Ichthys: Bible Study for Spiritual Growth

Excerpt from BB 4B: Soteriology (Posted 10/15/11):

Natural Revelation and Accountability

Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.
Isaiah 45:15 NIV

No living human being has ever seen God at any time (Jn.1:18; 1Jn.4:12), nor can anyone do so (1Tim.6:16) – not and continue to remain alive (Ex.33:20). God shields us from perceiving the full glory of His deity so that we, sinful creatures that we are, may not be destroyed. But God's "hiding of Himself" is also designed to preserve our free will. Even if it were possible to stand in God's presence without being instantly consumed by His refulgent glory, it would be impossible not to submit to Him face to face. Without the veil that separates heaven from earth, it would be impossible for human beings to make an uncoerced and genuine choice about where to spend eternity. Simply put, for free will to be genuinely free, there has to be a significant gap between knowledge and experience.

The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"

He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them."
Matthew 13:10-11 NIV

So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."
Matthew 13:35 NIV

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Luke 8:10 KJV

Given the overwhelming magnitude, unlimited power and inexpressible wonder of God, not only could no human being see Him face to face and live – no one could experience Him and fail to submit to Him. For this reason, although He has made the truth of His existence and His perfect character plain for all mankind to see, God has also integrated "deniability" into human history. That is to say, God has given us all the possibility, potential and ability to live our lives as if He did not exist, and has even given us the capability of hardening our hearts to point of denying that He exists at all. The heavens proclaim His glory (Ps.19:1), but we are free to "tune out" their message and are easily able to do so. It is only under such conditions that the true choice of every man and woman could be made in genuine freedom without undue coercion or duress. This world is God's smelter and it puts our authentic free will to the test, demonstrating what is silver and gold, and what is merely dross. The truth is veiled, but it is not inaccessible; it is possible to ignore, but it is available for all who truly want it.

For from one man [Adam], [God] created the nations of mankind, that they might inhabit the entire face of the earth. And He predetermined both their appointed times and the boundaries of their settlement, [with the purpose] that they might seek God, if perhaps they might even [deign to] grope after Him and so come to find Him – for He is not far from any one of us.
Acts 17:26-27

For all who are even the least bit interested in making the smallest effort to know about Him, God provides the living water of life, the gospel of truth; and as the verse above indicates, God has designed every aspect of human life – in the case of every single human being who has ever lived – with the express purpose of offering salvation to any and all who are willing to accept it.

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me."
John 6:44-45 NASB

God has designed the universe, the human spirit, and the process of history in such a way so that no one who stands before Him at the last judgment will be able to say "I never had any idea of You or my mortality or my need for salvation". However, it is pointless to "draw" to Jesus those who are unwilling to accept Him if so drawn (one of our Lord's main points here in John chapter six as He remonstrates with those who saw the miracle of the bread and fish but would not accept Him as the Bread of Life). Only those who are willing are benefitted by being "drawn", that is, by being led to a hearing of the truth, that is, the gospel. The individuals in question in these verses have "heard" but they have not "learned". The Greek verb here is cognate with the word "disciple" and means "learned" in the sense of accepting the truth so as to make it one's own in the manner of a disciple. That is to say, this phrase indicates more than mere intellectual understanding; it indicates an acceptance of the truth heard as true and a willingness to respond to it. Jesus is speaking here of the faith that follows perception of the gospel and leads to salvation (i.e., "coming to Me" = "[having] learned" = responding to the gospel in faith). Hearing the truth, knowing the truth is not enough; in order to be saved, a person has to submit, yield, believe, accept, trust . . . use his/her free will in response to the Lord and to the truth that Jesus is the One who died for our sins and that we are delivered from death through the work of the Son of God. The human condition as God has ordained it in His infinite wisdom guarantees us the knowledge of the truth, but also the ability to ignore and even deny the truth: only those who have both "heard" and "learned" (i.e., have actually accepted the need for salvation so as to respond to it) come to be saved.

Some have twisted the fact of the veiling of God's glory and the sometimes seemingly limited availability of the gospel into an excuse – as if anything less than complete and universal revelation relieves mankind of all accountability. In fact, of course, all of us are accountable to God, and would be even if He were not offering the truth of the gospel to all and even if He had not sacrificed His One and only beloved Son on our behalf so that we might be saved. The reality, however, is that God's truth is universally available for all who desire it and, indeed, is universally undeniable at a certain basic level to everyone (at least initially). Inherent in the nature of the universe, the nature of the human spirit, and the nature of human life are God's most basic truths, made undeniable through the process known in theology as "natural revelation".

a. Natural Revelation:

God does not hold accountable for their choices those who never attain mental or emotional maturity (for whatever reason, be it mental disability or untimely death), as the principle of universal salvation of infants and all who die before mental and emotional maturity demonstrates (2Sam.12:23; cf. Deut.1:39; 1Kng.14:12-13; Is.7:15-16). Since the price has already been paid for children who die young, since God desires them to be saved (1Tim.2:4; 2Pet.3:9), and since they never had a true opportunity to exercise their free will in response to God's Substitute for sin, our dear Lord Jesus, God who is just and fair considers them righteous on the basis of Jesus' sacrifice just as He does in the case of all who believe.²⁰ We were created by the Father's will (Rev.4:11), and He most assuredly did not send Jesus to die in our place to condemn us, but rather that we might be saved (Jn.3:17). For it is only by failing to use the opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus inherent in the gift of free will that anyone is condemned (Jn.3:18). All other human beings who have ever lived or ever will live, however, are responsible to God for the decisions they make in this life, and the most fundamental decision, the truly life-or-death decision, is whether or not they were willing to submit to the will of God so as to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

God has constructed us, the universe in which we live, and the process of human history together with our personal interaction in it in such a way so as to lead all of His children back to Him and to salvation, all, that is, who are willing to be led.

(7) Surely, no one can redeem a man['s life from God's hand], no one can pay a ransom to God for him. (8) For the redemption price of a life is too precious for Him to relent forever, (9) that one should live on forever, and not see corruption. (10) For everyone sees that [even] the wise die. They [too] perish along with fools and those who lack common sense, and they leave their wealth behind to others.
Psalm 49:7-10

What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?
Psalm 89:48 NIV

The sentence of death passed upon Adam and Eve and upon us their progeny as a result of their disobedience to God is in one sense a profound blessing. For while an eternity in our present sinful state is too depressing to contemplate, the recognition of our own mortality is the most powerful evangelical tool in the universe. Unlike the animals, we know that we are going to die, and when first we realize this primary fact of our existence, it has a tendency to dispose us to seek a solution. This common human reaction to the realization that we cannot and will not live forever in this present mortal shell is, moreover, "hard-wired" by God into the human heart for the very purpose of provoking just such a reaction.

(10) I have seen all the work that God has given Man to occupy himself with. (11) [God] has made everything beautiful in its [limited] time; but He has also placed the [notion of] eternity in the hearts of mankind – and [He has done this], moreover, without Man being able to discover the work which God has done from the beginning unto the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

The epiphany of our uniqueness and its very temporary nature is one that comes to all of us, usually at a very early age. We know that we will perish, but we want to live. Moreover, this realization of our mortality cannot be separated from the parallel realization that no human being could ever be capable of providing any solution to this most fundamental problem of our existence through his or her own efforts. Thus it is that when our mortality prods us to "grope" for a solution to death, it is to our Maker that we naturally and inevitably turn.

(1) The heavens recount the glory of God, and the firmament tells of the work of His hands. (2) One day after another pours forth [His] words, and one night after another declares [His] knowledge. (3) There is no tongue or culture that cannot understand their voice (i.e., of the heavens/firmament). (4) Their design has gone out into (i.e., "is visible throughout") the entire earth, and their words to the end of the world. He has set a tent for the sun within them (i.e., hidden it in the heavens'/firmament's night sky), (5) and from this it goes forth like a [resplendent] bridegroom from his [wedding] canopy. [The sun] exults to run its course like an athlete [does]. (6) Its starting line is at one end of the heavens, and its circuit [takes it] to the ends [of the sky]. And nothing is hidden from its view.
Psalm 19:1-6

This is natural revelation proper, but what is commonly missed in discussions of this sort is that the truth of the existence of God written in all He has created is only half of the equation. The other half, the more important half, is how God made our human spirit as the natural counterpart of this basic truth. We, our inner-person, is designed for God's truth just as a glove is designed for the hand meant to fill it. Our heart has been constructed by our Maker for the purpose of seeking Him, and we are only truly fulfilled when we do seek out and accept the truth about Him.

So God created the man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:27

This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 NIV

I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me – the breath of man that I have created.
Isaiah 57:16 NIV

Natural revelation, God's stamping of His imprimatur upon His creation so as to make His existence obvious for all to see, is not confined to any one aspect of the world He has made, but rather it permeates everything He has created. In Psalm 19 (quoted above), David places the emphasis upon the physical universe beyond the earth – and rightly so, because few have ever contemplated the vastness of the heavens and the wonders it contains without being filled with a measure of awe: "The starry heavens are so glorious and boundless! Who made them, and how do I, insignificant as I am fit into this picture?" This is a message that truly has "gone out into the entire earth", whose tidings have penetrated "to the end of the world". The knowledge they "pour forth" is hidden from "no tongue or culture", for "one day after another", the very heavens above the heads of all mankind "recount the glory of God", while the starry firmament "tells of the work of His hands". No one who has seen these things has ever escaped the conclusion God put in their hearts for them to make: He made all these things, just as He made us.

But it is not only in the night sky that our Lord has etched His holy Name and made Himself, His power, His glory, and His astounding wisdom manifest for all to see, rendering the conclusion that He exists entirely inescapable. God's design encompasses His entire creation, from its most minute subatomic particles to the most immense of its heavenly bodies, and not just in the material realm, but even more profoundly in the spiritual realm. We human beings truly are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps.139:14), and it is in the wonder of the words of God as they speak to us in their "still, small voice" in the quiet of our heart that we come to know of Him most insistently and most profoundly (1Kng.19:12).

(19) For that which can be known about God [from everyday experience] is obvious to them, because God has made it obvious. (20) [God's] nature, though invisible, is nevertheless plainly apparent, and has been since His foundation of the world, for it may be clearly inferred from this creation of His – [this is true of] both His eternal power and His divinity – so that they are without any excuse.
Romans 1:19-20

The word emphasized above is the Greek theotes (qeo/thj), a concept noun built upon the Greek word for God, theos (qeo/j, cf. "theology"). As with comparable English suffixes like -ship and -ness, the suffix -thj is qualitative. That is to say, as "friendship" conceptualizes what it means to be a friend in all respects or "kindness" epitomizes the character of what it means to be kind, theotes sums up what it means to be God – not just in terms of power and majesty and eternity, but also in all of His applied characteristics, His mercy, goodness, justice and love. These verses tell us that from our common human observation of the world as God has constructed it, we know quite a lot about Him, especially inasmuch as He constructed us as well, and made us precisely in such a way that we might be able to receive this truth about Him and might be interested in doing so. As with everything else about the Plan of God, the only thing God did not do in instilling the undeniable message ubiquitous in creation about His existence and the true nature of His character (i.e., His "natural revelation" of Himself to the world) was to preset our free will to respond in the way He made us to respond and desires us to respond.

(24) Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song. (25) All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar.
Job 36:24-25 NIV

He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.
Job 37:7 KJV

(3) When I gaze upon your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have established, (4) what is Man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him?
Psalm 8:3-4

The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
Psalm 89:5 NIV

The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.
Psalm 97:6 NIV

How great are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of what you have provided (i.e., because you are their Creator).
Psalm 104:24

(25) "With whom will you compare Me that I should be equal [to him]?" says the Holy One. (26) "Lift up you eyes [to the heavens] and look. Who created [all] these [heavenly objects]? The One who brings forth their multitudes and calls them all by name. Through His abundant power and mighty strength not one of them is missing."
Isaiah 40:25-26

God's revealing of Himself in nature thus has two sides to it, both of which we are conditioned to understand and receive (if only we are willing to do so): His unlimited power and our comparative weakness; His incalculable vastness and our comparative insignificance; His incomparable wisdom and our comparative ignorance. Not only is God's existence common knowledge because of natural revelation – His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence are also undeniable. Those who claim not to know these truths – or who claim He is not as He is or that He does not exist at all – are liars as they themselves know full well (see below). In addition to these truths about His infinite nature, God's true character is also revealed in what He has created. As our minds can gauge His infinity and thus perceive His fundamental uniqueness, so our consciences can comprehend His perfection and thus surmise His rightful sovereignty.²¹ From the love we observe in a world full of hate, we posit the One who is the origin of love and we deduce His intrinsic goodness; from the justice we observe in a world full of iniquity, we posit the One who is the origin of justice and we deduce His intrinsic holiness; from the life we observe in a world full of death, we posit the One who is the origin of life and we deduce His unwavering faithfulness and truth – giving us hope that there is an escape from death through Him. By comparing this true picture of the Creator to our own comparatively unloving, unjust, corrupt and downright sinful selves, we should be motivated to seek Him as the solution to our imperfection and deliverance from the grave.