Romans 1

While in Corinth on his third missionary journey, Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome. Though he had never been to Rome, he greatly desired to go there. He wanted to strengthen them, and be strengthened himself. So he wrote this letter to describe the power of God through the salvation of all who believe (1:16).

Look at verses 19-20: "For what can be known about God is plain to [all men], 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." Paul is saying that simply by observing creation (mountains, waterfalls, animals, humans, etc.), we can know that a supernatural being created the universe. Not only that, we can also know that he is infinitely powerful and has always existed.

This is what some theologians call "general revelation." God has revealed himself in a general way through what he has made. Similar to how an artist's paintings or an author's books tell something of the artist or author.

Some say that the universe began as nothing, then exploded somehow, and then through millions of years of evolution we now have what you see today. The Bible says that creation itself testifies to a creator God, who made all that is seen and gives purpose to it. What do you see when you look at the world around you?

There are many explanations of how the world came to be, but whatever you choose to believe about how the universe came into being will have huge implications on how you live your life. More on that in tomorrow's reading.