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how might modern scientific understanding of the universe inform or challenge this idea of 'clearly seen' qualities?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world his 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.

The Apostle Paul, writing to believers in Rome around the mid-first century CE, is explaining how all humanity has some awareness of God, regardless of whether they have heard specific teachings or not. This verse comes in a section where he argues that even without direct revelation, God's nature is evident through the natural world.

How does this idea of 'clearly seen' qualities in creation invite us to look at the universe around us?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Psalm 19:1

    This psalm also speaks of the heavens declaring the glory of God.

  • Acts 14:17

    Paul, speaking to a pagan audience, mentions God leaving 'witnesses' through nature, like rain and fruitful seasons.

  • John 1:3

    This verse presents Jesus as the agent through whom all things were made, connecting creation to divine agency.

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