17. The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. It is just as the Scriptures say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”
18. From heaven God shows how angry he is with all the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth.
19. They know everything that can be known about God, because God has shown it all to them.
20. God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse.
21. They know about God, but they don't honour him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark.
22. They claim to be wise, but they are fools.
23. They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look like humans who cannot live for ever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles.
24. So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies.