"For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [Him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." Rom. 1:20-23
I've often seen the question being asked, "God wouldn't really send people to hell if they were (mountain dwellers, Amazon forest people, desert nomads, trapped at the South Pole, etc, etc.) and had never heard about Jesus, would He?"
Paul addresses that question (which is proof of just how long it has been around!) He tells us that the creature knows the Creator. Even if it isn't by a message preached from the Bible. Everyone knows God. They can see proof of His existance in the invisible things, such as how a star is born, how atoms hold themselves together, how a baby is formed in the womb. These things should clearly point to God, and they should lead all of His creation to know Him.
But, having seen these things, sinful man refused to admit that God IS! And they really refused to give Him the glory for what He has done.
Instead, they looked into their own evil imaginations. They dared to claim to be wise. They claimed to be intelligent. They came up with ways to worship the creation instead of the Creator. They made idols of those created things, and empowered them with the power and glory that belongs to God and God alone!
There are people all over the place that make an idol of man. Be it in a New Age sense (pushing the "enlightened man", or the "indigo child" or the "many paths") or in a sensual way (movie stars, music groups, the rich and the affluent.) We push the animal as idol by false religions like PeTA and Greenpeace. We glorify it by believing the false doctrine of evolution, critical thinking and "scientific" forms of reasoning (that are anything but scientific.)
In every way, mankind will accept anything as long as it doesn't make him believe in God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ.
And for this, all mankind stands guilty of sin, without excuse.
This alone is enough to condemn ALL humans--past, present and future--to the fiery pit of hell for all eternity.
Yet, to mankind, God offered the most sacred gift ever. He offered the life of His beloved Son, Jesus. He gave Him as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of those that would be His people. He even made it possible for man to turn from those ignorant urges to worship the creature instead of the Creator by giving us His precious faith. God is literally reaching into the graves of men, and pulling them out into a new, spiritual life.
With the blood of Jesus cleaning us of our sins, we will no longer need worry about standing before God, being judged for our sins, without excuse.
Grace and Peace....
Paul addresses that question (which is proof of just how long it has been around!) He tells us that the creature knows the Creator. Even if it isn't by a message preached from the Bible. Everyone knows God. They can see proof of His existance in the invisible things, such as how a star is born, how atoms hold themselves together, how a baby is formed in the womb. These things should clearly point to God, and they should lead all of His creation to know Him.
But, having seen these things, sinful man refused to admit that God IS! And they really refused to give Him the glory for what He has done.
Instead, they looked into their own evil imaginations. They dared to claim to be wise. They claimed to be intelligent. They came up with ways to worship the creation instead of the Creator. They made idols of those created things, and empowered them with the power and glory that belongs to God and God alone!
There are people all over the place that make an idol of man. Be it in a New Age sense (pushing the "enlightened man", or the "indigo child" or the "many paths") or in a sensual way (movie stars, music groups, the rich and the affluent.) We push the animal as idol by false religions like PeTA and Greenpeace. We glorify it by believing the false doctrine of evolution, critical thinking and "scientific" forms of reasoning (that are anything but scientific.)
In every way, mankind will accept anything as long as it doesn't make him believe in God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ.
And for this, all mankind stands guilty of sin, without excuse.
This alone is enough to condemn ALL humans--past, present and future--to the fiery pit of hell for all eternity.
Yet, to mankind, God offered the most sacred gift ever. He offered the life of His beloved Son, Jesus. He gave Him as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of those that would be His people. He even made it possible for man to turn from those ignorant urges to worship the creature instead of the Creator by giving us His precious faith. God is literally reaching into the graves of men, and pulling them out into a new, spiritual life.
With the blood of Jesus cleaning us of our sins, we will no longer need worry about standing before God, being judged for our sins, without excuse.
Grace and Peace....
