“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above
proclaims His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1
How
great a truth is this! The God of the universe makes Himself known through all
He has created. The vast expanse of sky above speaks of His infinite power and
His eternal supremacy over everything below. Although there is no audible sound
to be heard, no articulation of speech to be observed, the voice of His
Creation goes out to the ends of the
earth (Psalm 19:2-4) and is clearly understood. All the world’s inhabitants
have received the message of God’s splendor and majesty. All have not only
experienced the sun’s light and the felt the heat of its rays and considered
the source of such goodness, but man is completely dependent upon its daily
provision for life (Psalm 19:5-6). God’s existence is undeniable, proven through
that which He has made. And for this reason, He is worthy of all honor and
praise and worship.
This is
what theologians refer to as the doctrine of natural (or general) revelation
(as opposed to God’s particular or special revelation which is given through
the Holy Spirit’s illumination of His Word). God has disclosed enough about
Himself through the created universe and man’s own consciousness that all must
acknowledge that there is a Supreme Being. No one can claim ignorance. So much
has been revealed that Paul writes the following. “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 (Romans 1:20).” However, this creates a problem for us.
Although
general revelation is perceivable to all, it is not without its soteriological
limitations. That is to say, alone it has no power to save. Without the gospel
(God’s special revelation through Christ), there is no hope of salvation (see
Romans 10:14-18). So if you are tracking with me, here is what can be
understood. Because of God’s general revelation, all are aware of Him and are without
excuse. Yet, short of receiving the good news of Jesus, each man and woman will
surely perish.
So
while this Scripture serves as a sweet reminder of our marvelous Lord and
Savior and His graciousness toward us, it should also stand before us as a very
humbling reality. There are men and women, entire people groups, born into this
world, a world that has been crafted by God, in which they will experience God
through His natural revelation, yet live their few years under the sun and die,
having never been engaged with the truth that can save them from their sins.
They will know enough about God to be found guilty and condemned, yet will have
never heard the precious name of Jesus; they know nothing of His cross.
So what
do we do about? Well, we can try to philosophize about how God surely wouldn’t
send these unreached peoples to hell. Of course, this stance is impossible to
defend biblically, for “none is
righteous, no not one (Romans 3:9-18).” We can pretend that it isn’t our
problem, but then again, Scripture seems to place this burden upon the church. Jesus’
famous last words involve making disciples of all nations, by taking His gospel
to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). To return to my previous
reference of Paul in Romans 10, the apostle was making a case for the urgency of
global missions, long before the enormity of the globe was even known. Again,
what is meant by Paul in Romans 15:20? “And thus I make it my ambition to preach
the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone
else’s foundation.” His point is
clear; the apostle was adamant about taking the gospel where it had not yet
been preached!
Are we
similarly concerned today? Does the thought of the nearly 6500+ unreached people
groups passing away to face an eternity separated from their Creator burden you
at all? To what extent have you been grieved? Is it evident in your life – your
personal evangelism, your giving and involvement in the discipleship process at
your local church? Perhaps the most sobering question, how about in your personal
prayer life? Have you labored and anguished, petitioning the Lord to send
messengers to herald the good news? Sure, not all of us are called to carry the
gospel to the heathen nations. But is that really the concern? Are we afraid
that everyone will suddenly leave, vacating our American pews? You and I both know
that’s hardly the case.
Obedience
for some of us may indeed require staying put. But if so, we must ask: Are we
involved in the sending and supporting of our missionaries? Those who will forsake
the comforts and safety of their home to go, and by God’s grace, save some, are
we praying for them corporately? Are we as families? Individually, are we doing
this? Are we involved in sharing God’s heart for the nations as revealed in
Scripture (Genesis 12:1-3, Psalm 67, Isaiah 61, Psalm 117, Psalm 96, Daniel
7:13-14, Matthew 24:14, Revelation 5, etc.)? Are we calling people to see the realities
of the world and the biblical mandate for global missions? Please know that by asking
these things today, I’m in no way trying to portray myself as one that is perfect
in these areas. In fact, even as I type this blog, I’m convicted of my own,
far-too-occasional indifference.
I’ve
seen myself as a gospel guy for many years now. I understand the gospel as
being as important to the seasoned Christian today as it was when he first
believed. I know that it is what I must cling to each hour of every day. I have
also stated my belief that the good news of Jesus propels His disciples outward
to serve and make His name known. Yet in all of my gospel-centered teaching and
writing, my concern for reaching the ends of the earth has been lacking. I
could try to convince myself that it hasn’t; I could attempt to justify my good
intentions. Or I could simply repent of not giving a rip. I can believe the
gospel and move forward in faith that I’ve been forgiven, and I can seek to
make the most of the time that is left. And the same is true for you. Will you
own your indifference? May we repent
together, and in the strength God provides, carry this burden together?
Lord, allow us to consider the
global implications of this doctrine we’ve discussed. Help us to see our role
in fulfilling Your Great Commission. Oh that Your grace might captivate us, motivate,
inspire, and enlarge our hearts to spend our lives in making the hope of Your
gospel known, both here and abroad, for our greatest joy and Your utmost glory.
Amen
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| Matt Fowler Associate Pastor of Missions & Students matt@nbchurch.info @fattmowler |
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