NOTE: The questions and devotional for this week’s study were written by Stan Schuermann.
- As you prepare your heart for study, know that God desires to reveal Himself to you, and He has given you His Holy Spirit to guide you into truth. Before you open in prayer, consider Jeremiah 9:23-24. “This is what the Lord declares: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” Pray for this understanding and knowledge of God with the Holy Spirit as your guide.
- Read Romans 1:19-23
- STUDY NOTE: Paul says that although God is Himself invisible, He makes His glory known in His creation. This revelation is sufficient so that men are without excuse. We cannot plead ignorance. Calvin writes that, “The Apostle means, that man was created to be a spectator of this formed world, and that eyes were given him, that he might, by looking on so beautiful a picture, be led up to the Author himself.” He goes on to say, “We conceive that there is a God and that He should be worshipped, but our reason fails us and we cannot know who or what sort of being God is.”
- What invisible attributes of our invisible God should men clearly see?
- Our children are full of wonder and curiosity AND questions! What should we teach them concerning the creator of the beauty that they see?
- STUDY NOTE: Men robbed God of His honor as creator as they exchanged the truth about God for images and thoughts which they themselves imagined according to their own reasoning and superstitions. In our day, although few are creating images of how they imagine god to be, many believe that the beauty and order they behold is merely the effect of random collisions of chemicals. They believe that science has now shown God to be unnecessary. Professing themselves to be wise, they reject God as creator.
- In what ways are CHRISTIANS tempted to exchange the revealed truth about God for a lie.
- STUDY NOTE: Although the knowledge of God in creation is sufficient to render men without excuse, see Acts 14:16-17 and Acts 17:22-31, it is not sufficient to lead men to salvation in Christ. The knowledge which leads us to Christ is found only in his gospel. Paul will explain this fully in Chapter 10:14-17.
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