Commentary on "Revelation"

RICHARD PEIFER

 

Day 2: Sunday, April 26, 2009

 

Overview

“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” (Romans 1:20 NASB).

 

Problems

As presented here, the argument for natural revelation is described as a conflict between intelligent design and evolution. It is a necessary precursor to E.G. White being a “continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction.”

The problem is that Paul was not arguing that a non-believer can be brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ solely through the study of nature. His argument is that, although nature could have pointed an unbeliever to the concept of God, “they became fools, 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” (Romans 1:22b-23 NASB). In short, they created gods in their own image. “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…” (Romans 1:24a NASB).

Nature can point the questioning unbeliever to something or someone outside of themselves, but only a believer will see the true God revealed in nature. Therefore, nature cannot be depended upon as a true revelation of God. Its message is totally dependent on the person’s point of view – lost people naturally begin to worship nature either by superstition or by science; saved people see a Creator behind nature and understand that Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3).

 

Summary

1. Nature alone is an insufficient revelation of God to humanity.
2. One’s view of nature is dependent on one’s salvation.
3. Honest inquiry of nature can lead a lost person to search for the something or someone behind what they see, but he cannot come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through nature. Instead, she is more likely to exchange what nature proclaims for myth or science, as Paul explained in Romans 1.
4. Saved people can see God in nature, but they do so as a result of the Holy Spirit living within.

 

 

Copyright 2008 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised April 25, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.

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