Psalm 19 opens, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Creation itself is God’s first sermon. The stars, the oceans, the mountains, and life itself point us to the majesty of a Creator.
Paul makes the same point in Romans:
For what can be known about God is plain to [man], 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. (Romans 1:19–20)
From my own experience, I’ve found the vast majority of people believe in God, or at least, in a god. In the modern West, religious practice may be declining. Fewer people attend church, and many have adopted a personal patchwork of spiritual ideas rather than embracing the truths of a particular faith. Yet when pressed, most will admit there must be something more, a higher power beyond ourselves.
Why is that? Creation itself seems to compel this conclusion. Look into the night sky, and you’re confronted with a universe so vast that it silences the notion of mere accident. Study the intricate balance of ecosystems or the complexity of DNA, and you can hardly escape the sense that behind it all lies intelligence and purpose. Even those who insist on chance have yet to answer the deeper question: Where did the very elements of chance come from?
So most people instinctively conclude, There must be a God. They may not believe he can be known. They may not believe any religion has gotten him entirely right. But the impulse to believe in something beyond us is almost universal.
The Limits of General Revelation
I’ve always been puzzled by those who acknowledge the existence of God but make no effort to learn about him. If there is a divine Creator, what could be more important than knowing who he is? If even one of the major religions is right, then God has expectations for us, and one day he will judge us according to those expectations. Our eternal destiny could hinge on what we do with that knowledge. Surely that deserves more than a passing shrug.
Yet many people are content to stop at creation. They look at the mountains, or the sky at dusk, and think, This can’t be an accident. There must be something divine behind it. That instinct is correct, but it’s incomplete. Creation reveals glory, power, and wisdom, but it does not reveal God’s heart, his will, or his plan of salvation.
“The heavens declare the glory of God,” the psalmist says, but creation can only take us so far (Psalm 19:1). Paul presses the point even further in Romans, stating that creation reveals enough to hold us accountable, but not enough to save us. It leaves us, as he puts it, “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
In other words, creation tells us there is a God, but it cannot tell us what he requires of us. It does not explain who he is, what his will is, or how sinners like us can be reconciled to him. Creation condemns us, but it cannot redeem us.
God’s Gift of Special Revelation
This is why God, in his mercy, has given us the Bible. Creation is enough to awaken us to his reality, but it cannot lead us to salvation. We might look at the stars and whisper, There is a God, but then what? We are left with questions no sunset or ocean can answer. What does God want from us? How should we live? Is there hope beyond death?
It would make no sense for the Creator to design such a vast and intricate universe, populate it with intelligent beings, and then leave us to wander in ignorance. And he hasn’t. Beyond the general revelation of creation, God has provided us with special revelation. He has spoken.
Through prophets, apostles, and ultimately through his Son, God revealed everything we truly need to know about who he is, who we are, why the world is broken, what he requires of us, how we can be forgiven, and where history is headed. These truths, spanning centuries and cultures, were written down under the inspiration of the Spirit and preserved in what we now call the Bible.
Paul described these Scriptures as “the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Then he adds, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
Though human hands penned the words, the ultimate author is God himself. Just as he once spoke the universe into being, he has spoken into our world through Scripture, giving us truth we could never discover on our own. His word teaches us, corrects us, equips us, and most importantly, points us to salvation in Christ—a salvation that creation alone could never reveal.
The Mercy of God in Scripture
I call this a mercy of God because it means we’re not left guessing. Without Scripture, the most important questions in life would remain unanswered. What is the right thing to do? The Bible tells us. What is the meaning of life? The Bible tells us. Who is God, and what is his will for us? The Bible tells us. How can we find joy, endure suffering, and prepare for eternity? The Bible tells us.
God’s word doesn’t speak vaguely or leave us to stumble in the dark. It gives clarity. It tells us why we die, what happens after death, and what we must do to inherit eternal life. The Bible makes plain everything left hidden by creation.
And yet, it is a tragedy when people who profess to believe the Bible neglect it. I’ve met many who call themselves Bible-believers but rarely open its pages. They treat Scripture like a map tucked in the glove compartment—useful in theory, but left unopened when it’s most needed. They know the map can guide them, but pride or apathy keeps them from looking at it.
Building on the Rock of God’s Word
Jesus told a parable that presses this point home. In Matthew 7, he describes two men building houses. One builds on solid rock; the other builds on sand. When the storm comes, the difference becomes painfully clear. The house on the rock stands firm, while the house on the sand collapses.
Then Jesus explains, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).
The parable is not about construction techniques. It’s about whether we take God’s word seriously. A man may build the most impressive house on sand, but it will not last. Likewise, a person may live what seems like a successful life, but if it is not built on obedience to the word of Christ, it will crumble under the weight of eternity.
The stakes could not be higher. Our response to Scripture is not optional or secondary; it is a matter of life and death. God has spoken. To ignore his word is to reject the only firm foundation.
Scripture Is Absolutely Necessary
It’s not enough to admire creation and acknowledge God’s existence. General revelation is a gift, but it only takes us so far, and that distance ends in judgment. Paul says creation leaves us “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). To stop there is to say, “God, I know you exist, but I don’t want to know what you’ve said or what your will is for me.”
That is why Scripture is not an optional bonus. God’s special revelation is essential. In it, we learn what creation cannot tell us: how to be reconciled to our Maker, how to live in fellowship with him, how to hope in Christ for eternal life.
The psalm that begins, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” moves quickly to a deeper truth:
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes. (Psalm 19:7–8)
Creation proclaims God’s glory, but Scripture revives the soul. Creation reveals his power, but Scripture reveals his will and his grace. If we would know God, not only that he exists, but who he is and what he has done for our salvation, we must open his word and build our lives on it.
