The Knowledge of God is Universal

For since the creation

of the world

His invisible attributes 

are clearly seen, 

being understood by

the things that are made,

even His eternal power 

and Godhead,

so that they are

without excuse, 

because, although they knew God,

they did not glorify Him as God,...

Romans 1::20-21a

     The opening Scripture is one to consider as this blog will undertake that there is no excuse that can be given that denies that man can by means of his constitutionality know that there is a God. It is true that God is revealed to man by external means, i.e., trees, mountains, clouds, etc. but to be able to relate those external evidences to God cannot come from just experiencing those externals.  As has been discussed that there are truths that are intuitive, in other words no evidence is necessary for them to be true. Testimony may aid in our understanding but to understand a truth that has no visible revelation is to judge it as true from our constitution that recognizes it to be true. We cannot see God, we know Him propositional, and the evidence points to that propositional God adding to the fact there there is a greater Being that we call God. We know this intuitively just as we know that there can be no effect without a cause. We know it to be true because it is true. To say that anything "is" without a cause is illogical to any sentient person. So, then as proof of this Doctrine that the knowledge of God is universal I shall give references of testimony to aid our understanding. 

     The first reference is the Bible itself as it asserts that the knowledge of God is universal. When a person reads the Bible they will find that this reference is both implied directly and by necessity. The Apostle Paul in writing to the Romans asserts that the heathen are without limitation, in other words, they have the knowledge of God therefore making their impiety and immorality inexcusable, (Romans 1:19-21).  The Bible addresses men as being sinners, everywhere and calls upon them to repent. If one is disobedient and does not repent they are threatened with everlasting punishment and if they do repent they are promised everlasting life. So what, you may state: yet, the Bible states these things without a preliminary demonstration that there is a God, for it assumes that all men have the knowledge of God. Further it assumes that all men are subjects to God's moral government. Some may cavil at these points and give reference that the Bible does say in places that men know God and that they are without God, but to not examine the context in which those statement appear is to miss out the reason for the Bible to make those statements. Remember, when doing a Bible exegesis it is always, context, context, context. Those statements that man either knows there is a God and that they have a knowledge of God is in reference to the saving knowledge of God and they are without His favor and do not belong to His children and are not partakers of His blessedness to those whose God is the Lord. The Bible takes their lives apart from Him, their immorality, etc. to assert that even the most degraded of persons have the guilt and are exposed to the divine judgement of God. The Bible takes for granted that the knowledge of God is universal, and that it is written on the hearts of every man.

     To say that every man as the knowledge of God on their hearts can be shown to be true and apparent. First, the Bible does teach that every man shall be judged by the revelation as found in the Bible and that those who have no externally revealed law shall be judged by that law that is written on their hearts. Do the heathen have that law? Yes, for they do the things of the law by their nature, they do the things that are prescribed by the law, this they do by means of their conscience. Condemnation is applied to man when he does not do what the law requires even though the man does not recognize or admit to such a law. Man ins accountable to God as to how he applies that law in his life. We know this fact, that every man carries within himself, in his very constitution that he is a moral agent, this knowledge, not given by means of any external evidence, is the knowledge of God who has written in their hearts, given to them in their constitution. This fact of man is universal that it can only be ascribed to God.

     This universality of the knowledge of God can be found historically. all a persons can find this fact for themselves that man has this religious element in their nature and that knowledge is to be found rational and one to be found socially. Wherever man has existed, in all times, there is to be found that man has some form of religion. The idea of God is to be found in all languages. Language is the product of and the revelation of, the human consciousness, therefore if all languages have the idea of God, and they do, then this proves that the idea of God, in some form, belongs to every human being.

Blessed are those whose

     lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

     Blessed is the man to whom

the LORD shall not impute

     sin.

                             Romans 4:7-8

Peace to You

Richard L. Crumb