Theology, the science of God, demands the attention of every person without exception. The word theology is a combination of theos (God) and logos (rational expression). Therefore, theology means the rationale which deals with God, and it is defined to mean the study which deals with God and His relationship to His creation.

In the study of theology, the word systematic (systematic theology) is derived from the Greek word signifying “to set together.” In our English interpretation of the Greek word, it means to organize Biblical data into a system or method. It is clear to the student of Scripture that the Holy Spirit in giving to us the Scriptures has not reduced the truths of the Bible into any system or order. The nearest thing to order is given in the Epistle to the Romans. Thus, all the facets of some particular doctrine are not methodically given under the same heading. Doctrinal truths are dependent on one another for support; therefore, they may be correlated into an order for Christian edification. This fact reveals the reason that unsaved persons cannot understand the Scriptures. Truths have their power upon the minds of men, not only from the truths themselves, but also from their position in Scripture, when they are impressed on minds and hearts by the indwelling Spirit of regeneration. The gift of “teaching elders,” those who have the unique gift of finding and formulating truths for the spiritual benefit of the assemblies, is given to the assembly for the purpose of systematically correlating Scriptures. Paul said in Ephesians 4:11-16, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every point supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (NASB Update). In II Timothy 3:14-17, Paul wrote to Timothy, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (NASB Update).

A warning must be inserted here, because there is no perfectly accurate, man-made system of theology. Since interpretation is in the human realm, the appropriate title of every work should not be “The” but “A Systematic Theology.” That would indicate that serious effort has been made to systematically set forth the Biblical data concerning God.

The subject of theology should be divided into naturalistic and Biblical, because there is a twofold division of the human family into saved and unsaved. Naturalistic theology is found within the range of reason. Reason apart from revelation is the highest capacity in man. Therefore, God speaks to every man through nature. However, Biblical theology surpasses the revelation of God in nature. Reason and revelation are united factors in gathering and classifying Biblical data, but one must understand that Scripture surpasses reason as the thoughts of God surpass those of men—“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Is. 55:8, 9 NASB Update). Though men possess the ability to reason, separated from the Spirit of God in regeneration, their reason lacks the capacity to classify and understand Biblical theology—“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (I Cor. 2:14 NASB Update).

There is a natural knowledge of God apart from the revelation of Scripture, and that is the point of emphasis in this lesson. That knowledge is both sufficient and insufficient. This is not a contradiction; it is a statement that must be understood in the light of the context of Romans 1:18-20—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (NASB Update). The revelation of God in nature is sufficient to render every man without excuse. Nevertheless, it is insufficient to convert a regenerated person because the gospel of Christ is not revealed in nature—“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it written, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH” (Rom. 1:16, 17 NASB Update).

There are men today who demand forms of evidence for God’s existence that are not to be found in the scope of scientific endeavor. Their questions concerning God’s existence presuppose a sort of omniscience on their part. Their failure to see God in the light of “what has been made” (Rom. 1:20) is due to a pre-assumed position. They have determined that God shall have no place in their thoughts. Paul, by Divine inspiration, plainly reveals that the knowledge of God’s existence is made known in all men: “…that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (Rom. 1:19 NASB Update). The reason this knowledge of God is said to be “evident within them” is that the evidence of truth to men presupposes “the spirit of the man” (I Cor. 2:11)—that part of man which knows what goes on within himself.

Man’s history began with the knowledge of God, but his religious history is marked by transfer of power rather than evolution. The knowledge of God was handed down from Adam to his children. After the destruction of the antediluvian world by water, Noah began the new world by erecting an altar to God. With this knowledge of God, the new race through Noah and his sons began to manifest its ingratitude to God and cease to glorify Him. Consequently, man’s apostasy from God is not the act of an ignorant intellect. It is the act of a depraved will that is determinately set against the eternal power and being of God. Both the eternity of God and the eternity of His power are implied.

Naturalistic Theism is made known apart from Scripture. A natural knowledge of God is evident in all men without exception—“…that which is known about God is evident within them…” (Rom. 1:19). This verse reveals the fact that some knowledge of God is in all men without exception, whether or not the gospel of Jesus Christ ever reaches them. The expression “evident within them” must not be confused with the knowledge that is inherent in the conscience of men. “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them” (Rom. 2:14, 15 NASB Update). “Instinctively” (by nature) is contrasted with that which is learned from external sources. The external revelation of God “in nature” has made a permanent imprint upon the consciousness of every man. In Romans 1:19, the aorist tense of the verb translated “evident” reveals the act as having been accomplished once for all—“…for God made it evident to them.”

A natural knowledge of God is insufficient to convert a person from the knowledge of his guilt—“…that which is known about God is evident within them” (Rom. 1:19). This verse places a limitation on the knowledge about God. The content of this knowledge is described in verse 20—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” The visible creation makes evident the invisible perfections of God as the Creator. Invisible things can be seen by the visible. For example, I can see the Bible that I read and study; but I do not see the writers, the printers, or the binders. Even though I do not see them, it cannot be denied that these men existed. One can go further and say that the very souls of those men are seen. Man can know the hidden world of his likes and dislikes, his hopes and fears, with greater clarity than he can know external appearances. These things can never be ascribed to the solids of our physical nature, but they are living realities. Man is guilty of perverseness when he sees man’s mind in his works but refuses to see the mind of God in His works.

God’s attributes of eternality, omnipotence, and Divinity are revealed in nature; but His attributes of love and grace are withheld from this revelation. God, who reveals Himself, has the right to hide Himself. Man may be known by his outward appearance, but he retains the right to hide his name and identity. God, who is known in His power and divine nature by the things which He has made, retains the right to hide His attributes of love and grace and make them known to the elect in His special work of regeneration.

A natural knowledge of God is sufficient to accomplish the end intended—“…so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). Verse 20 proves that enough has been revealed to make all men inexcusable before the sovereign God. There is enough knowledge revealed in nature to condemn every man. Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse told the story about a student who said to his professor, “I cannot see an atom; therefore, I will not believe in it.” The young man flunked the course because he would not submit to evidence. He complained to the professor, but he was without excuse. Why was he without excuse? It can be said that he was without excuse because that which may be known of atoms is evident, for physical investigation has revealed it. For the invisible things of atomic energy are clearly seen, being understood by the effects that are evident, so that the student is without excuse. This vividly illustrates Romans 1:19 and 20.

Not only is the visible creation a work of the invisible God, but it is kept every moment by His invisible authority. Consider the earth which is man’s habitation. There are two forces working upon the earth which revolves around the sun. One force tends to draw the earth away from and the other toward the sun. These powers are known as centrifugal and centripetal forces. These two forces must be in perfect balance or the earth would be either destroyed by the heat of the sun or drawn away into darkness and chaos. There are other things just as important to consider. When one thinks about the disposition of land and water, the atmosphere, the seasons, and the structure of the human body, he should give honor to the God of providence.

The natural knowledge of God condemns the popular expression, “It is not the sin but the Son question about which man is to be concerned.” Naturalistic theology has nothing to say about the Person and work of Jesus Christ, but there is enough truth about God to render all men inexcusable before God.

Naturalistic Theism indicts all men (Rom. 1:18-32). The witness of God in creation and conscience makes all men responsible to God (Rom. 1:19, 20; 2:14, 15). If men were not responsible to God, there could be neither guilt nor punishment. It is true that these references pertain to the Gentiles, but Paul goes on to show that the Jews are in agreement with the Gentiles (Rom. 2:1-3:8).

Man’s reason is involved when he reflects upon the work of God in creation. Both power and divine nature are viewed in God’s handiwork. Power refers to God’s supremacy and divine nature to His Being (Rom. 1:20). The Greek word for divine nature is theiotes, and reflects on the perfections of God as revealed in creation. The argument used by Paul in Romans 1 is cosmological; thus, the conclusion is that every effect must have a cause. This argument is especially prominent in the gospel of John. (Study John 10:37, 38 and John 15:24, 25.)

The conscience of man is contrasted with the external revelation of God in creation. Man’s conscience operates by native instinct. It is the faculty in man whereby he is able to distinguish between right and wrong. The conscience bears witness to the existence of a high moral code and acknowledges that it does not live up to it completely.

The responsibility of all men to God makes them guilty before Him. Guilt is manifested by man’s failure to glorify Him or give thanks for His benevolence. In Romans 1:21, Paul states, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but [alla, strongest conjunction in the Greek language] they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (NASB Update). This passage proves that man began with a natural knowledge of God derived from creation, but his depraved mind led him to the vanity of his own reasoning. When man refuses to follow the truth that is revealed, he wanders in the darkness of his own imagination.

Apart from grace, futile speculations of the mind enter into the heart which is the seat of man’s moral nature and the center of his personality. Error enters the mind and reaches the will through the heart (Rom. 1:18-32); so the truth of the gospel must enter the mind and reach the will through the heart—“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed” (Rom. 6:17 NASB Update). Romans 1:18-32 describes reprobation, and Romans 6:17 describes true conversion.

All guilty men must be punished by the righteous God. Romans 1:32-2:6—“…although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, WHO WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS” (NASB Update).

Guilt stands between responsibility and punishment. Responsibility makes guilt possible, and responsibility and guilt make punishment certain. For one to properly understand punishment, the attitude and action of God in relation to guilt must be contemplated. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18 NASB Update). God’s attitude is expressed in the word “wrath.” Wrath is God’s inherent antagonism to everything that is evil. The present tense “is revealed” proves that God continually uncovers or brings to light man’s irreverence toward Him and denial of His holy standard for man. Finally, God’s action, which is a manifestation of His attitude, is stated in the expression “God gave them over” in Romans 1:24, 26, and 28. Therefore, the Divine verdict on such reprobates is “…that those who practice such things are worthy of death…” (Rom. 1:32 NASB Update).

Copyright ã   2004

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