Creational Revelation

General revelation (or Creational revelation) provides us with the knowledge that God exists. “The heavens declare the glory of God,” says the psalmist. God’s glory is displayed in the works of His hands. This display is so clear and manifest that no creature can possibly miss it. It unveils God’s eternal power and deity (Romans 1:18-23). Revelation in the creation does not give a full revelation of God. It does not give us the information about God the Redeemer that we find in the Bible. But the God who is revealed in creation is the same God who is revealed in Scripture. Both revelations come from the same God, so that means that they do not and cannot contradict each other as God made both of them.

Not everyone in the world has read the Bible or heard the gospel proclaimed. But the light of creation shines upon everyone in every place, in every time. God’s general revelation takes place every day. He is never without a witness to Himself. The visible creation is a like a mirror that reflects the glory of its maker. The world is a stage for God. He is the chief actor who appears front and center. No curtain can fall and obscure His presence. We know that from one glimpse of creation that nature is not its own mother. There is no such “mother” as Mother Nature. Creation itself is powerless to produce life of any kind. In itself, creation is barren. The power to produce life resides in the Author of creation—God. To substitute creation as the source of life is to confuse the creature with the Creator. All forms of creation worship are acts of idolatry that are detestable to God.

Because of the force of creational revelation, every human being knows that God exists. Atheism involves the utter denial of something that is known to be true. This is why Scripture says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). When the Scripture chastens the atheist by calling him a ‘fool,’ it is making a moral judgement upon him. Being a fool in the biblical sense is not to be dim-witted or lacking intelligence; it is to be immoral. As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, to deny that God even exists is the height of foolishness. The agnostic, likewise, denies the force of creational revelation. They may be less strident than the atheist; as not flatly denying the existence of God. Rather, the agnostic declares that there is insufficient evidence (they lack confidence) to decide one way or the other about God’s existence; in other words, they have little faith. The agnostic prefers instead to suspend his judgment, to leave the issue of God’s existence as an open question.

However, in light of the clarity of creational revelation, the stance of Agnosticism is no less detestable to God than that of the militant atheist. But for anyone whose mind and heart are open, the glory of God is wonderful to see—from the billions of galaxies in the heavens to the subatomic particles that make up the tiniest of molecules. God created it all and all of it gives witness to its Creator; what an incredible God we serve.