NOTES for Rom 1:16-32

For the first time Paul proclaims that the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, not through observance of rules or even through keeping the commandments. He will develop this thought later; for now he mentions it almost in passing. Important things, however, are very often said in passing.

The power of God is proclaimed first to the Jew and then to the Greek—that is, to every person of pagan origin, not necessarily a Greek by birth. (Here too, one of the themes of the epistle is outlined, to be developed in greater detail a little later.) For now Paul speaks of the problems of former pagans who have abandoned their former way of life but have not forgotten it and who live among people who continue to follow it.

Many people today may regard the derivation of perversions from idolatry as a questionable exaggeration, especially since perversions did not disappear together with idols. Nevertheless, Paul points to the real connection between falling away from God and departing from moral norms that correspond to human nature. Departure from God meant turning to man-made idols; correspondingly, rejection of the patterns of the natural world He created led to attempts to construct dubious models of behavior. Yes, the human being is free to create new forms of behavior. The trouble is that, in many cases, such experiments mean stepping away from the only path by which one can cross the swamp.