People are aware of God
Let us move from history to doctrine, from Luke to Paul. In Romans 1 down at verse 20, Paul wrote that God (we are not talking Jesus here, but just God in general) made himself known to people (not just Christians, not just Jews, but all people).
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)
Paul declared that humans draw conclusions about God automatically. No scripture is needed, no Paul-writing, Paul-declaring is required for this. It simply happens: see a sunset and grasp God. Experience the sounds, smells, sights, and boom of crashing waves and know transcendence: God is behind it all. It is a power from another realm; a nature above our own. These God-grasps are intuited; they self-insert.
Awareness whistles, “Come home! Come home!”
Some people self-assert denying these inner “voices,” while others misdirect them. God is not trying to stop his foot and say, “THOU SHALT WORSHIP ME OR I WILL CRUSH YOU!” No, it is much kinder than that. He expresses himself to our inner selves wooing us back into the relationship with him that we were created for. Waves crash; people are to relate.
When you hear the whistle, the gentle voice of God through the world you live in how will you respond? Will you race home? Run away? Some are stout enough to deny, deny, deny. Others, yearning for something beyond themselves, will assemble various transcendent entities, or existences to cope with the bigger-than-self. In the scriptures we see God sending himself, Immanuel, God-with-us, Jesus that we might go the next step. Do you know what that step is? It is from knowing God vaguely by seeing transcendent in nature to knowing God more fully by knowing him personally.
That is what Paul is ultimately getting at. Hopefully, that is where each of us says, “Yes.” Then comes worship. Then comes thankfulness each arriving automatically as they should not rigidly as a requirement.
We may not identify with those who look for gods like Zeus and Hermes. We are not so much more sophisticated now. Rather we have greater revelation than those from the 1st Century. No matter whether you are from Lystra or more lately you still are God-aware. Don’t shun God’s gentle whistles.
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