God Revealed by
The First Article I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
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Grace
he Holy Trinity created the universe. He created the trees and rivers, bugs and squirrels, rocks and orcas. He created everything. Because of that, if we look at any piece of creation, we can see echoes of God and His design. We can perceive certain attributes of God by observing nature. We see birds and know that someone provides for them. We see the delicate balance of an ecosystem and see a genius at work. What we see of God in nature is there because God has created it. This knowledge of God is called the natural knowledge of God. St. Paul writes,“For since the creation of the world (God’s) invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they—those who do not glorify God—are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 NKJ). Only the fool says in his heart that there is no god; only a fool fails to see design and power in the glory of nature. It is also evident through nature that some things are wrong. All believers and unbelievers know the pangs of conscience. They know, for instance, that homosexuality is unnatural. But while this natural understanding of God and morality is true, it’s also limited. This is to know God as creatures of God, in the same way that all dogs and sticks and chimpanzees know God. The difference is that men deny or pervert this knowledge by their sin. Besides that, the natural knowledge of God is not saving faith. It is not knowing God as He most wants to be known, for it is not knowing God as Father. By itself, all the natural knowledge of God can do is remove our petty excuses. It demonstrates that there is a God and that we owe Him obedience. It demonstrates that some things are wrong. Knowing that and having failed in it can only mean in the end that we know we are sinners. By itself, the natural knowledge of God can only accuse and condemn us. When we violate their consciences, as all do, we convict themselves and are without excuse. They have broken what they know of the Law. The natural knowledge of God serves so that even without God’s Word all people know they are sinners (Romans 2:15) and are without excuse (Romans 1:20). St. Paul uses the natural knowledge of God as his starting point on Mars Hill in Acts 17. He starts with their conscience—with natural knowledge, but he doesn’t end there. It is not enough that they know they are sinners. He wants them to know Jesus. So he ends his sermon with “(God) has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Without Jesus’ death and resurrection, the world could not be judged in righteousness. The fact that there is a God and that we are sinners (the natural knowledge) doesn’t save us. But the fact that Jesus died for us, has reconciled us to His Father, has declared us righteous, has adopted us as His children and chosen us as His Bride, does. Some speak of the natural knowledge of God as
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by Rev. David Petersen
though it were an immature form of saving faith as though it were a beginning faith in Christ apart from Christ’s Name. This false argument has been used to speculate that pagans may not be pagans, since they know there is a god and even that they might pray to the true God even though they don’t know His name. The idea follows that they don’t need to be evangelized, merely more fully informed. This is tragically wrong. They need to be evangelized, told of the saving power of God’s love as revealed in Jesus Christ. Without it, they are destined, as all deserve, for hell. On its own, as in Athens, the natural knowledge of God always leads to idolatry. It never leads on its own to true knowledge of God. In fact, all pagan religions are based on the natural knowledge of God. They know there is a God and right and wrong. But knowing no more, they invent gods out of the stuff of creation and end up worshipping the devil. At best, the natural knowledge of God gives a glimpse of what God is like in His power but not in grace. It is only in and by Christ that we can know God as He most wants to be known, that is, according to His mercy. That is why God sent St. Paul to Athens: to preach Christ crucified and risen. That is also why St. Paul, along with the others inspired by God, wrote the Bible. In and through the Bible, God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity and saving faith are found and known in Jesus, who says,“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:7). He also says,“Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (John 2:23 NKJ). And St. Paul writes that “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3b). So also did St. Peter preach that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Trinity gives this special knowledge of Himself through His Word given in the Bible. It is also given through the waters of Holy Baptism and Holy Absolution. For the revealing Word of God that makes us new is the Word made Flesh, Jesus Christ Himself. By His Spirit, the Word calls all people to His Father. He makes His Name and His love known. Knowing the name of God is not merely a better or more complete knowledge of the true God than the natural knowledge of God. Rather, it is to know God as a personal being and to be His child. The natural knowledge of God is not saving faith. It is only a vague idea that there is a God and that we are sinners. The difference between faith in Jesus and a bare natural knowledge of God is the difference between heaven and hell. Rev. David Petersen is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is also on the Higher Things editorial board. His e-mail address is David.H.Petersen@att.net.
