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what did 'creation of the world' mean to paul's original audience in rome?

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.

Paul is writing to believers in Rome, likely around the mid-1st century CE. In this part of his letter, he is laying the groundwork for his argument about human sinfulness and the universal need for God's righteousness, explaining how everyone, both Jews and Gentiles, stands accountable before God.

What does this passage suggest about how we perceive or ignore the divine in the world around us?

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Read alongside it

  • Psalm 19:1-4

    This Psalm speaks of the heavens declaring God's glory without spoken words.

  • Acts 14:15-17

    Paul, addressing gentiles, points to God's provision in nature as a witness.

  • Wisdom of Solomon 13:1-5

    A non-canonical Jewish text that similarly argues for knowing God through creation.

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