The Knowledge of God

 Part I

“You believe in God don’t you?” This is one of the first questions I ask when witnessing and I ask it just that way, expecting a positive answer. That way I give them the benefit of the doubt. I have found over the years that there are not too many people who will deny the existence of God when confronted in that way. After all, the Bible says that only the fool hath said in his heart, “There is no God”. Psalm 24:1 But when the name of Jesus is brought into the conversation there is often a greater degree of resistance. Why is this?

I am convinced that the answer is to be found in the limited ability of the natural man to gain knowledge of the God who is really there. Understanding this limitation and the remedy for it will help you much in your witnessing. So let us look at the subject of the knowledge of God in a little more detail.

The only source of man’s knowledge of God must be God’s self revelation. There can be no absolute knowledge independent of this self revelation.  I Tim. 6:16 tells us as much by declaring that God is the One Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

The question is “Just how has God revealed Himself?” The answer is twofold; first, in creation, that is in the realm of nature: second, In His Word, that is in Holy Scripture, which is the only source and norm for Christian doctrine. Hence, we are bound to distinguish between a Natural or Carnal knowledge and a Christian or Spiritual knowledge of God. I want to deal with the first kind of knowledge in this issue.

Natural Knowledge You have no doubt heard many times from the pulpit the expression that “Man has a God size vacuum inside that only the true God can fill” If you have not heard it, you just read it. This appears to be true. Man knows by nature, not only that there is a Personal, Eternal, Almighty God, who is the Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the universe, but also that this God is Holy and Just, and One Who demands and rewards the good and Who also condemns and punishes the evil.

This natural knowledge comes from the Divine work of creation, a creation that bears the clear stamp of being God-made. 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: Rom. 1:20. This verse states in context that even though God is invisible, He can nevertheless be “seen” by man. Man need only observe the works of creation and he will clearly see God’s invisible Being, His Eternal power and Godhead!

Natural knowledge may also be gained by observing God’s continuous sustaining operation in the world, both in the realm of nature and in human history. Acts 14 finds Paul and Barnabas, preaching Jesus in the town of Lystra. Suddenly they were rushed upon by the townsfolk and priests of Jupiter who received them as gods. This caused them great concern and they immediately gave a powerful rebuke to stop the madness of the people saying Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. Acts 14:15-17.

We learn from these verses that although God allowed the heathen to walk in their own way, He nevertheless gave them abundant witness of Himself in the realm of nature. One more source of natural knowledge is the divine law written into the hearts of all men. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another  Rom. 2:14,15 see Rom. 1:32 also. These verses show that conscience may be looked at as God’s tribunal within man and that it should be recognized as such by man. This explains the attempts of the heathen to please God (as they ignorantly know Him) with idol worship, sacrifices, asceticism etc. This way they silence the accusation that God has placed in their “conscience”.  Acts 17:22, 23 also helps us to understand this principle;  Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

If all this is so, then what we call “Atheism” must spring from the suppression and denial of this natural knowledge of God. Then it would also follow that only the man or woman who successfully suppresses his God given reason is able to assert that there are no proofs for the existence of God! Now stay with me because my next statement needs to be received with insight.

In its limited sphere, this natural knowledge of God is truth! I hear two questions coming from my readers.

First, “Can man actually suppress this natural knowledge so completely that it either fails to function or disappears entirely?”

Second, “Is this knowledge innate (a part of his nature) or is it acquired (must be learned)?”

The answer to the first question is that no one is an atheist by nature! They become atheist when God in His justice allows them freedom to choose and the Devil blinds them. Based upon the Romans 2:14,15 passage above, the answer to the second question must be that this knowledge is innate, but also that man can increase and built on this innate knowledge by contemplating the universe.

At this point, it is necessary to clearly express the length and limits of natural knowledge:

1. The natural knowledge of God does have positive value. It enables civilization to exist and it provides a fertile place to plant the seed of the Word of God. But…

2. With Man in his present condition, the natural knowledge of God is entirely insufficient to result in salvation. It can arouse the conscience, but without faith in the Gospel of Christ, man remains in a state of hopelessness and despair.

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: Eph. 2:11,12.

You must remember this when the person you are witnessing to evades the name of Jesus. All so-called faith in other things and all religious activity is futile without Christ.  We must be cautious not to take either of two extremes. On the one hand we must not deny that there is such a thing as a natural knowledge of God. On the other hand we must not think that men will ever attain Heaven and eternal life based on this knowledge.