No Excuse

6-27-2021

NO EXCUSE

Romans 1:18-25

Benjamin Franklin said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” I think that God would agree. Because He says those who deny His existence are without excuse.

Our text for today, Romans 1:18-25, tells us: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome. He wants them to know that all they have to do is look around, and the evidence of God's creative power is impossible to miss.

They have no excuse to believe otherwise. In other words: even unrighteous people should know there is a God, because God is revealed in the things He has made.

Psalm 19:1 says it this way “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

The Bible is unapologetic in declaring that our world has been designed, and that there is an “Intelligent Designer” (God) who made it all.

And yet, today, many people miss this truth. They say they have an excuse, it is called evolution. If an evolutionist were to write the words of Genesis chapter one, it would probably sound like this:

In the beginning there was nothing. And nothing said to itself, “Let us become something, explode, and become an ordered universe that is governed by laws of science, physics, and mathematics.

“Let us become a universe that is able to sustain life. And it happened. All of the universe was created. Nothing became something, exploded, and became everything. And this all took billions of years…

“Then the earth said, 'Let us make life from the primordial soup.' And it was so; many chemical reactions happened over time. These chemical reactions became more and more complex, and became a living cell that could reproduce and grow.

“From this single cell came all of the different animals; the birds of the air, the fish in the sea, and the animals on the ground.

“All of this happened through chance, random processes and mutations. And this all took billions of years…

“And there was a special group of animals, the primates. And they said, 'Let us make man in our image,' and it was so. Over time, through chance mutations, the primate became a man.

“This man was special. He formed a much more complex brain than the primates before him. He could reason. He had a conscience that could tell right from wrong. He formed emotions, human dignity, and logic.

“And man was able to, through His intellect, find his purpose in life… Nothing. And this all took billions of years.” (From “Evolution: Science Or Faith?” by Jason Smith)

There are those, Paul says in verse 21 that although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

While evolution is a scientific theory, many scientists agree (and many disagree) with the leading atheist, Richard Dawkins, who said that “evolution is a fact”. And they go as far as saying that if you question evolution, you are questioning science.

The debate usually turns to being between science vs. faith, with most unbelievers saying that science is the winner by default.

Then the next step is to call those of us who believe in God as the creator of the universe irrational and illogical, because they believe we are contradicting known, observable science.

The problem for them is, evolution has not been observed, at least not the kind of evolution that is usually believed to have happened.

The whole debate hinges on how evolution is defined and what is grouped under the umbrella of that ‘evolution.’

What evolutionists do not like to do is make a distinction between “micro-evolution” (small changes within a species) and “macro-evolution” (large changes from one species of animal or plant to another). One is from God, and the other is not.