You know too much!
by Bill Deutsch
Astronomer Bradford A. Smith once wrote, ‘… this universe taunts us
with mysteries. When did it begin? How will it end? What laws of nature governed
its creation and evolution? ... And because we think that we might be able to understand
the answers, that this universe might make sense, we are building ever more magnificent
instruments to probe its secrets.’1
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ.of Ariz.
Mount Rushmore: intelligent design; not blind natural forces of erosion. Design
speaks of a Designer—as it does with the whole universe. Otherwise it looks good.
But the universe has always made sense. And, before a man ever peered through the
Keck telescope or pored over images shot back from the Hubble space telescope, this
universe has been repeating its insistent, inescapable message: There is a Creator.
Whether or not they will admit it, every atheist, every agnostic, everyone hears
and acknowledges that message.
‘Because what may be known of God,’ the apostle Paul wrote, ‘is
plain to them, for God has shown it to them’ (Romans 1:19). When he first dictated those words, he was
not referring to Jews, steeped in special revelation. He was referring to cynical,
unbelieving pagans.
I love his unambiguous language. He did not say, ‘The evidence for the existence
of God is strong and ought to be considered.’ He did not preface Romans with
five proofs for the existence of God. He said there is one powerful, divine Creator—and
you know it.
‘For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse’ (Romans 1:20). This is how God is revealing himself to our
pagan, post-Christian society. He is making himself known through creation—and
has done so since the beginning.
Russell Weller, SXC.hu
The universe shouts an insistent, inescapable message: There is a Creator.
How foolish to look into the depths of our universe and to insist that it, and we,
just happened. What would you think of a foreigner, visiting Mount Rushmore for
the first time and saying, ‘What an extraordinary natural rock formation.
And so well adapted to its environment. It has actually eroded to resemble four
of your most famous presidents.’ The thought would never occur. Not to anyone.
Centuries ago, King David sang the truth. ‘The heavens declare the glory of
God ... there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard’ (Psalm 19:1, 3). And today, living as we do in an age of ‘magnificent
instruments’, their voice is only getting louder.
But besides knowing that God exists, everyone knows something of what God expects
of him or her. Again in Romans, after scrolling through a list of disgusting vices
that marred his age as they do ours, Paul said, ‘Who, knowing the righteous
judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not
only do the same but also approve of those who practice them’ (Roman 1:32).
Clearly then, a man or woman brought up in pagan thought and ritual understands
something of God’s will. We all have a native knowledge of right and wrong.
Paul referred to it elsewhere as ‘the work of the law written on [our] hearts’
(Romans 2:15). This knowledge is a vestige of what Adam had
in perfection. In us, it is damaged. It is like a book with pages torn out, some
ink smudged, yet part of it still legible. This software is preloaded; moral absolutes
are installed by our manufacturer.
God is not ignored because He is a poor communicator. He is ignored because He is hated.
As if that weren’t enough, every man or woman—whether Christian or not—also
has a conscience. If the ‘work of the law’ is a rule book written into
a person’s psyche, then conscience is a judge who, on the basis of what is
written in the book, either condemns or acquits. And so don’t be intimidated.
Don’t think that no one in this society will take you seriously unless you
can raise an impregnable argument for the existence of God. God has already posted
signs all around. He has hung them from trees and hurled them into space so that
they cannot be missed.
God is not ignored because He is a poor communicator. He is ignored because He is
hated.
Does this mean that we should not give reasons for our beliefs? No—Scripture
exhorts us to be ready to give reasons for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). God speaks and so should we. But remember
that you are speaking to someone who already, deep down inside, knows that God exists,
and knows something of what God expects of him. Our goal is not so much to convince
as it is to convict. Because it may be that behind every violent, vocal denial of
God’s revelation is a howling conscience and a desperate attempt to suppress
the haunting, ubiquitous truth.
Further reading
Reference
- Smith, B.A., New eyes on the Universe, National Geographic,
p. 10, January 1994. Return to Text
Published: April 4 2007 (GMT+10)
(Available in Russian)
|
