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There is no excuse for not knowing God.
Romans 1 introduces Paul and his purpose in writing this letter to the Christians in Rome. As servant and apostle of Jesus, Paul's mission in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people groups, both Jews and Gentiles. He hopes to do so in Rome soon.
Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God's power for the salvation of all people by faith in Christ. We need to be saved because God is angry with us. Because of our sin, humanity has rejected Him as creator and provider. We worship created things, instead.
In order to build the case that all humanity has fallen short of the glory of God and needs to receive God’s grace through belief in Jesus, Paul asserts that God’s unseen qualities are clearly seen in creation: “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” (Romans 1:20, ESV). God has made aspects of who He is evident to all humanity (Romans 1:19), so that no one has an excuse for unbelief. God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature have been clearly seen in creation.
It is remarkable that something invisible—unseeable, by definition—has been clearly seen in creation. But God’s creation reveals His invisible attributes (Romans 1:20). God’s eternal power and divine nature are evident through what He has made. These qualities are understandable through observing creation, and no one has an excuse not to believe. Suppressing the truth is unrighteous (Romans 1:19) because God has made the truth of who He is obvious to all.
In response, God has given us over to indulge in all kinds of sinful practices that lead to misery now and His angry judgment later.
This verse answers that it is obvious from what He has made. Specifically, Paul asserts that human beings can easily know at least some things about God by looking at creation. We should look at what is visible around us in nature, what God has made, and arrive at some obvious conclusions about what is not visible.
Romans 1:20, KJV: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power ; so that they are without excuse:"
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
—Romans 1:20.
There are many places in Scripture where we are told to look to the creation to learn about God. In Job 12:7–9 we are told that the birds, the beasts, the earth itself, and the fish of the sea can all teach us about God and that He made them all. In His hand is the life of every living thing (Job 12:10).
The heavens themselves declare God’s glory and proclaim the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1). Each passing day and night reveal knowledge (Psalm 19:2). As the Creator of all things, God has intimate knowledge of His creation (Isaiah 40:12), and He has revealed Himself in His creation from the founding of the earth (Isaiah 40:21).
Isaiah exhorts us to look to the heavens to see God’s handiwork (Isaiah 40:26). The heavens’ very existence is a proclamation of God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature.
Romans 1 introduces Paul and his purpose in writing this letter to the Christians in Rome. As servant and apostle of Jesus, Paul's mission in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people groups, both Jews and Gentiles.
He hopes to do so in Rome soon. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God's power for the salvation of all people by faith in Christ. We need to be saved because God is angry with us. Because of our sin, humanity has rejected Him as creator and provider.
We worship created things, instead. In response, God has given us over to indulge in all kinds of sinful practices that lead to misery now and His angry judgment later.
According to the previous verses, those who are unrighteous before God do not want to know about Him, so they try to suppress the truth about God. To some extent, this is true of all human beings, since we all sin (Romans 3:23).
Paul has shown that God has plainly shown what is knowable about Him to everyone (Romans 1:18–19). How has He done that? This verse answers that it is obvious from what He has made.
Specifically, Paul asserts that human beings can easily know at least some things about God by looking at creation. We should look at what is visible around us in nature, what God has made, and arrive at some obvious conclusions about what is not visible.
Adding one and one together, we should understand from nature that God has eternal power and a divine nature. David said something similar in Psalm 19:1–6.
After all, Paul seems to be saying, what kind of power would it take to make the world and all that is in it? Such a feat would require "eternal power," or endless and inexhaustible power.
Such a Creator must also be divine and not merely human. He must be God, in other words. Human beings should look at creation and decide there must be a God who made it, a God we must answer to on some level.
Especially in our era, some might argue that reaching such a conclusion by looking at nature is not a given. After all, the prevailing alternative theories about the origins of our universe may lead someone to decide that just the opposite is true: There is no God.
God does not accept that argument. This passage is especially important when viewed in context with Jesus' comments in Matthew 7:7–8. God gives every single person enough knowledge that they should seek Him. Those who respond by seeking God will always find Him.
If human beings do not "work out" the basic nature of God from what is seen in creation, and seek Him from there, they are simply "without excuse." They are willfully ignoring the obvious.
God insists that He has made it plain to human reasoning and that to decide otherwise is to suppress the truth we know by nature.
Romans 1:18–32 describes why God rightfully condemns humanity and some of what He has done about it. Humanity's fall is pictured as a downward progression. It starts with rejecting God as creator, refusing to see what can be known about Him by what He has made.
We also reject that He is our provider and stop giving Him thanks. We worship His creation instead of Him. Finally, God acts by giving us over to the unchecked expression of our corrupt sexual desires and all other kinds of sin.
The Bible draws a connection between God’s creation and God’s sovereign control. Since God created all things, He has authority over all things. The biblical account of creation provides the important foundation for us to understand who God is.
In order for readers to understand their need for the good news of Jesus Christ, Paul explains that all are accountable to God. All are guilty, and all who do not believe in Him are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. There are none who do good, not even one (Romans 3:12)
Because God is the Creator, He understands what is needed to redeem humanity and all of creation. All have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), yet God justifies all who believe in Jesus (Romans 3:23, 38).
God’s creation reveals much about God. His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen and understood in creation. We gain knowledge of who He is by examining His creation. When we observe the over 100 billion galaxies, we see the glory and might of God.
When we study the intricacies of a living cell, we see the intelligence and skill of God. When we consider the 60,000 miles of blood vessels strategically placed in the human body, we see the wisdom and forethought of God.
God has also revealed Himself in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16–17), and through them we understand that God has resolved our sin and guilt by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9).
God’s invisible attributes seen in creation help us to know our need for God’s grace and where to look to find His provision of grace.
In part, He expresses His wrath by giving us what we want and condemning us to suffer the painful consequences.
Romans 1 introduces Paul and his purpose in writing this letter to the Christians in Rome. As servant and apostle of Jesus, Paul's mission in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people groups, both Jews and Gentiles. He hopes to do so in Rome soon.
Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God's power for the salvation of all people by faith in Christ. We need to be saved because God is angry with us. Because of our sin, humanity has rejected Him as creator and provider. We worship created things, instead.
In order to build the case that all humanity has fallen short of the glory of God and needs to receive God’s grace through belief in Jesus, Paul asserts that God’s unseen qualities are clearly seen in creation: “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” (Romans 1:20, ESV). God has made aspects of who He is evident to all humanity (Romans 1:19), so that no one has an excuse for unbelief. God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature have been clearly seen in creation.
It is remarkable that something invisible—unseeable, by definition—has been clearly seen in creation. But God’s creation reveals His invisible attributes (Romans 1:20). God’s eternal power and divine nature are evident through what He has made. These qualities are understandable through observing creation, and no one has an excuse not to believe. Suppressing the truth is unrighteous (Romans 1:19) because God has made the truth of who He is obvious to all.
In response, God has given us over to indulge in all kinds of sinful practices that lead to misery now and His angry judgment later.
This verse answers that it is obvious from what He has made. Specifically, Paul asserts that human beings can easily know at least some things about God by looking at creation. We should look at what is visible around us in nature, what God has made, and arrive at some obvious conclusions about what is not visible.
Romans 1:20, KJV: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power ; so that they are without excuse:"
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
—Romans 1:20.
There are many places in Scripture where we are told to look to the creation to learn about God. In Job 12:7–9 we are told that the birds, the beasts, the earth itself, and the fish of the sea can all teach us about God and that He made them all. In His hand is the life of every living thing (Job 12:10).
The heavens themselves declare God’s glory and proclaim the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1). Each passing day and night reveal knowledge (Psalm 19:2). As the Creator of all things, God has intimate knowledge of His creation (Isaiah 40:12), and He has revealed Himself in His creation from the founding of the earth (Isaiah 40:21).
Isaiah exhorts us to look to the heavens to see God’s handiwork (Isaiah 40:26). The heavens’ very existence is a proclamation of God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature.
Romans 1 introduces Paul and his purpose in writing this letter to the Christians in Rome. As servant and apostle of Jesus, Paul's mission in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people groups, both Jews and Gentiles.
He hopes to do so in Rome soon. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God's power for the salvation of all people by faith in Christ. We need to be saved because God is angry with us. Because of our sin, humanity has rejected Him as creator and provider.
We worship created things, instead. In response, God has given us over to indulge in all kinds of sinful practices that lead to misery now and His angry judgment later.
According to the previous verses, those who are unrighteous before God do not want to know about Him, so they try to suppress the truth about God. To some extent, this is true of all human beings, since we all sin (Romans 3:23).
Paul has shown that God has plainly shown what is knowable about Him to everyone (Romans 1:18–19). How has He done that? This verse answers that it is obvious from what He has made.
Specifically, Paul asserts that human beings can easily know at least some things about God by looking at creation. We should look at what is visible around us in nature, what God has made, and arrive at some obvious conclusions about what is not visible.
Adding one and one together, we should understand from nature that God has eternal power and a divine nature. David said something similar in Psalm 19:1–6.
After all, Paul seems to be saying, what kind of power would it take to make the world and all that is in it? Such a feat would require "eternal power," or endless and inexhaustible power.
Such a Creator must also be divine and not merely human. He must be God, in other words. Human beings should look at creation and decide there must be a God who made it, a God we must answer to on some level.
Especially in our era, some might argue that reaching such a conclusion by looking at nature is not a given. After all, the prevailing alternative theories about the origins of our universe may lead someone to decide that just the opposite is true: There is no God.
God does not accept that argument. This passage is especially important when viewed in context with Jesus' comments in Matthew 7:7–8. God gives every single person enough knowledge that they should seek Him. Those who respond by seeking God will always find Him.
If human beings do not "work out" the basic nature of God from what is seen in creation, and seek Him from there, they are simply "without excuse." They are willfully ignoring the obvious.
God insists that He has made it plain to human reasoning and that to decide otherwise is to suppress the truth we know by nature.
Romans 1:18–32 describes why God rightfully condemns humanity and some of what He has done about it. Humanity's fall is pictured as a downward progression. It starts with rejecting God as creator, refusing to see what can be known about Him by what He has made.
We also reject that He is our provider and stop giving Him thanks. We worship His creation instead of Him. Finally, God acts by giving us over to the unchecked expression of our corrupt sexual desires and all other kinds of sin.
The Bible draws a connection between God’s creation and God’s sovereign control. Since God created all things, He has authority over all things. The biblical account of creation provides the important foundation for us to understand who God is.
In order for readers to understand their need for the good news of Jesus Christ, Paul explains that all are accountable to God. All are guilty, and all who do not believe in Him are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. There are none who do good, not even one (Romans 3:12)
Because God is the Creator, He understands what is needed to redeem humanity and all of creation. All have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), yet God justifies all who believe in Jesus (Romans 3:23, 38).
God’s creation reveals much about God. His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen and understood in creation. We gain knowledge of who He is by examining His creation. When we observe the over 100 billion galaxies, we see the glory and might of God.
When we study the intricacies of a living cell, we see the intelligence and skill of God. When we consider the 60,000 miles of blood vessels strategically placed in the human body, we see the wisdom and forethought of God.
God has also revealed Himself in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16–17), and through them we understand that God has resolved our sin and guilt by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9).
God’s invisible attributes seen in creation help us to know our need for God’s grace and where to look to find His provision of grace.
In part, He expresses His wrath by giving us what we want and condemning us to suffer the painful consequences.
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