A Manifested Mystery

Some might say that God Himself is the greatest mystery of all. After all, you can’t see Him. How do you know He even exists? That’s exactly what I said as a youngster. I concluded that believing in something invisible was absurd. Yet I could be found in my bedroom at night gazing out the window up at the sky, hoping to see just one star that I might wish upon. I’m probably not the only one who has ever repeated in earnest, “Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.”

That’s because when God created us, He hard-wired in us a conscience and a consciousness of something out there greater than ourselves. And, He didn’t want to remain anonymous. He chose the things He created to point to Himself and get us thinking and seeking to learn the mystery of Him.

Not only did he make us with a heart to lean toward Him and a conscience to know we need Him, He gave us a giant missive of 66 books written over a period of 1,500 years from three continents using 44 authors to convey everything He wants us to know about Him so that He doesn’t remain a mystery to us. In that, He says Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:19-20)

Let’s practice our grasp of God’s big secret by examining His message in these verses.

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. God has manifested something about Himself to someone. Who is the “them” referred to in this verse? We have to look at the preceding verse for that: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (vs. 18) So, what this is saying is that what can be known of God has been revealed to ungodly people who hold this truth in unrighteousness.

Hmmm. How has God manifested Himself and shown Himself to such unrighteous people? Look at the next portion of our study verse: For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. God found a way around the fact that He is invisible so that He can be knowable. How? We understand the invisible things about Him by examining the things He made in creation. What things about Him do we clearly see through what was made? Now the rest of the verse: even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

In His creation, we can see His eternal power and Godhead. You can pick almost any of creation and see that, but the most obvious is the sun. The power of the sun is eternal. Talk about solar power! You see His Godhead in various aspects of the sun. The light it gives (Jesus said He’s the light of the world); the heat it gives (God’s heat that heals can also destroy, Mal 4:1-2); the x-ray power it contains (the Holy Spirit’s examination penetrates right to the heart).

These ungodly people who refuse to acknowledge the invisible God, even though He has manifested Himself so clearly to them, are without excuse. No one is going to face God at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11) and say, “I had no idea about you. Why are you judging me?”

So, back to the beginning: God—invisible as He is—does not intend to remain a secret to us. He has given us a starting point to learn about Him, and that is creation. Once a person is drawn to God through the wonder of creation, it’s time to read about Him in His book that He preserved and will continue to preserve for every generation, because He promised to do that. (Psa. 12:6-7)

It’s time to go on a journey of other secrets and mysteries of God.

Jody