CLEARLY SEEN: Romans 1:18-25
Rev C.A. Wallace
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that
which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 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. 21 For even though they knew God, they did
not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23
and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of
corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their
bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God
for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:18-25, NASB).
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The internal call to man
Leith Samuel says, “Many missionaries point out that the heathen know more than we
think. They know that there is a God. There are no atheists among heathen tribes. There
has never been discovered upon earth a tribe of people, however small or depraved,
which has not believed in some kind of god or had some system or worship. . . . The
heathen found is so-called primitive tribes know that they have sinned. When a Christian
comes to them and talks about sin he often find ready acknowledgment that this is true.
The heathen seem to know that their sins must be punished. They seem afraid of
punishment, and afraid of death (as are most men everywhere). They know that sin must
be atoned for, and they seek ways of appeasing their angry deities or deity.1” (Phillips
1969, 24).
Abraham Lincoln said, “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon
the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens
and say there is no God.”
1
Phillips, John, Exploring Romans, (Moody Press,: 1969). Pg. 24.
ποιήµασιν,is defined as, mans workmanship, something that has been made, this is
where we get our English word poem.
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The external call.
Every year, humpback whales endure one of the longest migrations of any modern
mammal. The Alaskan feeding grounds are 3,000 miles from our warm Maui waters, and
humpbacks make the entire journey in approximately 6-8 weeks. What’s amazing,
however, is that there are no islands or navigational aids to use when making this
journey. For 3,000 miles, these humpbacks swim through the open blue where it’s easy to
get turned around—yet somehow maintain a northerly heading that leads them right to
Alaska. Even more impressive is that on the return journey back to the Hawaiian Islands,
these whales are able to find their way back to the most isolated archipelago on the face
of the planet—akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
So how do these whales manage to know where they’re going? The answer, it’s believed,
is in traces of magnetite that’s found in humpback’s skulls. Magnetite is the most
magnetic mineral found on earth and is one of the minerals that make iron. This is a
naturally occurring, magnetic material that researchers believe allows whales to steer by
the magnetic pull of the Earth. Put another way, it’s like have a compass implanted in
your skull to tell you the direction you’re facing2.
The bombardier beetle is one of the most amazing beetles, it is able to mix and store
two gases in its body, during a process it can make them instable and squirt them out
when it is scared to explode in the face of a predator3.
What about the bee? An insect that works so hard we benefit by having food to eat. For
years engineers and scientists said bees should not be able to fly because their wings are
to small for the weight of their body. But when they researched the way they use those
wings it explained how a fat insect with stubby wings can go to a fro4.
“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things have been
created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things
hold together.” (Colossians 1:16, 17, NASB).
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2
Trilogy, 8 Facts About Humpback Whales You Probably Never Knew, http://blog.sailtrilogy.com/8-factshumpback-whales-probably-never-knew/ , accessed 7/27/15.
3
Simon, Matt, Absurd Creature of the Week: This Beetle Fires Boiling Chemicals Out of Its Bum,
http://www.wired.com/2014/05/absurd-creature-of-the-week-bombardier-beetle/, accessed 7/28/2015.
4
Phys.org, Deciphering the Mystery of Bee Flight, http://phys.org/news/2005-11-deciphering-mystery-beeflight.html, accessed 7/28/2015.
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"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1)
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"the heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work
of His hands" (Ps. 19:1).
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Psalm 8:3,4 “3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon
and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man that You take thought of
him, And the son of man that You care for him?”
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God is the Bara’ arb , the Creator.
Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who
formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by
name; you are Mine!”
rcy
yatsar,
, which means to squeeze into shape.
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Psalm 14:1 “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."”
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“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are
Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14, NASB).