“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3
In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome of his day, he wrote the following concerning the revelation of God to man, and man’s responsibility to believe in God. “For since the creation of the world, His (God’s) 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.” (1:20) From the writings of the Psalmists to those of the Apostle Paul, and afterwards in the writings of the apostles who succeeded Paul, there has been a clear declaration that God is calling every man, specifically sinful man, to Himself. This great truth of the eternal God ever seeking lost man is embedded in another truth. It is the unveiling of the love of God for the world, and the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, His Beloved and only Begotten Son, “…by the grace of God, might taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) Coupled with these great truths are the declarations of the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son, Timothy. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires that ALL men be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:3,4) It was the will of God that, according to his own words, “…that the message might be preached fully through me, and that ALL the Gentiles might hear.” (2 Tim. 4:17) Not only do we have the clear pursuit of the eternal Shepherd for all men, to bring all to a saving knowledge of Him, and to life eternal, but we have the general thrust in the gospels and epistles of the Christ’s will to make disciples of ALL nations, to seek the lost to find, even that one who is like a lost sheep in the wilderness, absolutely helpless and hopeless, except for the One who is seeking it. Jesus once said in His parable of the marriage feast, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14) Christ, through the creation, is calling mankind to Himself without ceasing, revealing to every individual His attributes in creation, seeking to awaken the soul to the reality of Himself, and His way to be saved from sin and death by believing in Him. The question then is, “What is the response of man to the revelation?” “Is there a turning towards God by the grace of God, or is there the neglect, even rebellion and rejection of the truth of Christ? The “chosen” of God are those who respond to the revelation and seek Him. How do they seek Him but by receiving from God His grace to respond, first of all by repenting of their wrong thoughts and ways of Him, but then by believing Him as Creator, and Redeemer. But how can this be, especially to bridge the gap between the revelation of the goodness, power, majesty and wisdom of God in creation, then to understand that there is but One Savior of men who has dealt with all of their sins, with the saving power to set them free from Satan’s and sin’s domination and death?
In the book of Hebrews, we catch a glimpse of God’s working, to bring men not only to see his glory in creation, and then turn to Him, but to unveil Himself in the flesh, speaking life-giving words to lost souls. The writer declares: “God, who at various times and in various ways, spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” (Heb. 1:1) From Creation’s story, through God’s dealings with Israel as a people, by His words given to mankind through the prophets, God has been increasingly “calling” all men to understand the truth, and be saved, by the words and testimony of one Man, and Savior, the Lord Jesus.
Dear Father, Lead us to Thyself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.