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“ Summary, Part 5 (final) ” 3. DOUBTING OR DENYING GOD’S EXISTENCE LEADS MEN INTO IDOLATRY. God made us in His image; He made us to be religious beings. If we deny the true religion, we will adopt a false one. The world’s false religions are not evidence of men seeking God, but rather of men running away from Him. 4. DOUBTING OR DENYING GOD’S EXISTENCE IS NOT TO BE HONORED FOR ITS SKEPTICISM. One can respect another’s skepticism about something he doesn’t understand, but all understand that God exists and who He is. To grant honor to an agnostic’s claim to a lack of knowledge is to grant him a high ground that is not only false, but damning.
Ian Migala (12/19/2013)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 4 ” (d) RESULT OF DESIGN OF THIS KNOWLEDGE. It leaves the suppressors of the knowledge of God without excuse for their sin. This suppression is not passive and accidental, but active and intentional; it is not an act of ignorance, but an act of sin. CONCLUDING APPLICATIONS: 1. DOUBTING OR DENYING GOD’S EXISTENCE IS NOT EXCUSABLE DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE; rather, it is contrary to the abundant evidence. 2. DOUBTING OR DENYING GOD’S EXISTENCE IS A MORAL AND SPIRITUAL PROBLEM, NOT AN INTELLECTUAL AND SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM. The dogmatic denial of God contrary to evidence is to call God a liar and a deceiver. Nichols: Paul never painted agnostics in neutral, innocent colors; he showed them to be theists who talked themselves into agnosticism. The Bible’s critics don’t have the same venom for myths and fairy tales, which they claim the Bible to be, because they already know that myths and fairy tales aren’t true. If men could kill God, they would. In fact, they did.
Ian Migala (12/19/2013)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 3 ” Nichols points out that the Greek word for *eternal* can mean ‘always existing’ or ‘unoriginated’, and here signifies both. How does nature reveal this? By energy (His power) and design (His purpose). By this, we see what is invisible, but evident. These realities bring us into the realm of theistic proofs for God’s existence. His power is the basis of the cosmological argument and His design is the basis of the teleological argument. As Stephen Charnock alluded, who ever looks at a painting or sculpture or garment and assumes anything other than a painter or sculptor or weaver? Proposition 1: The world and everything in it has a beginning; no creature can create itself. Proposition 2: No creature can make the world. Proposition 3: From which it follows there is a first cause of things, which we call God. Order does not create itself, and implies an intelligent orderer. As ROMANS 1:20 suggests, to argue for God from an agnostic position is to argue from a lie, and is thus folly. PROVERBS 26:4: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.”
Ian Migala (12/19/2013)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 2 ” A few observations from this passage: 1. MEN KNOW THAT GOD EXISTS. This knowledge does not come from speculation or scientific observation, but is innate to all of us. It is like a beach ball that pops to the water’s surface despite all our efforts to submerge it. Those efforts are purposeful and difficult, and so do we suppress the truth of His existence. In verse 20, we see that God’s testimony is not futile, but effective. It isn’t just evidence, but *clearly* seen; we must work hard to deny His existence. And we don’t just see it; we understand it to the point where our doubts are without excuse. The verse goes on to say that His “invisibles” are clearly seen. What are they? His eternal power and divine nature. What does this mean? What this means can be broken down into four categories of 2. Men have knowledge about God. (a) ORIGIN AND DERIVATION OF THIS KNOWLEDGE. Both the wicked and righteous have always known of God’s existence; there has never been a time when men didn’t know about Him. (b) VEHICLE AND MEANS OF THIS KNOWLEDGE. We know through the creation. As our own inventions bear our mark, the creation bears His mark. (c) CONTENT OR SUBSTANCE OF THIS KNOWLEDGE. Why did Paul name God’s eternal power and divine nature as this content?
Ian Migala (12/19/2013)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 1 ” [Pastor Nutter credits his former professor, Pastor Greg Nichols of Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the outline of this message, which can be found in Pastor Nichols’ book, *What does the Bible say about God?: The Biblical doctrine of God*.] II. THE REVELATION OF GOD’S EXISTENCE. God makes His existence known both by general (His works) and specific revelation (His word). A. THE GENERAL REVELATION. PSALM 19:1-6: the first five verses tell us that we can escape His glory as successfully as we can escape the sun, moon, and stars: not at all. They tell us that the passing of time is orderly and predictable, and universal. Though the passage tells us that this is what the heavens declare, it doesn’t say why fallen men don’t get this message. However, we find it in ACTS 14:17, in which we learn that men are not utterly abandoned. There is plenty in life that brings us happiness: food, companionship, good fortune. But the clearest witness of God’s existence in the creation is found in ROMANS 1:18-23. Paul makes the claim that denial of God does not come from a lack of evidence, but rather a suppression of abundant evidence.
