Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Romans 1:18-20, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Understand:
Human beings have knowledge about God; He has revealed it to them. There is no one who has an excuse for not knowing God. God has made Himself known; He is visible and knowable through what has been made. In other words, His creation alone, right from the beginning, declares God’s eternal power and divine nature.
Paul is not introducing anything knew here. Creation revealing the truth of God is a regular theme throughout scripture. Job 37-41 tells how Job saw God in the natural order of God’s creation. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God” and Isaiah 6:3 “the whole earth is full of his glory.” All people can know that God exists and that God is powerful, but of course they cannot know about the specific requirements of God’s law or about the culmination of that plan in the cross of Christ.
God’s revelation of Himself through His creation to everyone everywhere is what is known as general revelation. It is called general, as opposed to special, because it is revealed to everyone everywhere. Special revelation is when God reveals Himself to a particular people in a particular place through Christ and the biblical authors.
Through general revelation, people everywhere can know God’s power, His deity, and His glory, but not His saving grace which can only be found in Jesus Christ. This general knowledge doesn’t save a person, but rather condemns a person. No one will be able to plead innocence because nobody can plead ignorance; they are without excuse.
Yes, it is true that the truth revealed about God in nature cannot bring someone to a true knowledge of God, but we cannot deny that these truths may help to lead a person to search for the true knowledge of God. In Acts 17: 22-34, we see Paul using the truth about God as revealed in general revelation as a stepping stone to present the gospel to the intellectuals who were in Athens.
Apply:
Our world today is not that different than Paul’s. We live in a world dominated by secular reasoning. Yet, many who search for truth can’t escape the nagging question, “Is this all there really is?” I’m certain there is at least one person in your life who is wrestling with God. How might you share the truth about God’s plan for their life with them? Ask God to use you like He did Paul with the Athenians.
You may also want to think about the different ways God revealed Himself to you. How did you see Him through His general revelation? How did He reveal Himself through special revelation? Who did He use to share the truth of the Gospel with you? Is there someone you need to share the gospel with today? Ask God to give you opportunity.
*From what you have just read and considered: What is a personal implication/application for your life today?
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.