Romans 1:19-20 (moral, reject, Creator, gospel, creation)

[Phasmid]

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

It's all well and good to say, "The beauty of nature and all that exists is evidence of God" but why would that mean the Christian God and not the Flying Spagetti Monster?

[Scuba Pete]

I don't think it matters what you call the supreme being. Paul has laid out evidence for belief. You can either accept it or reject it. Either way, you make your decision based on faith.

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by Scuba Pete

I don't think it matters what you call the supreme being. Paul has laid out evidence for belief. You can either accept it or reject it. Either way, you make your decision based on faith.

Baal, Yahweh, what's the difference...

[angellous_evangellous]

I am sure that Paul would agree that if the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the world, that we would be right in praising her for the goodness that we see in the world.

[Dunemeister]

Originally Posted by Phasmid

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

It's all well and good to say, "The beauty of nature and all that exists is evidence of God" but why would that mean the Christian God and not the Flying Spagetti Monster?

Nature reveals God's "eternal power" and "divine nature". That's sufficiently vague to be compatible with a number of notions of God. As Paul goes on to say, realizing this should provoke a grateful and worshipful response from us. On Paul's analysis, atheism, for example, is completely untenable. Failure to recognize God, or failure to have a grateful and worshipful attitude toward God, arises from a moral problem within us. There's no problem with the amount or quality of the revelation.

[Phasmid]

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

Nature reveals God's "eternal power" and "divine nature". That's sufficiently vague to be compatible with a number of notions of God. As Paul goes on to say, realizing this should provoke a grateful and worshipful response from us. On Paul's analysis, atheism, for example, is completely untenable. Failure to recognize God, or failure to have a grateful and worshipful attitude toward God, arises from a moral problem within us. There's no problem with the amount or quality of the revelation.

I can understand that one could come to the conclusion that there is a God by beauty of nature... but it doesn't necessarily point to the Christian God.

[zon3d]

That is true, Phasmid. However, we do know that it can't be any supposed 'god', such as the Flying Spagetti Monster because that is within the universe and the creator of the universe would need to be outside of it and thus immaterial.

Also, like when Paul was dealing with the Philosophers at Athens (Luke 17:16-34), Paul quoted from their own poets: "For we are also His offspring" (v28). Then Paul said (v29), "Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising."

So Paul was using logic to point out that if man is the offspring of God, as the Greek poet suggested, it is foolish to think that God could be nothing more than a man-made idol. In that, he was showing them that their gods don't really exist.

So then I believe, that if a person truly seeks after God, then God will send a missionary to them to hear the gospel.

[angellous_evangellous]

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[Te Deum]

I would like to post the Haydock's Bible Commentary on ROmans 1:19-20. I always find Bible Commentary helpful for learning and for discussion.

Ver. 19-20. That which is known of God. Or may be easily known of God, is manifest in them. The light of reason demonstrates to them the existence of one God, the maker and preserver of all things. This is made known to them from the creation of the world, or from the creatures in the world: the Creator may be discovered by the creatures, and as St. Chrysostom here says, every Scythian, every barbarian, may come to the knowledge of God by the wonderful harmony [3] of all things, which proclaims the existence of God louder than any trumpet: but having known him, they did not glorify him; they acted contrary to their knowledge, abandoning themselves to idolatry, and the vain worship of many gods, and to all manner of vices and abominations against the light of reason. (Witham)