One of the most difficult things for sinful men to see is the power and authority behind the universe. We are taught in Romans 1 that, ” …the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us that God is behind the creation, and that it should be clearly seen. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Romans 1:19). It is not a difficult concept to understand, just as when we see a house we understand a man built it because it has purpose, order, and design; likewise, when we see the universe, which from the smallest part of an atom to the expanse of the cosmos is intricate and designed, we should understand that an eternal God, who was before it all, made it all. However, because of sin man is unwilling to give God His rightful honor by worshiping Him, instead he would rather worship himself. “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man…” (Romans 1:22, 23). It has been this way from the beginning, and it continues this way until today.
The reality behind even the religion of unrepentant sinners is that they worship themselves and not the one, true, and living creator of the universe. So when man looks on the world and all that is in it, he does not see the living God and His greatness, but man and all his “glory.” When the nation Israel was delivered from the land of Egypt, it should have been perfectly clear that the miracle working God was behind it. God brought Israel out by the hand of Moses, but make no mistake, it was not Moses who parted the Red Sea. Neither was it Moses who destroyed Pharaoh’s army in the midst of the Sea, or destroy the whole land of Egypt through 10 plagues. Moses did not keep the same shoes on the souls of the people’s feet for 40 years, or bring water from a rock, or manner from heaven. In fact, the conception of the nation Israel was through Abraham and Sarah when they were beyond having children; it was God who gave birth to the nation Israel and not man. As in creation so was the birth and deliverance of a nation. Creation should be easy to see as the hand of the eternal God, and likewise, so should the birth of a peculiar people, a different people, and a chosen people. Unregenerate men can acknowledge the apparent truth of a miracle in their head but it is not possible to bow in obedience to Him in their heart.
Sinful man has a pride issue. So when God replaced self-centered Saul and replaced him with David who is said to be a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) we don’t immediately see that God did so through miracles as well. In 1 Chronicles 11 we are given a list of David’s mighty men, the least of these men could kill 100 and the greatest 1,000. Such power is no more within the scope of normal men than the ability to divide a Sea. Nevertheless, who do you think received the praise, God or men? If you said men, you would be right. “The women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7) David’s mighty men only obscured the real power behind their victories because man’s heart is sinful.
David understood the true source of his victories, which is what made him a man after God’s heart or a man who glorified God as God. “David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You give them into my hand?” Then the Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will give them into your hand” (1 Chronicles 14:10). The fact that David and his men were mighty did not obscure the real source behind their power. So from June 5th to the 10th during the time known as the 6 Day War you can read as men explain away the miraculous way in which Israel was again birth as a nation state. Israel is once again in the land but God will not get the credit from men that deny His existence in their heart. We can debate why they are there, but the fact remains, Hebrews from the line of Abraham are once again in the land of their fathers.
Why are these things so hard to see, and why do men fervently deny them? Because dependence upon God, who sustains everything from one micro second to the next, is just too difficult for a sinful man’s heart to acknowledge. Apart from repentance from self-reliance no man is willing to acknowledge that apart from God he can do nothing. Nevertheless, Jesus taught His disciples that He was the vine, and they were the branches, and apart from Him they could do nothing (John 15:5).
It is true that we breathe, move about, and make choices to do this or that, but the power and authority behind all that we do is God. Gravity is a law of God, and apart from God gravity cannot exit. For this reason the father’s of the Protestant Reformation referred to primary and secondary causes. God is the primary cause behind all that takes place, even though their are true and real secondary causes. The godly man recognizes the primary cause behind every secondary cause, and gives God the glory that He deserves. So may it be with all my readers.
The primary cause in the salvation of the lost is the God/man Christ Jesus. Do you see Jesus Christ as the true source of your salvation, that is, if you are saved? If you are saved then surely you can see the author of your salvation is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. I further hope that if you belong to a good and godly church, that you see it is God behind the leader’s wisdom and holiness and not they themselves. Godly men are a gift from God, and it is a travesty on the truth to ascribe to men the holiness that comes from God alone. All godly increase is from God alone, through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen?
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