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how does the new testament echo or transform the idea of creation's 'speech' about god?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Romans 1:19-20

“because that which is known of God is plainly visible among them, for God made it plain to them. 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; so that they are without excuse.”

The Apostle Paul, writing from Corinth in the mid-1st century CE, is addressing a community of believers in Rome. In these verses, he lays the groundwork for his argument about human responsibility, stating that God's presence and character are evident through the natural world.

What does it mean for us to be 'without excuse' when faced with the evident attributes of God in creation?

Then — the setting

Paul wrote the letter to the Romans around 57-58 CE from Corinth. He was addressing a diverse community of Jewish and Gentile believers in the capital of the Roman Empire, a city known for its various philosophical schools and religious practices. In these verses, Paul engages with ideas prevalent in both Jewish tradition (drawing from texts like Psalm 19) and Greco-Roman philosophy, which often recognized a divine presence or order in the natural world (e.g., Stoicism). He argues for a universal human knowledge of God, accessible through the created order, setting the stage for his discussion of humanity's sinfulness and God's righteousness.

Across the Testaments

This passage in Romans 1 clearly echoes the Old Testament concept of God's self-revelation through creation. Psalm 19, for instance, proclaims that 'the heavens declare the glory of God; the expanse shows his handiwork. Day after day they pour forth speech...' (Psalm 19:1-2). While the Old Testament often celebrates this 'speech' as an invitation to worship, Paul in the New Testament takes this idea further, framing it as a foundation for universal accountability. For Paul, the natural world not only reveals God's glory but also his 'eternal power and divine nature,' making humanity 'without excuse' for failing to acknowledge and honor God. The New Testament thus transforms the celebratory declaration into a basis for moral and spiritual responsibility, emphasizing that this general revelation of God is sufficient for all to perceive divine existence and attributes.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 19:1-4
This Old Testament psalm famously declares that 'The heavens declare the glory of God... Day after day they pour forth speech.'
Acts 14:15-17
Paul speaks to people in Lystra, saying God 'did not leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons.'
Acts 17:24-28
Paul's speech in Athens asserts that God 'made the world and everything in it' and that people might 'seek God, if perhaps they might grope for him and find him.'

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