Without Excuse
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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. |
How can God hold people responsible
to Him if they have never heard of Jesus Christ? Can God be just and judge
these people? |