Chapter 2 begins with Paul teaching the good news, but to accurately teach the good news, people need to hear the bad news. Paul shares the bad news first. There is a cultural idea that we are all good people: since we are all children of God we must do something really bad to have that status removed. "Good” is our default position., and we have to behave our way to “bad.”

However, that isn’t what scripture teaches. We begin as those under the wrath of God, and without Christ, that is where we will remain.