God's Revelation Through Nature

In the first chapter of his letter to the Romans
(vv 18 - 20) Paul speaks powerfully of the way in
which God has revealed himself to man. Paul argues
that, since the beginning of creation, the power
and divine nature of God have been clearly evident
through God's own work of creation.

Exceptions
This is not advanced by Paul as a proof of God's
existence since in v 21 he makes clear that he is
speaking of people who do accept God's existence.

Indeed, it could well be argued that for those
without belief in God there is nothing in existence
that is likely to convince them that there is a God for
as Jesus has implied, to find him one needs first
to seek him (Luke 11. 9, 10)

What such people need is a personal revelation of
God himself. Of course, that revelation of God might
come in a multitude of ways, including through nature.
But that is then an explicit act of God compared with
a realisation which comes from a conclusion arising
from the observation of nature.

In fact, I was for over twenty years without any real
belief in God and neither the beauty nor the grandeur
in nature made any difference to that. It was simply there.

Creation And Believers
For those who do know God the situation is
entirely different. At least, it should be different
and should make an obvious and direct difference to
our lives.

This is probably why Paul becomes so annoyed in the first
chapter of Romans with those who are living outside
the will of God. One can argue, in fact, that the
greater is one's conviction about God, the more
one can see of his nature in nature, so to speak.
Nature does not reflect everything of God, for
nothing could do that.But what it does reflect is
highly significant.

Paul speaks of divine power and grandeur. One can
see this in everything from a rainbow to a violent
storm; from the natural scars which typify many parts
of the landscape in Yorkshire, England, to the
awesomeness of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA;
to the towering redwoods of Canada, to the tiny
golden lady's finger flowers in Ireland, and so forth.

The reader will be able to think of many other
examples and comparisons, whether from the world
above or below sea, from the tropics to ice zones,
or from the multitude of creatures alive on this
planet - to say nothing of what might be found on
other planets, or what can be observed by this
generation in the depths of the universe

Deeper Revelations?
Do all these things reveal anything deeper about
God than their obvious grandeur and the fact (for
most of us except some physicists who struggle
against such conclusions) of divine power behind
it all?

As Christians, we ought, perhaps, to be aware that
on the whole, God leaves his creation to get on
with it according to the laws of physics, chemistry
and so forth which he has established. If something
of a catastrophic kind is set to happen in nature,
God allows it to happen: earthquakes, volcanic
erruptions, astronomic collisions. He does not, so far
as our observations and judgements tell us, interfer
to stop such things. People who know God can
accept that; those who do not know God find in it
a further reason for their disbelief.

We might then also draw the conclusion that the same
is true for the human side of his creation. That is,
for those sections of humanity which either do not
recognise God's existence or choose to ignore it.
In all essentials they are no different to the
inanimate parts of our world.

But if the Bible tells us anything at all, it tells us
repeatedly that God is ready and prepared to intervene
when his people request it in faith.

The Bible is full such instances and examples, whether
concerning man himself or the forces of nature. And
these contrast clearly with those who ignore the
Creator and with (“unavoidable”)events in the
natural world.

Faith leads to faith since those who have faith
have that faith increased and developed by its
exercise, by how they perceive God to act and by
what they see around them of God's power and divinity.
They recognise that what God has made he
can also change, if he so desires - and if his people
ask in faith and for the right reasons.

When this is set alongside those experiences of
God's people which are recorded in the Bible, faith
leads to even more faith. The grandeur, power,
resourcefulness and beauty of God are intensified by
the faith which beholds them.

Article Source: http://www.christiannotepad.com

AUTHOR: Anthony Keith Whitehead WEB SITE: www.christianword.co.uk This article is copyright but may be reproduced providing that all this information is included Over twenty-three years in Christian healing teaching writing ministries. Wide range of secular employments before being called by the Lord into full time independent ministry in 1987. With his wife Iris he has ministered both in the UK and USA. Has written several books on healing meditation and various aspects of spirituality. Formal qualifications include: B.A. M.Phil. Cambridge University Certificate in Religious Studies. Post Grad Cert. in Education.