Why does Paul say the ungodly know that disobedience deserves death?

Explanation:

Paul says that although the ungodly knew that by disobeying God they deserved death, they continue to practice wicked deeds. What he means is that people naturally know that by acting wickedly, they deserve death. This is Paul’s meaning because we know that thinkers from antiquity accepted that death is the consequence of disobeying God.⁵ For example, in Deuteronomy 30:15–20, Moses explains to the Israelites that if they obey God this s life, but if they chase idols, this will result in death. Further, in his Republic, Plato suggests that as people get older, they consider their deeds and the punishment or reward that awaits them.⁶ Finally, in Luke 23:42 the criminal crucified next to Jesus accepts that he is being justly punished for his crimes, while Jesus was innocent. So, by saying that humans know they deserve death for acting wickedly, Paul is stating what was already widely believed.

Counterargument:

While it might be that people in antiquity accepted that death was the punishment for disobeying God’s decrees, the textual support offered in this argument is not enough to establish this. First, this view holds that humans, including both Jews and Gentiles, generally understood that death was the punishment for disobeying God’s decrees. Of course, that the Jews understood this is obvious from the Old Testament, so the real task here is to offer textual evidence to support that the Gentiles understood that death is the penalty for disobeying God. Second, the textual evidence that this view does offer to support that the Gentiles knew that death was the result of disobeying God is not to the point. For, in the section from the Republic, Plato is not saying that death is the consequence of a wicked life. Rather, he is saying that when people face death, they reflect on the actions of their life, knowing that in the life to come they will be rewarded or punished. For Plato, death is necessary for escaping the body, not a punishment for wickedness. Further, while the criminal beside Jesus does recognize that he is being justly punished, he does not say that the punishment is from God. Rather, as far as we know, the criminal might simply hold that since he wronged his fellow humans, it is just for them to punish him. This is not the same as recognizing that sins like slander and envy are contrary to God’s decrees and thus punishable with death.

Response to counterargument:

Before the criminal on the cross states that he is being justly punished, he asks the criminal beside him whether he fears God. In particular he says, Do you not fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? The notion strongly suggests that according to the criminal, they were being justly punished with death by God. And while the text from the Republic does not say that death is the punishment for wickedness, there is an admission that one will be punished or rewarded according to one’s behaviour. Such a notion is not far from the fact that one knows that by disobeying God, one deserves death.

Explanation:

Paul says that the ungodly know that they deserve death for disobeying God’s decrees. At first, this admission might surprise us, for without the Mosaic law, how do the Gentiles know that their disobedience deserves death? Now, when we consider Romans 1:32 in context, we notice that Paul says many other surprising things in this section that minimize the surprise that the Gentiles know their wickedness deserves death. For in Romans 1:19–21 Paul reveals the surprising fact that God clearly reveals his divinity and power to all humans through what he made, so they are obliged to praise and thank God. Likewise, the ungodly deliberately exchange the truth for a lie, by worshipping creatures rather than the Creator. So, Paul explains the surprising fact that all humans know enough to worship God, but they worship idols when they know they should worship the Creator. Finally, given that the Gentiles know God but consciously worship idols instead, it comes as no surprise that they know they deserve death for their disobedience. For part of recognizing God’s divinity and power is recognizing that he is the Creator, and so to disobey him is to forfeit one’s life.

Counterargument:

According to this view, Paul is saying that people who are slanderous, haters of God, haughty, boastful, envious, and so on, know that they deserve death if they do such things, and yet they do them anyway. It’s hard to believe that people who know that doing such things leads to death would continue to do such things. For humans are born with a desire to survive and live, so that if humans knew that practicing wickedness means they deserve death, they would refrain from practicing wickedness. Since Paul says they do these things anyway, it is likely that he is being rhetorical here. That is, Paul is likely saying that people know there is a negative aspect to their wicked behaviour, and yet they do it anyway.

Response to counterargument:

Unfortunately for this argument, Paul does not say that that they know there are negative consequences to their actions. Rather, he says they know they deserve death. And there is no indication from the context that Paul does not want us to take the fact that they know they deserve death literally. As for how anyone could continue in their wicked behaviour, even knowing that such behaviour deserves death, Paul has already explained how this is possible. For in Romans 1:21 he says that while they knew they ought to praise and thank God, they do not do so, which leads to futility in their thinking. In other words, sin corrupts our hearts and minds, so that eventually, even though we know we deserve death, we continue in our wickedness. This is why we need a Saviour to forgive us, free us from sin, and renew us.

It is hard to see what the weakness of this view might be, given that Paul specifically says that they know they deserve death for disobeying God. While it might surprise us that the Gentiles, who do not have the Mosaic law, know they deserve death for disobeying God, that we are surprised is no weakness for the argument that this is Paul’s meaning.

Explanation:

Paul says that the ungodly know God’s just decree, and that those who practice wickedness deserve to die. So how do the Gentiles, who do not have the Mosaic law, know that their wickedness deserves death? Likely Paul has had in mind the sin and curse of Adam in Romans 1:19–25. We can deduce this because we notice subtle hints in this direction. For example, in Romans 1:22 he says that the ungodly claim to be wise but become fools. This notion mimics Adam’s sin, who reaches for knowledge beyond what God had ordained, which results in his downfall. Likewise, Romans 1:32 acts as a sort of concluding summary of this section, where he states that, just as with Adam, the result of sin is death.⁹

Counterargument:

The trouble with this argument is that Paul is not describing the result of sin from a theological perspective. Rather, he says that the ungodly know that performing the wicked actions described from Romans 1:29–32 results in death. Of course, the ungodly humans whom Paul has in mind are Gentiles, and the Gentiles were not familiar with Old Testament Scripture. So how would they know that in Genesis 3:1–24, Adam is cursed with death for his sin? Rather, given that Paul says the Gentiles know they deserve death, just as they know God is owed praise and thanks, he cannot have Genesis 3:1–24 in mind.

Response to counterargument:

Paul’s audience likely included both Jews and Gentiles in Rome, so it is appropriate for him to connect his assertions with the Old Testament. Further, that the consequence of Adam’s sin is death does not nullify the fact that humans know they deserve this death. In other words, that the consequence of sin is death may mean both that humans will die because of sin, and they will recognize that death is the appropriate penalty for wickedness. In this way, it is true that the consequence of sin is death as specified in Genesis 3:1–24, and Paul has this in mind. It is also true that all humans know that wickedness deserves death, because God gives us the capacity to deduce this.

Explanation:

In the next section Paul will address his Jewish audience in Rome. As such, it is important for him to transition to a Jewish theme, so he ends Romans 1:32 with a subtle nod toward Jewish theology, and the fact that the consequence of Adam’s sin is death.¹⁰ Introducing the consequence of Adam’s sin helps the transition into his next Jewish-related theme.

Counterargument:

Paul does not need to introduce a subtle Jewish theme to address his Jewish audience. Throughout this section he has made it clear that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness (Romans 1:18). Paul has explained that no one is without excuse, for all have clearly perceived God’s power and divinity. Thus, they know they owe God praise and thanks, but instead they practice wickedness, knowing such behaviour deserves death. So Paul’s thoughts are clearly directed at all humans throughout this section. Now, just as Paul explicitly addresses all humans in this section, we would expect that if he wants to address a Jewish segment, he would do so explicitly instead of introducing subtle Jewish themes that may be overlooked.

The weakness of this view is that while Paul’s comments might remind us of Genesis 3:1–24, this does not mean that he intended to reflect on that passage. The connection between Paul’s comments and Genesis 3:1–24 are loose.