A Tale of Two Worlds (Cont’d)
Because the Cynical Mind Reinterprets What it Sees and Hears
Cynicism’s most obvious effect on humanity is how it colors the way we relate to a world that for all intents and purposes seems devoid of God’s presence. Yet even in the midst of this perceived absence of the Divine, the God of The Bible challenges us to see beyond this condition, to see the real truth of the matter. As it is written:
The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night, they reveal knowledge.
Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard, their voice has gone out into all the Earth, their words to the ends of the world.
The Book of Psalms
As such, God may not seem to be in our midst due to the fallout of Adam’s forfeiture of that first contract, but that has never stopped the reality of God from manifesting in the Universe. From time immemorial, one of the primary messages of Scripture is that, in addition to the written word given to humanity, there is the grandeur and beauty of the natural world to demonstrate—even articulate, if you will—God’s existence.
For God shows His anger from Heaven against evil people who suppress the truth in wickedness. They know the truth about God, as He’s made it evident to them, because ever since the world was created, people have seen the Earth and sky. By way of everything that God has made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities, His eternal power, and divine nature, so they have no excuse for not knowing Him.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks, so they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became fools. Instead of worshiping the Living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
Story Continues Below
To watch author and biblical historian W. Kent Smith discuss the contents of his book On Earth as It is On Heaven, at the Sacred Word Revealed Conference ’23, hosted by Zen Garcia, CLICK BELOW.
Story Continues From Above
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie.
So they worshiped and served the things that God created instead of the Creator Himself, Who alone is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
The Book of Romans
In this passage, we see how, since the beginning of creation, there has been something within nature itself that can impart a knowledge of God but that has, for the most part, been actively suppressed. Here we see one of the most succinct expressions of what happens when the cynical mind reinterprets what it sees and hears. Like the Pharisees who could see nothing marvelous or awe-inspiring in the raising of Lazarus, there will always be those who look upon the world around them who likewise can’t see beyond it to the One Who created it. Instead of being in awe of the Creator, they’re fooled into thinking the creatures are worthy of the adoration that is due only to Him.
This, then, sets off a chain reaction of tragic proportions that can’t help but end in disaster, because an awareness that the natural world imparts a knowledge of God is, in turn, critical to one’s acceptance or rejection of God’s written word itself. What do I mean by that?
Well, consider the extent to which you either accept or reject the idea that the natural world around you reveals God’s reality. Then ask yourself: To what extent does that acceptance or rejection translate into your view concerning God’s ability or inability to communicate via the written word? I know in my own experience the two ideas go hand in hand. First, I consider the intricacy and immensity of the natural world, and as a result, I can only conclude it’s impossible that it all came into being spontaneously and independent of a Divine Designer. Then, I consider that if a God can orchestrate all this, then He certainly has the power to communicate with His own creatures, quite apart from the implications of the Fall of Man.
I mean, seriously, who but the most cynical among us can’t deduce that the One Who created our mouths, our eyes, and our ears can’t communicate what He wants us to know. But once we firmly settle this idea in our thinking, that God’s revelation in nature undergirds His written revelation, we can overcome any number of objections that challenge a belief in The Bible.
