People get God. They may try to block him, but when they experience “Ahhh….” from a seascape, a mountainscape, a bubbling-brook they are auto-connecting to God. No Paul-writing, no Paul-declaring, no Bible reading is needed for this. All over the world in moments of majesty, God’s eternal power and divine nature just auto-populate the human psyche. Don’t get me wrong and go too far with this. Humanity does not go all Christian, that is they don’t automatically think of Jesus and redemption, or crucifixion and resurrection. They do know aspects of God, though, and are responsible for them, for that knowledge.
20 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. (Romans 1:20a–ESV)
Excuses?
That, though, is but the first half of verse 20. Look at the rest of the verse…
…So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20b–ESV)
Excuse? Huh? Why? Let’s have Paul answer; let’s have him unpack the excuseless.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:21-23–ESV)
Humanity too often has the “Ahhhh” but just stops there. From God-recognition is to come God-honor, gratitude to him. Paul says that while people know God they skip responding to him. At least, they do not respond positively, properly to him. Most seem to go the opposite way, their reaction is to go rogue. They become Mother-Earthers or Gaia-conceivers or all worse considering the cosmos to be undirected atomic accidents.
People generally turn to the creation and adore it instead of accepting that they, in fact, are part of it. They are created too. So they wiggle away from creator worship so some spiritual perversion. Paul says there is no excuse for this.
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