"19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 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 people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ~ Romans 1:19-21
Today, we continue our study of Romans 1 where we are given the process that unbelieving man has gone through that has resulted in his rejection of God and His culture. This process is ultimately steeped in the pride of man. This comes as no surprise since the very sin that inaugurated sin is pride.
In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 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 people are without excuse."
God can not be blamed for the demise of man because He made Himself known to man through creation. Although God is invisible, He is knowable. God has given man visible proof of His existence in the creation. In addition, He has given us a conscience to know in our hearts that He exists. And so, we are without excuse.
The argument that Paul uses in this portion is known as the teleological argument which is the argument of God's existence from the design in creation. Water, for example, is lifted against gravity thousands of feet into the air, suspended until it is carried inland where the rain falls. No earthly agency can lift water like that. God equipped the sun through the process of evaporation to do this incredible thing. And, think of it, the sun is perfectly placed ninety-three million miles away from earth suspended in the air. The very essence of the One who created us all is absolutely everywhere in creation.
Men have experienced God, His wisdom, His power, and His goodness in every moment of their existence, and man has largely rejected God. In doing this man has suppressed the truth about God. When we observe creation, we understand that this world was custom made. In fact, all of creation was designed. And, since it has been designed, it must therefore have a designer. Through the art that we find all around us, we know that there is an Artist behind it all.
The word "plain" in v.19 means evident. In fact, the atheist must turn off his reason in order to believe there is no God behind all of creation. The further out into our galaxy and beyond that we go the more the atheist expects to find chaos, but it never happens because the God of the Bible created it all with design. God would never send someone to hell who didn’t have an opportunity to know Him. The God of the Bible is a God of justice, truth and equity, and, we can trust Him.
In v.21 of today's passage we read, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
Man, in his heart, knows there is a God. Creation manifests the existence of God. The word used here translated "knew" means intimate understanding. It is intimate because God has placed eternity in our hearts. We call this our conscience. And, between our conscience and His creation, man knows there is a God behind it all.
The natural order of things is revealed in v.21. After we acknowledge God exists, it is natural for us to glorify Him. To glorify God means to be defined by Him or to agree with His definition of all things and choosing to live accordingly. But, the man who turns off his logical capabilities does not acknowledge God and therefore does not glorify His existence. This is the heart and soul of the fallenness of man that he refuses to glorify God.
God could have just obliterated man after we rebelled against Him, but He didn't. God desired to reach out to man by revealing to man His glory. And, God didn't stop at creation, He sent His Son who was full of the glory of God. In sending His Son, God revealed Himself more intimately to the willing.
Interestingly, all of the created world, other than man, naturally glorifies God. In the Old Testament we read, "The heavens declare the glory of God." Creation does not argue with God on this issue. There has never been a revolt among the stars of the sky. No, they day in and day out glorify God by existing according to the purpose for which they were made. The animals glorify God as well. They live and behave in the way that God created them to. Only fallen man chooses not to operate according to his God-given specifications.
When man turns off the revelation of God through his conscience and creation, gratitude for his Maker makes no sense to him at that point. Rebellious and unbelieving man does not ascribe everything he possesses to the God who gave it to him in the first place. When man arrives upon his rejection of God, pretty soon he has no one to thank. Then it becomes illogical for man to be thankful.
The final words in v.21 are: "but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
Man’s failure is not that he fails to recognize God, but that he refuses to glorify God. Instead of glorifying God and being grateful to Him, "their thinking became futile." This means their ability to make sense out of life becomes "empty" and "senseless." When we reject God, we end up with an empty mind. Man's empty thoughts, lead him to uselessness, pointlessness, purposeless thinking. They go from truth to emptiness.
According to the Bible, the heart is the source of emotion, intellect and volition. We feel, think and behave with our hearts. The foolish heart has been “darkened” or separated from its true source. This means that a heart that has been darkened feels, thinks and acts as though God does not exist. And, when we choose not to serve the true God, we will end up serving a false one made in our image. The rejection of the God of the Bible is the height of foolishness and arrogance and results ultimately in the worship of self. This is what darkens our hearts. And that is very important because faith, real faith is the ability to see with our hearts.
