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The Glory of God as the Scope of the World and the Word 199
Scripture is Romans 1:19–21, where Paul is speaking of human beings
in general everywhere in the world:
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. For although they knew God, they did not honor
him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their
thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
This passage reveals how God makes himself knowable and holds all
human beings accountable to know him, glorify him, and thank him.
Notice the phrase “invisible attributes” (literally “invisibles” or “invisible
things”) in verse 20. This is what God is revealing. He is making the
“invisible” knowable. He is making himself—his glory and beneficence
(which call for glorification and thanks)—knowable.
What specifically is he making knowable? He mentions two “invisibles”:
“his eternal power and divine nature [his Godness; his deity]”
(v. 20). We know there are other invisible attributes God reveals in the
natural world, such as his generous goodness to undeserving people
(Acts 14:16–17), his wisdom (Ps. 104:24), and his splendor and majesty
(Ps. 104:1). So God expects human beings to know and respond
worshipfully to the invisible things he has revealed.
How are they revealed? Paul’s answer is remarkably forceful. They
are “clearly perceived . . . in the things that have been made [τοῖς ποιήμασιν
νοούμενα καθορᾶται].” Literally: “They are clearly seen, being
understood, in the things that are made.” There are three steps here:
(1) God made the universe (τοῖς ποιήμασιν); (2) our minds grasp something
of God by the things made (τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα); (3) by that
mental grasp, we see clearly the unseen (καθορᾶται). Note carefully: the
objects that are seen are not the things that are made (τοῖς ποιήμασιν).
The dative case means that we see clearly “by the things that are made.”
So Paul is saying that (1) by the created things visible to the physical
eye (τοῖς ποιήμασιν), and (2) by the mental grasp of these things as we
think about them (νοούμενα), we “clearly perceive” or “see” the invisible
attributes of God’s power and deity.