For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20).
Paul is labouring in our opening text to show why we all need the gospel—the good news about God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ, and he starts by pointing out that we are all guilty in God’s courtroom because we have suppressed (stifled, repressed and hindered) the truth. ‘Without excuse!’. That is the Biblical verdict concerning humanity.
What truth? The truth about God. “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the world’s creation, in the things that have been made.“
Our guilt lies in the fact that God has given man abundant evidence of his existence and glory in the things He has created, yet we have wilfully chosen to ignore him. In Biblical theology, revelation refers to disclosing or making plain what is hidden. An aspect of God’s self-revelation is what he communicates to us through nature. We call that general revelation because it is accessible to everyone who has ever lived. As R. C. Sproul puts it, “Anyone with physical vision can walk in the theatre of nature and see the glory of God through the stars, the moon, and the sun. It is a grand theatre“. This is what the Psalmist so eloquently expressed when he said,
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.“ (Psalms 19:1-6).
Paul goes on to say that God writes his laws on each person’s heart so that even the physically blind are not left out: “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.” (Romans 2:15).
As self-evident as general revelation is, it doesn’t tell us the whole story of who God is. For instance, everyone can know by just looking at the sky’s grandeur that a mighty God created the sun and moon; however, these two great lights do not fully convey his character and attributes. But God, in his kindness and mercy, has also given us a special revelation by giving us his word. It is only through the Word of God that we come to know who God is truly.
As I reflect upon this, I can’t help being gripped by the startling realisation that the Christmas season offers an unmistakeably greater revelation, in that it reveals a great deal of the truth about who God is through Christ, the world’s saviour, to our world. Christmas reminds us of God’s special revelation when he came into our world to show us who he truly is. From the very name, Christ-mas, to the nativity scene—the traditional symbol of Christmas—to the carols we sing during this time, we are consistently reminded that Bethlehem’s babe was no ordinary child. Year in and year out, we sing about his divinity, mission, why he came to earth, and the fact that if we believe in him, we will receive God’s promise of eternal life. Christmas presents overabundant evidence to support the divine ruling that we cannot claim ignorance of the truth about Christ.
For example, when we sing or hear “Once in royal David’s city“, we are reminded how Mary’s child “came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all“. The third stanza to that tune further affirms, “for that child, so dear and gentle, is our Lord in heav’n above“. “Hark, the herald angels sing“ proves the truth about the person of Christ even more forcefully. It reads, “Christ, by highest heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord: Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’swomb. It couldn’t be clearer than this: the baby Jesus is the Godhead revealed in the flesh; God with us! Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th‘incarnate Deity! Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.“
Arguably, the most popular Christmas song, “Joy to the world“, opens with an evangelistic call to make room for the King of the world:
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let Earth receive her King, Let every heart prepare Him room.“ It goes on to proclaim how Jesus came to reverse the curse of sin and the fall: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow; Far as the curse is found…“.
Here, as in many more songs too many to recount here, the truth about Christ is evidently set forth.
And so, ‘without excuse‘, the verdict remains. Each time we put up the Christmas tree, decorate it with angels and the star, each time we observe the nativity scene in school plays and our favourite Christmas movies, each time we light up our streets and homes with Christmas lights, each time we wish our friends and loved ones “Merry Christ-mas“, we are inadvertently accruing evidence to the cosmic charge. What have you done about the self-revelation of Christ at Christmas? Isn’t God gracious and merciful? Not only has he revealed himself in creation, but he also came down through the giving of his Son in an extraordinary way so that we might turn from sin and trust in him.
If you don’t know Jesus, I admonish you to consider the evidence. “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart“ (Hebrews 3:15 and Psalm 95:8). “Light and life to all He brings. Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth.“ Jesus brings life and light into every heart that will receive Him. He gives them second birth. The promise of a new life. Will you receive him today?
For you, my Christian friend, do you stop to ponder the wonder of God’s grace at Christmas? Does it make your heart throb? O may we never lose sight of the magnanimous grandeur of our Saviour’s love set on tour across the world during Christmas.
