18 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,19 since 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 what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Verse18 speaks about the wrath of God. God is justified in revealing His wrath because of the sin of people. People have a general knowledge of God, yet they are ignoring Him. God has revealed Himself in two ways: in inward knowledge and outward evidence.

First the Bible states “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”(the inward evidence). God has given to each of us a conscience. Atheists are not born. They develop and accept what they have been taught. A child has a natural inclination to a belief in God. They can naturally be directed towards an understanding of God’s love for them and plan for their life. The philosopher Pascal said there is a God shaped vacuum within each of us. We have an awareness of the divine and must be taught to come to a different conclusion.           

Paul then states the inward evidence known about God, in general revelation, is plain - if people are willing to accept it. Creation shows God’s invisible qualities - namely His eternal power and He is God. He is divine. He is the creator overall. It is clearly seen in our world if people would open their eyes and hearts. All men know something and understanding something of the reality and the truth of God. They are responsible for a proper response to the revelation they have.

Helen Keller became blind and deaf at a very young age. The work of Anne Sullivan, her teacher and guide, brought this genius of a girl to become a spokesperson for the disabled. Helen’s accomplishments with her disabilities are astounding. She learned sign language on her hands, she learned to read and write in Braille, and learned to speak English. She also learned French, German, Greek, and Latin. When Mrs. Sullivan first tried to tell Helen about God, she said she already knew about Him, she just did not know His name.

Secondly Scripture says , “For since the creation of the world God’s qualities have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Paul makes a very important point, that there is enough evidence in creation alone to hold every man and woman accountable for belief in God. It takes a deliberate act of the will to observe the design we see in creation and not acknowledge a Designer. Everywhere, you see evidence that God exists. Look at the sky. Look at the trees. Look at a human being. Did this all happen by chance? Surely, there must be a Creator. This is what is known as the "argument from design." It is one of the most common arguments for the existence of God, but if you choose to deny the truth, no argument will convince you otherwise.

Conscience and creation are enough evidence to condemn every man. What can be known through this general revelation are three things about God. His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His Divine nature. Psalm 19:1-3 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day it utters speech and night unto night shows knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”

The University of Oxford researchers spent nearly $4 million to study why mankind embraces God.  Anthropologists, theologians, philosophers and other academics under a grant, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, a U.S. based philanthropic organization that funds wide-ranging research into questions that deal with the laws of nature and issues of spirituality, and the Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion has taken three years to study whether belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind's makeup.

Roger Trigg, acting director of the center, said "There are a lot of issues. What is it that is innate in human nature to believe in God, whether it is gods or something superhuman or supernatural? One implication that comes from this is that religion is the default position, and atheism is perhaps more in need of explanation."

I could have saved them millions of dollars - because why people of all cultures, even your most primitive ones, have some innate form of religion is because there is a one and only great God who created us in His image. Furthermore, we are not fulfilled until we know Him in a personal way.

Prayer:  Lord, oh how I pray that our world would turn to You and that we might know You in a personal way.   

Dale