18 “They have no fear of God at all.” 19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

“The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.” 

But beware: faith that produces no hope (Colossians 1:23), faith that produces no love (Galatians 5:6), faith that produces no obedience (Romans 1:5) is no saving faith

 Look to Christ. Look to him for the glory that he is in the gospel of his death and resurrection. See him and savor him as the image of the glory of God. And look to him in your suffering. Look to the things that are eternal. Look to Christ. Look to the glory of God. Taste him. Trust him. Be transformed by him.

If there are good deeds that need to be done, you don’t turn from faith to works. You lean all the more on Christ who will work in you what is pleasing in God’s sight

So, the first thing to learn about God and his response to hypocrisy is that God is just, and his just judgment is coming not only on the so-called pagan people who live in sin, but also on the moral and religious people who disdain the pagan people, while doing many things that show they don’t trust and love God. 

So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. 

“The only light in the universe that can bring light to the heart is the glory of God. If we exchange it for other things, we will live in darkness, no matter how brilliant we are or how many fires we may build or candles we may light.

Are there people in the world who have an excuse or a warrant to protest the wrath of God against them? And here is Paul’s answer: No. No one has an excuse. Everyone is guilty and deserves the wrath of God.

When we “understand the enormity” of God’s Wrath. Believe me, this is so crucial because this is the way the gospel saves believers. If you don’t understand the gospel, if you don’t cherish it and look to it and feed on it day after day, it won’t save you..