Can the natural man discern God in the natural world? The Psalmists in the creation Psalms (e.g. Psalms 8, 19, 139) extol the beauty of what God has made and glorify Him for it. Paul proclaimed to the Gentiles that He had left for them a witness to Himself through creation and through His Providence (Acts 15:17). C.S. Lewis in his autobiography, “Surprised by Joy” held that the joys which he experienced in life testify to the presence of God’s Spirit. Robert K Johnston(in “Discerning the Spirit in Culture: Observations arising form Reflections on General Revelation,” Ex Auditu 23 (2007): 53), believing that the Holy Spirit is experienced also from outside of a man (including unbelievers in a limited way), writes that the experiences that one has can inform them about the Spirit outside of Scripture.
Johnston is correct to some degree that the Spirit’s work through creation, creativity, and conscience has been somewhat downplayed by the focus on His role in redemption(Johnston furthermore warns against locking God within the confines of Church for His activity based on the Reformer’s view of His revelatory presence p.67), but the primary role that the Spirit enacts in creation is, however, aimed at the redemption of His creation. The thrust of Paul’s apologetic is to turn them from vain things to the living God who has provided for them: “We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." Furthermore, in the creation Psalms the knowledge of God is apprehended in them only because they originated from Israel who knew about Him. Jesus Himself said that the Holy Spirit that would testify about Him to the world through the Apostles (John 15:26).
Even Paul in the earlier reference called the Gentiles to leave their false religion to worship Him who provides so that they might be saved (Act 14:15b). Without the special revelation of God man will ascribe creation to something of their own invention (cf. Rom 1:18ff).
Posted by MKB
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