because they had the Law Gods revealed
will. To them, the Gentiles were lawless, and needed their instruction.
But the Gentiles had begun to really experience their liberty in Christ, during the 5-year absence of the
Jewish believers, from Rome; and they had numbers on their side and affluence, generally. So the
Gentiles viewed themselves as superior to the legalistic Jews they were the free ones.
There was a lot of hostility between the two groups; the Jewish-Gentile issue in Rome was hyper-sensitive.
So what we see Paul doing here is allowing his readers to find themselves in his descriptions first and find
each other. In this way, he keeps his readers engaged, and keeps them from going on the defensive, and
shutting down to his argument.
They easily recognize the unrighteousness in the other group and cannot help but admit their own, as
well. Then, when Paul issues his indictment that all are under the just condemnation of a holy God
now naming both Jew and Gentile no one can dispute it! Pauls point is that it is because all men are
unrighteous that all men must become righteous by faith in Christ. They cannot make themselves
righteous; they must receive the righteousness of God, as His gracious gift.

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We will come to that point of Pauls in chapter 3; but meanwhile, this morning, well just be looking at
verses 18-23 of chapter 1. Lets read them first.
[Romans 1:18-23]
Remember that Paul is beginning here with the rejection of God by all men, universally. Now, men cannot
reject what they have no knowledge of. But here, Paul makes it plain that men do have a knowledge of
God; God Himself has given it to all men. But men deliberately choose to reject what God has made
known of Himself.
Having rejected God, men choose to go their own way. And as God allows them to do that, they practice
what is in their hearts unrighteousness. Because of this, men are without excuse, and are subject to Gods
wrath all men.
In verse 18, wrath in the Greek refers to anger. Here, it is not speaking of an emotional outburst; nor of
anger manifest in action punishment but of anger as a state of mind; Gods mind. This is Gods divine
displeasure or indignation against sin. Why? Because God is holy; sin is utterly offensive to Him.
What is the wrath of God against, in verse 18? Is it against men? No it is against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men; that which is in mens hearts.
Ungodliness means a lack of reverence toward God; this is a universal failure, on the part of men, to honor
the true and Living God. And because men do not honor God as God, they will not conform to His will;
they will not submit to Him, in their hearts; they are unrighteous.
Paul is using both of these words ungodliness and unrighteousness to refer to the state of the reprobate
heart of men; not the outer actions, which he will address later. So we have wrath, as the state of Gods
mind; and ungodliness and unrighteousness, as the state of mens hearts and God is against this, in men.
In their unrighteous state of heart, what do men do (in verse 18)? They suppress the truth; they hold the
truth down; they restrain it. What truth is Paul talking about (in verse 19)? He says what may be known
of God. God has shown all men what may be known of Him; that is, that which He has chosen to reveal
of Himself to men.
And, Paul says, its manifest in them; that is to say, men have taken in this truth concerning God. But they
suppress it; they hold it down. What Paul means is that they will not allow the eyes of their understanding
to be enlightened to this truth; they deny that it is the truth; they reject this revelation of God concerning
Himself.
Just what is this revelation of God, concerning Himself? Paul details this in verse 20; well read vv. 18-20
again.
v. 18-20 What Paul is saying here is that this truth, this revelation of God, is what men must know in order
to be saved from His wrath. Paul has made it clear that God has revealed it to men, and has done so in a
way they are capable of understanding; but that men chose to suppress this truth, and therefore, they are
without excuse; they are subject to His wrath.

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Paul indicates that this truth, this revelation of God has been given to man since the creation of the world;
since the beginning of time. The revelation is manifest through something created the things that are
made Gods workmanship (v. 20). And by this revelation, certain invisible attributes of God can be fully
understood; attributes a man must embrace as true of God, in order to be saved.
Paul further qualifies these attributes as Gods eternal power and Godhead. Godhead is misleading in
the English; the Greek word actually is referring, not to the persons of the God, but to His divine essence
and qualities.
Remember that Paul says that this revelation of God is understood by the things that are made by His
creation. It is apparent that Paul does not mean the entire creation, in general.
From creation, one can know that there is a Creator. And one can know something of His power. And
perhaps one can surmise that God must exist outside of His creation; that He is preexistent, self-existent,
even an eternal being.
But knowing these things is not enough to save men from Gods wrath. Knowing these things does nothing
to change the fact that men are born sinners, and that men need to become righteous, in order to be saved.
For that, men need a Savior; and they need to know about Him.
God saw to it that the One whom He would send as the Savior was revealed to men from the beginning of
time; that they might believe in Him, and be saved. This Coming One would be the One who makes the
invisible God visible, revealing the Eternal Gods power to save His creation of mankind; revealing His
attribute of mercy, to deliver men from the wrath they deserve; His attribute of righteousness, to justify
them through faith; and His attribute of grace, to grant them Life Everlasting.
These are the invisible attributes of God that are clearly seen through His Savior which God has made
known to men from the beginning. But these attributes of God obviously cannot be understood through the
creation at large; but instead, through one particular aspect of Gods creation; the stars.
Before God created the first man and woman, He created the heavenly luminaries the sun, moon and stars
the lightholders, which would radiate the light that God created on the first day. God said that these
luminaries would be for signs and seasons, and for days and years (Gen 1:14).
In the Hebrew, signs means indicators of future events; and the Hebrew word for seasons does not
refer to seasons of the year, but to appointed times, speaking of the order or sequence of events when the
signs, the future events, will take place. The luminaries would not only enlighten the earth; they would
enlighten the minds of men on the earth, as to Gods plan. They contained a prophetic revelation of His
plan for Life everlasting for man, through the Coming Savior.
But in what way did they contain this revelation? Did the stars form pictures in the sky, that men could see,
or form words, which men could read, that told them Gods plan for them? No; although the stars were
arranged in groups, and although they were fixed in a prescribed order, there was nothing to be seen when
looking at them, in terms of a pattern forming a picture or words.
Then how did they contain this revelation? The prophetic revelation was contained in the names of the
stars; in their meanings. Psalm 147:4 says of the LORD, He counts the number of the stars; He calls them
all by name@.

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Turn to Isaiah chapter 40. The prophet was speaking for the LORD, in terms of His surpassing greatness and
power, to comfort His nation Israel. He is speaking here of the certainty of His deliverance of them.
[Isaiah 40:25-26] The LORD commands His people to lift up their eyes on high. What would they be
looking at? The heavens, and the created things in them; the stars.
When it says that the LORD brings out their host by number, it means that the stars are set in the heavens
in a fixed order; which they are; an order in which the events of which they foretell will come to pass.
The idea of calling them all by name is that, when it is time for what each constellation foretells to
transpire in time, the LORD calls upon that constellation, to come forth.
To say that not one is missing means that every prophecy portrayed by every constellation will
definitively come to pass; this is the LORDs plan, and every aspect of that plan is certain.
The LORD was comforting Israel with this upward glance to the heavens, that what He had planned for
them, a plan they well knew from the star names, He would bring to pass.
David also knew of this plan in the stars, before this time. Turn to Psalm 19. In this psalm, David wrote of
two revelations that God has given to men.
The first six verses speak of the revelation that God has placed in the heavens. This is the universal
revelation that God has made known to all men, of which Paul is writing in our passage. He will write of
this revelation again in chapter 10 of Romans, where he indicates that the stars are the silent preachers
through which God has shared the gospel with the Gentiles (Rm 10:18).
The next five verses of this psalm speak of the revelation that God has made in His written word, the Law,
to His nation, Israel. These two revelations are also distinguished from one another by the name of God
which David uses.
In verses 1-6, God is named by the title El, the true God, as opposed to all of the false gods. In verses 7-11,
David uses Gods personal name, the LORD Jehovah, or Yahweh the name by which God made Himself
known to His nation Israel (Ex 3:14). Well just be looking at the first revelation, the one of which Paul is
speaking in Romans.
[Psalm 19:1-6]
v.1 The word declare literally means record in the Hebrew, and the form of the verb indicates
continuous action: the heavens are continuously recording the glory of the true God.
The glory of God is God=s opinion of Himself; it is the truth of who He is. The glory of God cannot be
understood apart from God=s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is Athe brightness of His glory@ (Heb 1:3); we see
the Aglory of God in the face of Jesus Christ@ (2 Cor 4:6). So this record is the Good News about the
Coming One, the Christ, whom God will send as the Savior.
God=s handiwork simply means the work of His hands. The handiwork of God is His plan of
redemption for mankind that they should become righteous, glorified sons of God. This is speaking of
the work that God will do, in Christ, to save men.

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So we can see that the heavens are constantly speaking of the glory of God, which is seen in the person of
the Coming Christ; and the firmament is constantly showing the handiwork of God, His plan of
redemption, which will be accomplished through the work of Christ. The person and work of Christ are
what are recorded in the heavens.
v. 2-4a The sun comes up each morning, and the moon and stars are out each night. There are no spoken
words, no audible voice, yet the heavens are declaring a message, recording the truth of the glory of God,
the wonderful work of God, in Christ, through the names of the stars.
In all areas of the inhabited earth, the particular stars which record the Good News of the Coming Christ
can be seen, and thus, their message can be heard. There is ample evidence that in every culture where
astronomy is studied, key star names to this revelation have the same or similar meanings.
ALine@ in verse 4 means a measuring line, and refers to the apparent line or belt within which the
constellations of the zodiac are contained. Constellations are groups of stars to which definite names have
been given. This belt of constellations can be seen to the Aend of the world@ - the inhabited earth. Their
message is for all mankind.
The word Azodiac@ is from the Greek word zodiakos meaning Acircle@. It comes from the root zoad
meaning Aa way or path; going by steps@. It is used of the way or path in which the sun appears to move
among twelve primary constellations.
Each of these twelve primary constellations has three other constellations associated with it known as
decans, for a total of 48 constellations. If you were to mark the course of the sun, it would appear to pass
through all of these constellations in the circle of the zodiac over the course of one year and then begin
again.
Scripture is not silent concerning the zodiac. In the book of Job, one of the oldest books of the OT, the
constellations in this belt are called the Mazzaroth. In that passage, the LORD questions Job, Can you bring
out Mazzaroth in its season?, meaning to cause the prophecies in the stars to be fulfilled, in their appointed
times (Job 38:32).
The book of Job refers to two signs of the zodiac: Taurus, distinguished by the Pleiades, and Scorpio, Athe
chambers of the south@ (Job 9:9, 38:31-32).
Other stars and star groups mentioned in Scripture are Orion (Job 9:9,38:31-32, Amos 5:8), Arcturus (the
Bear) (Job 9:9, Job 38:31-32), and Hydra - the crooked serpent (Job 26:13). Many of the star names are
reflected in the prophets: the Branch, the Breaker, the Redeemer, the Seed.
As David continues to reflect on the revelation which God has given of the Coming One in the stars, he
writes of some specifics which are to be found in that revelation.
v. 4b-6 So in them in the constellations God has set, or established a tabernacle for the sun. In this
revelation, the sun s-u-n represents God the Son, the Coming One in His person. The star names then
principally reflect His work to redeem mankind.
When the apostle John spoke of the incarnation of Jesus, He wrote, And the Word became flesh and
tabernacled among us (Jn 1:14); that is, God the Son took on a tent of flesh; a body.

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David is reflecting here on the incarnation of the Coming One, which is seen in the first sign of the
Mazzaroth, Virgo, and its decans; the incorruptible Seed of the virgin, who brought the Fathers Life down
from heaven.
As David continues, he speaks of the sun as being like a bridegroom, coming out of his chamber. David
was most likely reflecting on the constellation Gemini, which speaks of Christs return to the earth from
heaven, His chamber.
This pertains to His Second Coming, when Christ will return to set up His kingdom, and as King, He will
be united with His people, the nation Israel. A king was said to marry the people and the land; here is the
heavenly bridegroom.
David then speaks of the sun as rejoicing like a strong man, to run its race. Having considered the
beginning of the story the incarnation of the Seed Christ and having considered the end, for Israel
with the King returning to establish His kingdom Davids thoughts return to the central focus of the story
the strong man, himself.
We see that picture of a strong man through many of the constellations: Bootes, Ophiuchus, Hercules,
Cephus, Perseus, Orion, Auriga, Gemini. Each shows a different aspect of the Strong Man, the Christ,
running His race, to accomplish the Fathers purposes of redemption for mankind.
Just as the sun in the sky gives light to men, the story in the heavens enlightens their understanding. But if
they refuse to receive the light of the sun the redemption offered in the gospel they will instead be
subject to the heat of the sun judgment.
This was the universal revelation that God provided for all mankind, a heavenly witness to the salvation He
purposed in Christ. It was written in the heavens on the fourth day of creation before God created
mankind, for whom this salvation was intended. This is how all men could know and understand the truth
of what may be known of God; this was His revelation to them.
[Return to Romans 1]
Now, back in verse 15, Paul speaks of the gospel that he plans to preach in Rome. By his day, the Coming
One had come, and the gospel was the actual eyewitness account of the redemption the Jesus had wrought:
Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and He was buried, and He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-4).
And before that time, Israel was given a written revelation in their Law, which told of the Coming One, in
types and symbols. But in verses 18-20, Paul goes even further back in time than that, to the very
beginning, when God created His heavenly witness.
That heavenly witness reveals the basis of Gods righteousness to be the Coming One, the Christ just as
the gospel of Pauls day did; just as the Law did. And if you consider that there are 48 constellations, each
with many, many named stars, you get the sense that the gospel in the stars is not lacking in detail. In fact,
in our day, it is a desirable complement to the written Word.
Just for a moment, Id like to relate to you a few of the meanings of some star names, to provide you with a
sense of the salvation that God did reveal, in the heavens, for all men.

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In Virgo: The Seed; the Son or Branch who comes;

In Coma: the Desired Son;
In Centaurus: The Despised; the Sin-offering; the Pierced;
In Libra: Purchase, or Redemption; Station of Propitiation; the Price which is Deficient; the Price which
covers; the Price of the Conflict;
In Aries: Lamb; Slain; the Sacrifice of Righteousness.
These are only a few of the star names that have been retained; there are many more, and countless more
star names and meanings that have been lost over time.
But just as the righteousness of God is revealed, the wrath of God is also revealed from heaven, as Paul
said in verse 18 by the same starry witness. The verb for revealed in verse 18 means continuous action;
the same form for revealed in verse 17. The righteousness of God is constantly being revealed, and the
wrath of God is constantly being revealed from heaven; day unto day, night unto night (Ps 19:2) in the
luminaries.
The Mazzaroth showed men the way to be made righteous by faith in the Coming Christ. But if a man
refused to come to God by the way the He was providing, He would remain unrighteous; and therefore be
subject to Gods wrath. That wrath was revealed through the constellations of the Mazzaroth, also,
sometimes by the star names, but also by what they pictured in the ancient star charts. Here are just a few.
In Bootes: He comes; Who Separates (separated for judgment);
The constellation Ara pictures the Lake of Fire;
Taurus pictures a coming Judge and a coming judgment;
Eridanus pictures a river of fire issuing forth from Orions foot;
In Leo: the Rending Lion; the Judge who Comes; the Enemy Put Down;
And the constellation Crater pictures the cup of Gods wrath poured out on the wicked.
This revelation in the stars showed the ultimate power and prerogative of a divine, sovereign Creator: to
give Life, and to execute judgment (Jn 5:19-30).
But what Paul says is that, when God made this known to men by His revelation, which they could clearly
see, and had the ability to understand, instead of believing it, they suppressed the truth in unrighteousness
(speaking of what most men did).
Now, why would they do that? Because they didnt want to believe the truth. They didnt want to submit
to God. They didnt want to come to God, His way; they didnt want to come to Him, at all. They wanted
to be free to practice their lawlessness. So they denied the truth, concerning God as Paul shows next.

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v. 21-23 Men knew of God, through His revelation to them. But they denied the truth, suppressing it in
their hearts. They would not give God the glory due to Him, by believing His revelation of Himself in the
Coming One. They would not recognize Him for who He is; their Savior.
Neither were they thankful; in this context, it is speaking of praising God for something. Men would not
praise God for His work in Christ, to redeem them, so that they could have a forever-living body, and live
with God in His heavenly home. That was not the end that they desired for themselves.
This caused men to become futile in their thoughts; this means that their reasoning became destitute of any
real wisdom. Mans reasoning is always futile, apart from God. As their reasoning became skewed, their
hearts remained blind to understanding the truth that God had revealed concerning Himself. They were in
the dark, concerning their Creator and Savior; a self-imposed darkness.
Yet they professed themselves to be wise; they asserted that to be true. But was it true? No; it was an
illusion, the product of their faulty reasoning, their darkened understanding. In professing to be wise,
which was illusion, and no reality, men demonstrated themselves to be fools; they were devoid of true
wisdom.
The word for fool in the Greek is moraine, from which the English moron is derived. Men became
morons. The Greek word actually means to cause something to lose its purpose for which it exists. Their
Creator had purposed their minds to hold His thinking, and reflect it forth; but instead, God was in none of
their thoughts. The fool has said in his heart there is no God (Ps 14:1).
The act of ultimate foolishness, which Paul records of men here, is that they changed the glory of the
incorruptible God. Corruption speaks specifically of a body that has been taken by Death back to dust.
The incorruptible God, then, can only be speaking of Christ the One who came in a body prepared for
Him, whose body saw no corruption in death, because it knew no sin and was raised after three days a
body of glory.
To change the glory of the incorruptible God is to deny what Christ has done as the Seed-grain, who fell to
the ground, and died, to reproduce much grain (Jn 12:24). It is to deny the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus for men; to deny the means by which God justifies men, and glorifies them.
Men changed this; and what did they change it into? Paul says, an image made like corruptible man and
birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Now, it is clear that Paul is speaking of idolatry
here.
God created man with the capacity to worship so that they would seek after Him. But they refused to
worship Him, and glorify Him as God. Having rejected the true God, men still felt the need to worship
and so they created their own gods idols. But what of the specific things that Paul mentions? In light of
what he has just been talking about, we can see that this relates to the gospel in the stars.
Men changed the truth of Christ the incorruptible Seed, through whom only is Life everlasting; and they
changed it into a lie (v. 25). Now, could they change the stars themselves? No. Could they change their
location, or order? No. Nor did they change the names, for the most part.
They simply changed the story of the stars what it meant creating fantastic myths concerning men, gods
and beasts. And out of these tales, their idol-worship was born. But did they actually alter the gospel that
God placed in the stars? Only in their foolish hearts.

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They changed the glory of the incorruptible Christ into an image made like corruptible man. In the gospel
in the stars, Aquarius pictures Christ as the Pourer-Forth of Water, who pours out living water to all who
will receive it. Aquarius was changed into a beautiful Phrygian youth who was carried off by Jupiter to be
his cupbearer.
And they changed the glory of the incorruptible Christ into an image made like birds. In Gods record in the
heavens, Aquila, the pierced, is a wounded and falling eagle, picturing the Son of God in His death. This
was changed into an image of a king who was lamenting over his condemned wife, whom the gods
transformed into an eagle, and placed among the stars.
And men changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like four-footed animals. The
constellation Aries is a picture of Christ as the Lamb that was slain, but is exalted. Men changed this into a
mythic lamb that yielded a golden fleece, which made him who possessed it the envy of kings.
And men changed the glory of the incorruptible Christ into an image made like creeping things which
means, reptiles. The gospel in the stars reveals Lepus to be a serpent, picturing Satan, the great enemy of
God, who is being crushed under the foot of the glorious Orion, representing Christ. But most star atlases
make Lepus a hare (a rabbit); and legends claimed that Orion was merely a great hunter, who particularly
loved to hunt hares, and so therefore Lepus is pictured at his feet.
Paul might have added that, not only did men change the glory of the incorruptible God, and the salvation
which He wrought for them; they also changed the wrath that men would incur for rejecting Him; the
alternative choice which is pictured in the stars.
As mentioned before, the decan Crater pictures the cup of Gods wrath poured out on the wicked. Men
changed this into the cup of the wine-god, Bacchus; it was therefore associated with joy and gladness.
Men would not glorify God as God, and so they changed the glory to gods of their imagination, whom they
would serve, whom they would appease, and who would approve of them so that they could be a god
unto themselves and live as they pleased.
As we look back over Pauls words here, a certain occasion recorded in Scripture comes to mind when
men, as a collective, rejected the true God pictured in the stars, and chose instead to worship the stars
themselves the host of heaven. What place comes to your mind? A certain plain in the land of Shinar,
which came to be known as Babel.
Turn back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 11. The floodwaters of judgment that had covered the earth
had long since receded. God had renewed His covenant with Noah and his sons, and commanded them to
be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth (Gen 9:1), as the new heads of the human race. But after two
generations, men had another idea.
[Genesis 11:1-4]
v. 1-4 All the families of the earth spoke the same language, the same way so they could communicate
with one another perfectly. And this was the thinking that they shared to rebel against the LORD.
Together they purposed to build a city so that they could live together in one permanent location. What
else did they purpose to build? A tower.

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10

Now, this was not meant to be a unique architectural feature in this city, nor city housing. In that day,
people lived closer to the ground; towers were built to the gods. Our clue comes form the phrase, whose
top is in the heavens.
Archaeological digs have discovered several ruined towers in this region, which were known as ziggurats,
which means pinnacle. These were staged, step-towers, and have been found to contain a temple in the
top, inscribed with the signs of the zodiac. These towers, then, were used for the idolatrous worship of the
host of heaven.
What else did the people purpose? To make a name for themselves. The idea is that they are creating a
name of renown; they are honoring themselves.
We can see by the worship of the host of heaven that the people had known the original, true story; God had
shown it to their forefathers, to Adam and Eve, and that righteousness of God, through believing into the
Coming Christ, had been revealed from faith to faith.
But they suppressed this truth in unrighteousness; they would not give God His glory; instead, they
changed the glory of the incorruptible Seed, Christ, corrupting the true story with lies glorifying the
creation, rather than the Creator and principally, glorifying themselves; making a name for themselves
lest what?
Lest they be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth which is what God commanded them to do.
Lest they obey God, whom they were suppressing in their minds, with their imagined ideas, and rebellious
will. But does that make Him any less the true and living God? No.
Of course, we know the end of the account. God comes down, sees that the people are imagining a vain
thing, and He confuses their language, and scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth because
Gods is the only will in the universe that is done.
God planted them in various geographic locations, and what sprang forth, out of that planting? The Gentile
nations. So when we continue in Pauls letter to the Romans next week, we will see that he shows what
came of these Gentile nations, who had rejected God on the plain of Shinar.
Next week: finish Romans chapter 1.