Romans 1:18 - 25

Romans 1:18 - 19
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

Here faith is contrasted with unrighteousness. Notice faith is not contrasted with mere unbelief but rather by unrighteousness which leads to unbelief, just as righteousness (living by faith) leads to knowledge. By what means has the knowledge of God been shown to them? By the fruits of their own unrighteousness. The Truth, which is Christ, is suppressed by their unrighteousness - that is to say that one will never find God in unrighteousness. This tells us where God IS: in righteousness. Faith in God will, then, lead us to righteousness.

The problem - the blindness - of the unrighteous is that so often they (we) do not EXPECT to find God. We assume that the deep, existential loneliness of our existence - our spiritual deadness and isolation - is the norm. We assume that we were merely meant to know of God through our physical senses, rational intellect, and emotions. There is a deeper knowledge of God, though - an "intuitive" and direct knowing of God that surpasses the subjectivity of the human condition and experiences God in the heart, directly and without filter. Remember that the Kingdom of God is within you! You are God's image and likeness, and are made to know God on an intimiate and unitive level. If you DON'T then what can be known of God is revealed in our unrighteousness, for the very experience of the absence of God (which is His wrath) tells us that we must repent and begin to "live by faith."

Romans 1:20 - 21
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Not only are we to know God intuitively, but there is a degree to which God is evident in His creation. It may be that we are raised in a culture which is ignorant of God - indeed, we are raised in such a culture - but this inheritence of ignorance and sin is insufficient to absolve us of guilt for that sin. We are responsible for our own sins, for even though we are victims of the culture around us, we also contribute to and perpetuate that culture by our own sins. I am responsible for my sins, and their effect on you, and it is appropriate that the wrath of God is revealed in me since, from the goodness of His creation I may know the love of God, from the intuitive God-given mind of my heart I may know God directly, and in neither of these things have I responded. I am unrighteous, and as a result I am found separate from God and ignorant of Him. Please forgive me, in so much as this has also impacted you.

Thoughts and heart, in the last verse, are the two means of knowing: our physical senses and emotions (the intellect) and the heart - not here meant to indicate emotions (which are caused by the physical brains response to physical stimulus and are therefore part of our thoughts). The heart here means the internal eye of our soul - the "nous" in patristic thought. It is this which becomes blackened when we willfully remove ourselves from God's light. With our heart darkened, how could our thoughts possibly be true?

Romans 1:22-25
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the Truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

St. Paul here finishes his discussion of the contrast between the pagan sinners (idolaters) and the righteous who live by faith. Notice still that St. Paul is discussing action. The foolishness, caused by unrighteousness, results in our hearts being darkened and our intellect becoming ignorant of God. In the absence of true spiritual knowledge, we turn to what we can know - our senses. We see the animals and the forces of nature, and being ignorant of our true nature we become fearful of death. Sin invades us and transforms us from majestic images of God's love on earth into pitiful, frightened animals, giving reverance to things we were meant to rule.

Do not think we are above this today. Fearful of death, we ignore and hide from it. Unable to see God, we worship money, sex, and power. The blackness of our nous still drives us from the true knowledge of God and drives us into idolatry, and in this foolishess - in this lack of truth - we remain unable to find God, spiritually isolated. In short, we remain in hell. When our physical bodies die, what will happen to us except that we will forever be in this state, since lacking the physical senses and body we will be unable even to experience those things - all of us will be black, isolated, lonely. This is hell.

Forgive me,
Macarius