D. Scott Meadows
INTRODUCTION
Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer wrote a book about God entitled, He Is There and He Is Not Silent.1 In a terse way, this expresses two of the most basic convictions of the whole Christian religion. God exists and God speaks.
Theologians argue whether God’s existence can be proven without assuming it in the first place, with two conspicuous perspectives. Presuppositionalism championed by scholars like Cornelius Van Til argues that God’s existence is patently obvious to all and that men only become atheists by a flight from reason and experience. Evidentialism represented, for example by John Gerstner, holds that without presuppositions, the existence of God may be proven by logical arguments to the satisfaction of any fair-minded and serious inquirer. Both are serious positions held by godly Reformed men and worthy of careful consideration. An important biblical passage bearing on the issue is Romans 1.18-23,
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.2
This text states that God’s wrath against sinners is “revealed,” from the Greek word apokalupto, translated the same way throughout the NT.3 It is a compound with the literal sense of “off-cover,” and hence to uncover, lay open what has been veiled, make bare, and by extension, to make known or manifest, to disclose what was before unknown, and bring to light. In a theological sense, it has the special meaning of a divine disclosure of certain supernatural secrets.4 Romans 8.19 and 16.25 furnish important biblical examples of this sense.
This revelation of God’s wrath is truth which ungodly and unrighteous men “suppress.” The Greek term here has the sense of holding it down (mg.). “The people whose evil ways keep the truth from being known.”5 Paul sees the problem with sinners not as a total dearth of spiritual knowledge, but as a refusal to believe the light of universal revelation because of their antithetical commitment to ungodliness and unrighteousness.
Paul mentions several instances of revelation to all men. First, God has revealed Himself “in them” and “to them” (1.19). Every man, originally created in God’s image and retaining something of that image even after man’s fall in Eden, also possesses a mind and conscience which bear witness to God’s “invisible attributes” which are “clearly seen.” Furthermore, God has revealed “His eternal power and Godhead” or existence as the one and only divine Being by “the things that are made,” including creatures besides man himself (1.20a). Because this knowledge is universal and inherent, every man, even among the Gentiles of Paul’s day who, unlike the Jews, typically lacked any divinely-inspired Scripture, was totally without excuse (1.20b) for his evil devotion to spiritual darkness, moral depravity, and gross idolatry (1.21-23). This justifies God in giving them up to their perilous apostasy without Scripture for so many centuries (1.24 ff.).
Whether these considerations tend to support presuppositionalism or evidentialism you may judge for yourself, but they certainly proclaim of God that He is there and He is not silent, no matter who or where you are.
Notes:
1. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1972.
2. All Scripture references are NKJV unless otherwise indicated.
3. Matt 10.26; 11.25, 27; 16.17; Luke 2.35; 10.21-22; 12.2; 17.30; John 12.38; Rom 1.17, 18; 8.18; 1 Cor 2.10; 3.13; 14.30; Gal 1.16; 3.23; Eph 3.5; Phil 3.15; 2 Thess 2.3, 6, 8; 1 Pet 1.5, 12; 5.1.
4. Various lexicons, including BAGD and Louw-Nida.
5. Louw-Nida, 13.150.