Every Person Knows God

One of the most fundamental truths of Christian apologetics is that every person is born with a clear knowledge of God. I don’t mean that every person has knowledge of a God, but that each individual knows the God who created him. This idea seems counter-intuitive, for we all know or know of people who are atheistic, or at least agnostic, and would deny even belief in a God, let alone knowledge of one. Even many religious people would be hesitant to say that they know God. Yet Romans 1:18-21 tells us that God has revealed himself to every person, that such knowledge of God is plain because God has shown it to them, that the divine attributes are clearly perceived, and finally, that people know God, yet suppress that knowledge. We can conclude, therefore, that every person is either in a relationship of wrath with God, or a relationship of grace. Theologians call this knowledge of God the sensus divinitatis, or sense of divinity. This knowledge of God is implanted into every human being and confirmed by creation and providence.

So when we encounter someone who denies belief in God, or rejects knowing him through Christ, we are dealing with a person who is suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. This suppression takes many forms, from outright denial to bitterness against God; from false and pagan notions about God to pious attempts to make God in one’s own image. Yet, every day that clear and distinct knowledge of God bubbles up within the unbeliever, and to make it through the day, he must push down that rising sense of God.

John Calvin described it this way:

There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity. This we take to be beyond controversy. To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty. Ever renewing its memory, he repeatedly sheds fresh drops. Since, therefore, men one and all perceive that there is a God and that he is their Maker, they are condemned by their own testimony because they have failed to honor him and to consecrate their lives to his will. (Institutes, 1:3:1)

And later:

[God] not only sowed in men’s minds that seed of religion of which we have spoken, but revealed himself and daily discloses himself in the whole workmanship of the universe.  As a consequence, men cannot open their eyes without being compelled to see him…wherever you cast your eyes, there is no spot in the universe wherein you cannot discern at least some sparks of his glory. (Institutes, 1:5:1)

This truth has profound implications for the gospel. First, I do not need to prove the existence of God when speaking with an unbeliever. What I do need to do is discern ways that he is suppressing the knowledge of God in his life. Most unbelievers absolutely reek with suppression in some form. That is where I begin to shine the truth of the gospel. Second, although I need to understand the unbeliever’s belief system to some degree, ultimately every unbeliever shares some basic similarities regarding their need of the gospel. Third, although I may use different evangelistic and apologetic strategies in presenting the gospel, I can rest assured that the gospel, as simple as it may seem, is universal enough to be the one message that I will ultimately stress with any unbeliever.

I have found this truth to be liberating to my evangelism. I can approach any unbeliever confidently knowing that when I talk about God, I am telling him things that he already intuitively knows, even though he may reject it. Between this implanted knowledge of God and the perceived creation, he is a person in active rebellion against God. By presenting the gospel as revealed in Scripture, I am applying the one cure to his depraved heart. Though he may reject the gospel, I know that he knows it is the truth and that he needs it.

The sensus divinitatis reminds us that we are dwelling in a world of truth suppressors who desperately need the truth to be presented over and over again to them. With this truth firmly embedded in our hearts we can boldly share the gospel with anyone we meet. May God grant us a firm and unbending grasp of this truth!

Preach the Gospel to Yourself, Part 2

Friend,

The best secret I was ever asked to keep happened when I was ten years old, just before Christmas 1970. Mom took me into her confidence about an amazing gift she had purchased for Dad: a Casio handheld calculator. I had never seen anything so amazing as the bright blue glowing digits (and it only cost $85!). Then Mom swore me to secrecy. “I want this to be a surprise, so don’t tell!” I don’t remember if I kept the confidence, but I do remember that those weeks until Christmas seemed like years.

Have you ever noticed in the Gospel accounts how many times Jesus asked His disciples to not tell anyone about His true identity as Messiah? The “messianic secret” is most pronounced in the Gospel of Mark. It seems like after every miraculous event that pointed to His true identity, Jesus admonished the beneficiary of the miracle with a strong warning: “See that you say nothing to anyone” (Mark 1:43). By the time you reach the end, you’re about ready to explode. How can we keep such great good news a secret? The Messiah is here!

Jesus was delaying the announcement of the good news, in part, because people didn’t understand just what kind of Messiah He was (and that included the twelve!). They wanted a king to give the nation a better life on earth. Jesus wanted something much, much better for them: eternal life and a kingdom that meant God’s salvation blessings for every nation. So He enjoined their silence until after He was risen from the dead (see Mark 1:43; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26,29; 9:9).

Finally, near the end of Mark’s Gospel, the secrecy is lifted and the women at the empty tomb are encouraged to “go, tell” (16:7). Then we read with incredulity, “. . .and they said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid” (16:8). How ironic! But Mark is trying to prod his readers, both then and now, into an explosion of TELLING.

The Gospel is the best secret you never keep. May the Resurrection Sunday we just celebrated motivate us all to be blabbermouths for the Gospel to everyone we meet!

Preach the Gospel to Yourself, Part 1

Friend,

When is the last time you preached the Gospel to yourself? You may think that sounds odd. The Gospel is the good news we share with folks who haven’t yet had the privilege of hearing it, right?

That’s true, of course. But the good news of the Gospel is something that must occupy our thinking as believers every day of our lives. We must continually preach the Gospel to ourselves. But why? If I’m already assured of the forgiveness of my sins through what Jesus accomplished on the cross, why keep repeating what I already know?

Paul may have summarized it best. “. . . And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). That is, the foundation and the focus of Paul’s daily experience was bound up in the truth that Jesus Christ died for him.

Reminding yourself of the simple Gospel truth is what keeps you on track spiritually. Have you failed and sinned? Preach the Gospel to yourself. Only the blood of Christ covers that sin, and it is still sufficient. Are you tempted to be proud of your spiritual achievements? Preach the Gospel to yourself. The only righteousness that matters to God is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which God imputed to you in His mercy. Are you tempted to be self-reliant? Preach the Gospel to yourself. You could not save yourself, and you cannot change yourself apart from His grace and power.

Let’s join Paul in believing that the Gospel must be our daily foundation and focus. “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. . .” (Gal. 6:14).

Are you struggling with obsessive ambition for personal glory? Then look at Jesus on the cross and think about your greatness. We are great sinners. We are great debtors to grace that we could never repay.