“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).
In addition to what we read here in Romans 1:19-20, the Old Testament book of Psalms addresses the subject of general revelation…
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon…” (Psalm 19:1-4 NET).
This portion of Scripture offers several pieces of information that relate to our text from the book of Romans…
- First, the stellar heavens showcase the magnificence of God and serve as a testament to His existence.
- Next, they serve as a continual witness. This revelation concerning God’s power and majesty literally takes place day and night and offers a constant reminder of His reality.
- Furthermore, this revelation extends to every corner of the earth. There are no geographic barriers to this form of God’s revelation.
- Finally, the language of God’s revelation in the natural realm is a universal language that anyone can understand.
We can illustrate this function of the celestial heavens with the image of a train that is traveling down a flat set of railroad tracks. The last car of our hypothetical train is moving because it is coupled to the car ahead of it. The same is true of every other railroad car in that sequence; the motion of each individual car is explained by the action of the car that precedes it.
However, that chain of causality ends when we reach the engine. The engine explains why the first car is moving and why the remaining cars are moving by extension. In our analogy, the engine serves as a “first cause,” or the ultimate reason why our train is proceeding from point A to point B.
In a similar manner, the heavens and earth are much like individual segments in a series of moving railroad cars. They each point to the definite existence of an “engine” or an explanatory cause, even if we cannot see that cause. Here in Psalm 19:1-4 and Romans 1:19-20, the existence of God and the reality of His creative work represents the “engine” that explains the presence of the stellar heavens and the world we inhabit.
Image Attribution: Karora, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons