The Glory of God

November 1, 2022 Jim Musser

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

Last week, my wife and I spent a week at the beach for a delayed (Hurricane Ian) anniversary trip. While watching sunrises on the ocean’s edge and taking long walks along the beach, this passage from Romans has been on my mind. As I told my wife as we walked barefoot in the sand, think of how many ecosystems exist around an ocean—in the ocean itself, on the beach, in the marsh, and in and around the sound. Thousands of creatures and vegetation dependent on one another for life. Now, leave the ocean and go to a forest, or a lake, or to the mountains. It is the same. Unique ecosystems exist everywhere on the planet, both at a macro level (those we can see) and at a microscopic level (those we can’t observe without microscopes). Even in situations of manmade lakes or parks, the same is true.

As a result, humans have long studied Creation in all its glory. There are four broad categories of study—air (meteorology), life (biology), land (geology), and water (oceanography)—but within these areas, there are 100 or more sub-categories of study. The complexity of Creation is almost unfathomable, and we have not even referred to the planets and galaxies throughout the universe. It is mind-boggling!

I believe this is why Paul describes Creation as the means by which we can understand God. I don’t think he means fully understanding him. Rather, I think he implies how awesome he is and beyond our comprehension. Yes, from his Creation we gain glimpses of who he is, but we quickly realize he is far too glorious to comprehend fully. And Paul’s point is this complexity; this glory should lead one to belief, humility, and obedience. As is written in Proverbs 9:10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

This may be why so many believers in the pre-modern era were drawn to the sciences, such as Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, and many others. Since the early part of the 20th Century, science has been seen at odds with Christian faith, but it has not always been so and for good reason. The evidence science has revealed was long viewed as proof that God existed, and the discoveries were merely evidence of his power and complexity. Now, however, the view is, if we can explain it then there is no need for faith in God. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that the main tenants of evolutionary theory are true. Then what began the process. It might be argued it was all put into motion by the “Big Bang.” Then who or what caused the sudden explosive expansion of the universe? Something (or someone) caused it. There is a cause or a force behind everything in Creation. As I type this, my heart is beating. Why, because I am telling it to? No, it beats on its own. How did that come to be? I’m sure my cardiologist could explain to me how it works (signals from the brain, etc.), but could he fully explain why, after six weeks in my mother’s womb, my newly formed heart started beating? And even if he could, would that lessen the breathtaking nature of this human organ?

One could go on and on about each part of the body and how it functions. The same is true of animals, insects, and vegetation. Each, when examined, reveal a glorious Creator, one who gets an A+++++++ in engineering, an A+++++++ in creativity and appreciation of beauty, and extra credit for a sense of humor (think zebra, ostrich, or the proboscis monkey).

All we have to do is look around with our eyes and minds wide open to see the glory of God and the proof of his existence. Even in its tainted status, only God could be responsible for all that is before us. As Paul sought from his readers, that should give us pause on how we live our lives.