Romans 1:18-20 - Daily Devotion - 4 June 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Nathan Ting

One of the things I’ve struggled to reconcile numerous times as a Christian has been: “If the only way to know God is through Jesus, what about the many unreached people in the world who have never heard the gospel? If there’s a remote tribe or village somewhere in the world without any contact with the rest of the world, how will they ever find salvation if they never have the opportunity to hear about Jesus? Isn’t that unfair?”

Today’s passage makes it clear that, no, it isn’t unfair. Paul writes in verse 20 that God has made his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – abundantly clear through his workmanship, his creation of the world. And indeed, God has displayed his majesty and power in the world He has created, the world that we all live in. From vast, dry, desert plains to lush, green rainforests, with backdrops of impossibly deep, blue oceans and dark, starry skies, the world around us has been elaborately painted and intricately woven together in such a way that makes it inexcusable to not acknowledge the Creator behind creation. So for the remote tribe in question, “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (v19). And that means the sin of all people – including those who have never heard of Jesus – is not just a matter of ignorance. It’s actively suppressing the truth about God that, deep down, every person knows (v18).

A lot of the time, I take it for granted that I have not only seen God’s handiwork in the world around me, but can actually have a deeper understanding of and relationship with Him through Jesus, “For in him (Christ) all things were created … all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). What a privilege and joy it is for us who have heard the gospel; spend some time now praying for those who haven’t, or those who have but have chosen to harden their hearts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.