“Is belief in God logical, and what about those who’ve never heard of God?”
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Main Point: God is righteous to hold every human being responsible for failing to know Him!
Main Point: God is righteous to hold every human being responsible for failing to know Him!
WHY SHOULD I EVEN LISTEN?
1. Someone you know and love is lost—and will ask/challenge you in what we talk about today.
2. You may feel a temptation to disbelieve the Bible and depart from Christ because the arguments of science/philosophy appear overwhelming.
3. Through the knowledge of God, our love for God increases.
Read
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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.
The Logical Argument of
Premise: THE EXISTENCE OF GOD IS AN EASILY RECOGNIZABLE FACT: “For what can be known about God is plain to them,”
Support #1: REVELATION: “because God has shown it to them.”
Support #2: CLARITY: “For his invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived,”
Support #2a: God’s power is seen through creation: “namely, his eternal power”
Support #2b: God’s nature is seen through creation: “and divine nature,”
Support #3: CONTINUAL “ever since the creation of the world,”
Support #4: REALITY “in the things that have been made.”
Conclusion: THERE IS NO BASIS FOR REJECTING GOD: “So they are without excuse.”
What Paul is addressing here is known General Revelation in contrast to Special Revelation.
1. General Revelation:
a. The Origin of General Revelation: The natural working, composition, and nature of the universe.
b. The Nature of General Revelation Reveals:
i. The existence of God
ii. The attributes of God connected with creation
1. Eternal Power = what was required to enact the plan of creation
2. Divine Nature = what was required to plan creation
However, Special Revelation further reveals God to us, and does so in such a way that we are able to specifically, know, respond, and relate to God.
2. Special Revelation:
a. Origin: The Spirit of God inspired prophets, apostles, and perfectly embodied Jesus Christ to reveal God to humanity
b. The Nature of Special Revelation Reveals:
i. God’s relational nature
ii. The purpose of God’s work
iii. All things pertaining to salvation
iv. Our purpose
v. God’s desired will for how we are to live
vi. Our destination
c. SPECIAL REVELATION CLARIFIES AND DEFINES OUR WORLDVIEW THROUGH REVEALING GOD TO US.
Therefore, there are three IMPLICATIONS for rejecting the GENERAL revelation of God:
Therefore, there are three IMPLICATIONS for rejecting the GENERAL revelation of God:
1. To reject the General Revelation of God is to reject what is plainly evident
2. To reject the General Revelation of God is to reject the further Special Revelation from God
3. To reject the General Revelation of God is to justly earn the full judgment of God
From this, we get three Premises (principles) we get and two Challenges unbelievers make:
From this, we get three Premises (principles) we get and two Challenges unbelievers make:
1. Three Premises from Paul’s argument:
1. Three Premises from Paul’s argument:
a. Premise #1 (stated) The universe proves—beyond a reasonable doubt—that there is a God and that there is only one God.
b. Premise #2 (stated) Those who reject God have no excuse for doing so.
c. Premise #3 (implied) The manner in which God reveals Himself to humanity is absolutely perfect.
Read again
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 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.
2. Two Challenges from unbelievers to Paul’s argument:
2. Two Challenges from unbelievers to Paul’s argument:
a. Challenge #1 Why doesn’t God just appear to every person and prove His existence—isn’t this cruel?
b. Challenge #2 Why does God condemn people to Hell that have never heard about Him—isn’t this cruel?
Response to Challenge #1
The Challenge:
“Why doesn’t God Simply Reveal Himself to Everyone?”
“Why doesn’t God Simply Reveal Himself to Everyone?”
The Response:
Should God FULLY reveal Himself to us, we would face several insurmountable obstacles that would result in either our damnation, the end of our life, or the inability to enjoy the Lord!
The four insurmountable problems connected to God FULLY revealing Himself in the manner we demand or desire:
1. We would lose our lives!
a. God’s perfection and righteousness demand that sin be punished.
b. Should God come in FULLNESS (thus proving Himself), He would have to judge our sin—this will not result in a favorable outcome for us.
c. The fact that Jesus emptied Himself of His divine rights when He incarnated Himself into humanity allowed Him to walk with us and NOT judge, condemn, and execute us!
2. Should we keep our lives, our freewill/freedom would be lost in entirity!
a. Sovereignty ABSOLUTELY includes the ability, right, and authority to act.
b. God—if He disclosed Himself fully—would immediately strip humanity of the freedom to live in accord to their desires.
c. The fullness of God’s manifest presence forces us to comply to His authority (whether we want to do so or not)
3. Should we keep our lives and freewill, we would lose our ability to love God!
a. Love involves choice (freewill)
b. Love involves pursuit (absent if God is present)
c. Love involves sacrifice (absent if God is present)
d. Love involves trust (absent if God is present)
4. Ultimately, we would lose our experience and the reality of God’s tender care and love!
a. Because the full presence of God demands that He judge sin, we would be immediately condemned to hell. Why?
b. Without Jesus revealing God to us as a mediator, we would know God as a judge.
c. Without Jesus satisfying the wrath of God and gifting us salvation, we would still be sinners.
d. As sinners, God in His righteousness absolutely CANNOT allow us to go to heaven.
Two HUGE reasons why God is ABSOLUTELY just in revealing Himself in the manner that he does:
1. We think incorrectly: When we challenge God, we must start with the understanding that we are incompetent to do so!
a. As fallen people, TRUE righteousness is absolutely foreign to us.
i.
b. The righteousness we are familiar with is RELATIVE/COMPARATIVE
i. We compare ourselves to ourselves
ii. We compare ourselves to others
iii. Thus, our righteousness is relative to the evil distortion of life we know.
c. God’s righteousness is foreign to us because God ALONE is TRULY righteous.
i. = Jesus says our heavenly Father is perfect.
ii. = In God there is no darkness—He is light!
iii. = God’s way is perfect and what He says is flawless.
d. Consequently, when we think of God, we tend to conceptualize Him through our broken lenses; that is, we distort God because we are distorted!
i. We view what God thinks through the manner we think
ii. We view what God does through how we would act
iii. We view what God feels through the manner that we feel
iv. We view what God plans through our desires
v. We view God’s power through our weaknesses
vi. THIS IS COMPLETELY FAULTY AND A TERRIBLE WAY OF UNDERSTANDING GOD!
2. God is perfect: As the epitome of complete perfect, everything God does is right or He could no longer be described as perfect. (let’s look at this logically)
A logical proposition:
1. I am not perfect; but God is perfect
2. God’s actions, nature, and thinking are always perfect
3. My actions, nature, and thinking are always subject to my imperfections
4. Therefore, God’s self-revelation must be ABSOLUTELY correct, and my perception of it is the only place where fault or flaws could be found.
A Logical Conclusion based upon Scripture and our experience:
1. God is Morally Good = He is perfectly righteous, loving, caring, compassionate, and engaging.
2. God is Logical = He ALWAYS does that which is in accord with His nature; therefore, the manner in which God reveals Himself is the most logical and intelligent way to do so.
3. THEREFORE: We are in the best of all situational options available to God that allow Him to interact with us and NOT DESTROY us because of our sin.
Thus, the way God chooses to reveal to us is a marvelous divine act of mercy—HE REVEALS HIMSELF IN SUCH A WAY THAT HE CAN:
1. Maintain His righteousness
2. Refrain from judging us for our sins
3. Maintain our ability to recognize Him and perceive Him
4. Maintain our ability to choose Him
5. Maintain our ability to relate to Him
6. Maintain our ability to love Him
This raises yet another question:
“If God is omnipotent and omniscient, why did He not create us in such a way the prevented us from sinning and, thus, incurring His wrath?”
Again, let’s apply what we know and the necessary logic required to prove it.
Premise: The way God created us is the best available option to God
1. God ALWAYS does what is right (He never does evil)
2. God COMPLETELY knows all things (nothing is hidden from Him)
3. God has COMPLETE power to enact what He desires and what maintains His divine attributes/qualities. (The BEST option is ABSOLUTELY possible for Him to enact)
4. THEREFORE: the universe God created is the BEST of all options because:
a. God is morally righteous
b. God cannot violate His perfect divine nature
c. God enacts what He plans through His perfection
d. Therefore, what God did in creating, while not necessarily understandable to us, is the BEST of all available options.
Response to Challenge #2
The Challenge:
“Why does God condemn people to Hell that have never heard about Him—isn’t this cruel?”
“Why does God condemn people to Hell that have never heard about Him—isn’t this cruel?”
The Response to Challenge #2:
God has ABSOLUTELY reveled Himself to all of creation in such a manner as to leave no one with an excuse.
God has ABSOLUTELY reveled Himself to all of creation in such a manner as to leave no one with an excuse.
How has God revealed Himself to everyone?
Paul tells us that God revealed two aspects that function as proofs for His existence:
1. His Eternal Power:
a. Self-existence = GOD IS THE UNCAUSED FIRST-CAUSE
b. Infinite: Without Limits (The Laws of Physics and the Theory of Relativity do not apply to God)
i. Timeless
ii. Non-spatial
iii. Immaterial
c. Omnipotent: HE CREATED THE UNIVERSE OUT OF NOTHING
2. His Divine Nature:
a. Intelligence = The universe so intricately and specifically designed, that it required an incomprehensible intelligence to design it.
i. What does science still not know (just a few among many)?
1. Exactly how the universe began?
2. Exactly what the universe is made of (we only know app. 5%)?
3. How we are conscious and why we are conscious?
4. Why matter is arranged into “things” and not undone by antimatter?
ii. Though we do not understand, the truth is, the universe is real, I’m real (and complex), and it does not require me to know why in order to live and enjoy!
iii. When viewed in this light, we see that our God is infinitely intelligent!
b. Creative/Expressive = The universe (and life) is vast, complex, and uniquely expressed through variations of similarities (THIS IS ART!!!)
i. There are over 12,000 species of ants!
ii. There are 3,000 species of snakes!
iii. There are 35,000 species of spiders!
iv. There are 5,400+ species of mammals
v. Why such varieties? Clearly it shows that God placed His creative and artistic “thumbprint” within creation!
The next two points science has not been able to explain at a human level; however, the theologian recognizes these are human traits because these traits MUST come from God—for evolution (random existence) has no need of either!
c. Personal Relationships:
i. We look at the fact that humanity sacrificially loves one another, and we understand this to be a UNIQUE trait not EQUALLY shared with the rest of creation.
ii. Relationships are not REQUIRED within the “natural world” that modern humanistic science postulates
iii. However, ALL of humanity (and exclusively humanity) is bent towards extreme devotion to relationships. WHY
iv. OUR RELATIONAL DESIRES POINT TO A CREATOR WITH RELATIONAL ABILITIES
d. Moral Responsibility:
i. We look at the fact that humanity constantly and perpetually establishes laws to govern itself (which defies evolution), and we see we are the ONLY species in the world that record, define, philosophically challenge, and uphold morality (laws).
ii. Again, evolutionary science does not require or adequately explain morality.
iii. OUR MORAL INCLINATIONS POINT TO A MORAL CREATOR
Why is God right to send others to hell? Because, in order to go to Hell, we must:
1. Deny the fact that He has placed eternity within our hearts ()
2. Deny the fact that the Universe has a beginning and demands a self-existent Creator
3. Deny the fact that the Universe demands an eternally powerful Creator
4. Deny the fact that the Universe demands an artistic Creator
5. Deny the fact that we are relational creatures because there is a relational God
6. Deny the fact that we are moral creatures because there is a moral God
7. Deny the fact that we are conscious because God has gifted us conscious (and freewill)
And… on top of all of this, we add to it the rejection of the Special Revelation of God through Jesus Christ—THIS IS ABSOLUTLEY EVIL AND SHOWS A HARD, REBELLIOUS, WICKED, AND UNREPENTENT HEART!
BECAUSE OF THE ASSESSED IMPLICATIONS:
1. To reject the General Revelation of God is to reject what is plainly evident
1. To reject the General Revelation of God is to reject what is plainly evident
2. To reject the General Revelation of God is to reject the Special Revelation of God
2. To reject the General Revelation of God is to reject the Special Revelation of God
3. To reject the General Revelation of God is to justly earn the full judgment of God
3. To reject the General Revelation of God is to justly earn the full judgment of God
We see that we should vigorously seek to know the Lord that created us!
We also see that…
· We have no right to demand and expect God to show up when we want and how we want in order to prove Himself to us.
· Instead, we must respond to how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.
· The good news, is that God did all of the laborious work to redeem us from our sins and, instead of condemning us, He now offers us an invitation to know Him and enjoy Him.