Consciences

In our Bible study group last night, we discussed chapter 1 of Romans.

One bit that particularly jumped out at me was verses 19 and 20. The Apostle Paul is talking about people in general, and he says this:

… what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Paul is saying that the world around us gives us proof of God.

This line of thinking resonates strongly with me, and is one of the main reasons I’m a Christian. The existence of the universe shows me there’s a powerful God; its order, variety and beauty speaks of God’s intelligence, creativity and glory.

But then I got to thinking: how can Paul say that mankind is “without excuse” for not glorifying God? Does creation tell us we should worship him? After all, it could be that God created the universe but doesn’t care how we live.

I asked this question to the group, and one of my friends pointed out that God has given each of us a conscience. Even though we disagree wildly on what is right and wrong, nearly everyone agrees that there is such a thing as morality.

Later on in the book of Romans (chapter 2, verses 13-15), Paul says this (italics mine):

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles [non-Jews], who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)

Our God-given consciences are enough to show us that morality exists. And so, once we realise that there’s a Creator behind the universe, we should let him tell us how to live. It is right to glorify God with our lives and behave according to his rules, because this world belongs to him and he defines what is right and wrong.