Does nature reveal God? This question indicates a concern about a fundamental issue for Christianity. The question is: can God be known outside of the church or a religious environment?
Today’s secularist answers this question by saying no. The natural world is often said to be antithetical to belief in God, presenting us with so many anomalies that make God’s existence untenable.
Because of these claims, whether from the corner of militant atheism or the questions of the troubled agnostic, many Christians have withdrawn into a sphere of “religious faith” as the only framework within which God can be known. Here nature is negotiated to protect the sand of space.
The Nature Psalms in the Old Testament indicate that the majesty of the Creator shines through creation. God is not only clearly revealed in creation, but the revelation is shown. It is perceived by men. God’s judgment is not withheld as men refuse to receive the revelation (Rom. 1:18).
The problem is that not only does God reveal himself, but men perceive that revelation and refuse to acknowledge it. Paul says, “For though they knew God, they did not honor him as God, nor did they thank him” (Rom. 1:21). Here it is said that man knows God. His sin is that he does not glorify or thank the God that he knows exists. Paul maintains that God manifests himself so clearly in creation that all men know that he exists. The revelation of God in nature makes honest atheism an intellectual impossibility.
The knowledge of God manifest in nature is by no means exhaustive. Natural revelation will never provide us with redeeming knowledge. It is one thing to know that God exists. It is quite another to have a personal and intimate knowledge of the God that exists.
Originally posted on . Translated by Jacquie Tolley.