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-10-
God Hath Spoken
Note second, these things are "understood by the things that are made." And, note third, this knowledge extends even to "His eternal power and Godhead." And note fourth, "so that they are without excuse."
Natural revelation reveals the insignificance of man while it reveals the eternal power and Godhead of God. It also clearly reveals this knowledge to all men everywhere, and it has done so from the very beginning of creation. Moreover, this knowledge has been understood by all men everywhere, and we have seen one of the arguments for the existence of God in this fact: that all men everywhere have an innate need to worship. Thus man is not an animal.
Note Romans 2:14. "For when the Gentiles which have not the law [i.e. the written law of God] do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another."
All men are indicted by their conscience. Men everywhere know what is right and what is wrong because God has not left Himself without witness, but has engraved His law in their hearts. This is the light that lights every man that comes into the world. The law that is spoken of here that is written by God in the hearts of all men everywhere is known as the "Moral Law," or the "Natural Law." It is briefly summarized by the Ten Commandments.
One can go anywhere in all the world and ask people, "Is it right to steal?" and people the world over will acknowledge the fact that stealing is wrong. Stories have been told by missionaries who have gone into the distant recesses of the earth to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that when they have asked, "How many of you have ever done anything wrong?" the people have attested to the fact that they knew themselves to be guilty sinners. This is the result of the law that God has engraved upon their hearts. This is also the reason why a child hides to do wrong. "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure and whether it be right" (Prov. 20:11).
Now let us return to Romans chapter 1, verse 20. "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 and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened."
Note the passive mood: "...their foolish heart was darkened." They did not darken it themselves: God did. They did not glorify Him as God; they were not thankful for the knowledge they had been given, so God darkened their hearts. They professed themselves to be wise, but in reality, "they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four footed beasts and creeping things."
Note Romans 1:24; "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves." When men refused the knowledge of God, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient." A reprobate mind is a mind fit only to be discarded.
Natural revelation entails the knowledge God reveals of Himself in nature. It reveals, for instance, that "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18)—men who not only do not like it, but who argue against it, and who do all in their power to suppress it. Therefore, it is by natural revelation that men are left without excuse. However, natural revelation is limited because it does not reveal the doctrine of grace, or of forgiveness.
In the northern hemisphere, there is a constellation in the heavens called the Northern Cross. It is so named on account of the fact the constellation appears in the shape of a cross. People in the southern hemisphere cannot see the Northern Cross, so God has created another constellation for the southern hemisphere called the Southern Cross. Interesting, is it not? Natural revelation, however, does not teach the grace of God such as that realized in the forgiveness of sin. It teaches the eternal glory of God, and that a man is without excuse before God, but it does not teach men how to be delivered from their sins, how they may land safely on the happy shore of heaven. Therefore, God has authored direct revelation.