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what aspects of the 'things that are made' in our modern world might still speak to god's nature?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Romans 1:20

“For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divinity, have been clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made; so that they are without excuse.”

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome around the mid-1st century CE, is laying out his theological argument for why all humanity is accountable to God. In this section, he explains that even without specific laws, God's nature is evident through the created world.

What aspect of the world, natural or human-made, causes you to pause and consider something beyond itself?

Then — the setting

Paul wrote this letter to a diverse Christian community in Rome, likely between 55-57 CE. The city of Rome itself was a hub of human innovation and power, yet also a place where various philosophies and religions, including Roman traditional religion and Greek philosophy, sought to understand the nature of reality and divine power. Paul's statement here could be seen as an engagement with ideas of natural revelation common in Stoic philosophy, which also held that divinity could be discerned through the order of the cosmos, but he frames it within a distinctly Jewish and Christian understanding of a personal creator God who is both transcendent and immanent.

Across the Testaments

This passage is in the New Testament. The Old Testament consistently presents creation as a primary witness to God's power and character, particularly in books like Psalms (e.g., Psalm 19) and Job. While the Old Testament often emphasizes God's specific covenant relationship with Israel, it also affirms a universal revelation through creation that leaves all humanity aware of a divine power. Romans 1:20 extends this Old Testament theme, arguing that this natural revelation is so clear that humanity is 'without excuse' for failing to acknowledge and honor the Creator, connecting humanity's universal sinfulness to its rejection of what is plainly seen in creation.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 19:1-4
This psalm describes the heavens and skies declaring God's glory and handiwork.
Acts 14:15-17
Paul speaks to a pagan audience, appealing to God's self-revelation through creation by providing rain and food.
Job 12:7-10
Job suggests that even animals can teach us about God's power and provision.

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