For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
What about the people in the jungle who haven’t heard about Jesus from missionaries? What about those who were alive before Jesus came to earth? What about people who look at the natural world and only see evolutionary processes, chemical reactions, and physical phenomenon because it’s all they’ve ever been told?
Questions such as these are the questions we ask when doubting the justice of God. We doubt that He is “fair.” We want the answer to these questions to be simple, and I find that people often gravitate to one of these options : a) God isn’t fair, thus we should reject Him, b) God is fair; He allows everyone into heaven, so don’t worry, or c) God is fair; everyone has nature to convince them.
The context of Romans 1 and the verses that follow address a) and b) (more on this in days to come). So let us look at c) God is fair; everyone has nature to convince them.
The thought we have when feeling uneasy about c) is the idea that perhaps the testimony of nature isn’t enough. Maybe people will not notice, or they will choose another explanation other than God for the cosmos. When astronomers consider the statistical improbability of the perfect collection of odds necessary for the existence of our world, a decision must be made.* When anthropologists peer into the mystery of the human conscience, a conclusion must be drawn.* When our inner worlds and outer world collide in a symphony of interactive feeling that only art can describe, God says that no excuse remains.
Borrowing from a scholar’s illustration, when thrown from a boat into the ocean, an instant awareness overcomes the individual that danger lurks below and that one must escape immediately. This reaction takes no training. When “thrown” into the created world, one becomes aware that this place is created and a Creator lies behind the scene.* It requires no training.
The person thrown overboard needs saving. Without a conversation with someone who knows, they may not know how to respond to the situation. Even so, they cannot claim that they were unaware of the water or its dangers.
The person “thrown” into creation needs saving. Without a conversation with someone who knows, they may not know how to respond to the Creator. Even so, they cannot claim that they were unaware of Someone moving beyond the surface of reality.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to look at creation with intention. Perhaps God wants to say something to you through a sunset, the rain, the cold, or the heat. Maybe God wants you to share what you know about Him with the person in your life who knows Someone is there but doesn’t know how to respond.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
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*Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 46-49). InterVarsity Press; Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 80-86). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press; Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 93-95). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos; Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (pp. 50–52). Zondervan Publishing House; Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (p. 59-60). Zondervan Publishing House.