They Have No Excuse

 Meditations on Romans

July 13, 2021

They Have No Excuse

 “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

Romans 1:20

Read: Romans 1:18-23

Many years ago, I had led a group from my church to visit churches in Mexico. Late on a Sunday evening, on our last day there, we were several miles south of Matamoros. I had just finished preaching the last of several services that day, and our host pastor took us to the home of one of his parishioners for supper. There was no ambient light, and it was very dark. As I looked up into the night sky, I was overwhelmed with the beauty, the majesty of countless thousands of stars. My host immediately began quoting the Psalms:

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you set in place—“ (Psalm 8:3)

In today’s passage from Romans 1, Paul teaches us that the beauty of God, the Creator is all around us, and the wonder of creation is sufficient to invoke a response of thankfulness. Nevertheless, there were many who, “instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:24).

In Romans 1:16-17, Paul affirmed that God has made himself known in Jesus the Messiah, whose faithfulness in fulfilling God’s promises makes it possible for all people to come into a right relationship with God, the Creator. My faith in the faithfulness of Jesus opens the door for me to embrace with joy the proclamation of the psalmist:

“what are mere mortals that you should think about them,

human beings that you should care for them?

Yet you made them only a little lower than God

and crowned them with glory and honor.”

Psalm 8:4-5

What is there left to say?

“O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!”

Psalm 8:9

My Takeaway: In the wake of Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, a person living in Seattle used social media to make a very snide comment about the Christians living in Houston – chiding them to explain why their God allowed the hurricane. Later that month, Cheryl and I were blessed to spend a week in Seattle, and every day during our visit, we gave thanks to God for the stunning beauty of His creation. It is sad that people, living there in the splendor of the mountains and sea, can see the created without giving thanks to the Creator. May I never look upon the wonders of God’s creation without a thankful heart.

 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.