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How can God hold people
responsible to Him if they have never heard the gospel of God’s
grace? Can God be just and judge people who have never heard of
Jesus Christ? What about those around the world who grow up
under the worship of false gods? Are they still responsible to
God to receive Christ? Why is every human being condemned who
does not believe in Christ (John 3:18)? Every person who ever
lives is responsible to God because God reveals clear
information concerning His power and His deity to the entire
world.
Though God is a spirit (Jn.
4:24), and a spirit is invisible (1 Tim. 1:16), He has left His
visible fingerprints everywhere that make known His existence.
“Because that which is known
about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to
them. For since the creation of the world His invisible
attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been
clearly seen, being understood through what has been made,
so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:19-20)
Creation
The universe gives adequate
information revealing God’s power and His divine nature. The
sun, moon, stars, and the earth reveal God’s handiwork. God is
the creator!
A clear night sky in the country
is beautiful. The stars stretch from horizon to horizon. These
same stars appear all over the world and continuously send out
an invitation to those who would believe in Christ.
“The heavens declare the
glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork." (Psalm
19:1)
The universe is a ray of light
continuously flashing God’s presence to man. The seen gives
knowledge of the unseen. The known gives knowledge of that which
may be known. An intricate design demands an intelligent
Designer. Creation denotes a Creator. Order announces an
Architect. Yet some who observe the universe see billions of
years of evolutionary change and others see the handiwork of an
infinite God. It is all in the eyes of the beholder.
“Look into the heavens and
see and behold the clouds, they are higher than you.” (Job.
35:5)
Exactly what man sees is totally
up to God.
Conscience
God also reveals Himself to man
by means of the conscience. He equips everyone with
consciousness and a conscience. What is the difference?
Consciousness is when one becomes consciously aware of
something. Conscience is the feelings that occur when
one has become aware. God has placed within every human being a
conscience that has the ability to distinguish between right and
wrong. We are born with knowledge of morality. The human race
throughout history, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, has
known inherently (but to varying degrees), that it is wrong to
kill, to steal, or lie.
"For when the Gentiles, who
have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the
law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves;
who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing them witness and their thoughts the
meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another." (Rom.
2:14-15)
These moral thoughts of right and
wrong lead people to consider the possibility that somewhere
there may exist an ultimate right and wrong. God's law placed
within the heart gives a sufficient glimpse of Him. The human
race will be judged by the knowledge of this secret moral
responsibility balanced against the righteousness of God made
known in the gospel (Acts 17:31).
“On the day when, according
to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through
Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 2:16)
Constant Care
"We are also men of the same
nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should
turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the
heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In
the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go
their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without
witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven
and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and
gladness.” (Acts 14:15-17)
God has also made His presence
known through His constant care. God, through what we call
“natural laws,” provides food and shelter for all humanity. Year
after year God changes the seasons for all, even those who will
not believe in Him. Jesus said, "It rains on the just and the
unjust" (Matt. 5:45). In fact, many times the rain seems to fall
more on those who do not believe than on those who do.
Some attribute this to the work
of “Mother Nature.” They say that it is all the product of
evolutionary processes. Others recognize these natural
happenings as coming from the hand of a loving God. It is a
constant witness inviting people to come to Him. God continues
to be faithful year after year to provide for this fallen world.
God by his grace has also
provided to mankind the safety of nationalism.
“The God who made the world
and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served
by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He
Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on
all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed
times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they
would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find
Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”
(Acts. 17:24-27)
God has provided a balance of
power among the nations in order to protect the lives of
citizens, giving to all the freedom to consider Him. Notice
that it is God who appoints the times and the boundaries of all
the nations. Though this creation of God is not sufficient
information to give life, it is sufficient information to
condemn those who observe but do not “see.”
A student was in need of money to
attend college. He sought financial help from Christian friends
in his local church. The gifts were usually very generous, but
there was one elderly bachelor who was poor yet wanted to help.
He made an offer of a small gift with sincere wishes that he
could have done more. The gift was so small and seemingly
insignificant to the boy, that he spurned the offer with the
excuse that the man probably needed it more than he.
The old bachelor later came into
a small fortune. The student, hearing of the man's newly
acquired wealth, came to him and asked for his help for college.
The old man rejected his plea for help because the boy had
refused his earlier meager but sincere offer.
Creation, conscience, and God’s
constant care will stand as evidence at the Great White Throne
that no one stands there without sufficient opportunity to know
God. But in the finality of it all, God must open the eyes of
the blind to understand the precious truth of the gospel. It is
God who must give life to the dead.
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