Verse 18 was called by Melanchthon “an exordium terrible as lightning,” because it is a terrible indictment of humankind, a divine denunciation that expresses the revulsion of a holy God against human unbelief and rebellion. This is why the preaching of the gospel is urgent. The Greek, utilizing the word “for,” makes the connection with the preceding section. The connective sense has been caught by Frédéric Godet, who writes, “There is a revelation of righteousness by the gospel, because there is