Teks -- Romans 1:20 (NET)

1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes– his eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Rom 1:20 - The invisible things of him

The invisible things of him ( ta aorata autou ).

Another verbal adjective (a privative and horaō , to see), old word, either unseen or invisible as here and elsewhere in N.T. (Col 1:15., etc.). The attributes of God’ s nature defined here as "his everlasting power and divinity"(hē te aidios autou dunamis kai theiotēs ). Aidios is for aeidios from aei (always), old word, in N.T. only here and Jud 1:6, common in Philo (zōē aidios ), elsewhere aiōnios . Theiotēs is from theios (from theos ) quality of theos and corresponds more to Latin divinitas from divus , divine. In Col 2:9 Paul uses theotēs (Latin deitas from deus ) deity , both old words and nowhere else in the N.T. Theotēs is Divine Personality, theiotēs , Divine Nature and properties (Sanday and Headlam).

Robertson: Rom 1:20 - Since the creation of the world

Since the creation of the world ( apo ktiseōs kosmou ).

He means by God and unto God as antecedent to and superior to the world (cf. Col 1:15. about Christ).

Robertson: Rom 1:20 - Are clearly seen

Are clearly seen ( kathoratai ).

Present passive indicative of kathoraō (perfective use of katȧ ), old word, only here in N.T., with direct reference to aorata .

Robertson: Rom 1:20 - Being perceived

Being perceived ( nooumena ).

Present passive participle of noeō , to use the nous (intellect).

Robertson: Rom 1:20 - That they may be without excuse

That they may be without excuse ( eis to einai autous anapologētous ).

More likely, "so that they are without excuse."The use of eis to and the infinitive (with accusative of general reference) for result like hōste is reasonably clear in the N.T. (Moulton, Prolegomena , p. 219; Robertson, Grammar , p. 1003). Anapologētous is another verbal with an from apologeomai . Old word, in N.T. only here and Rom 2:1 ("inexcusable"here).

Vincent: Rom 1:20 - The invisible things of Him

The invisible things of Him

The attributes which constitute God's nature, afterward defined as " His eternal power and divinity."

Vincent: Rom 1:20 - From the creation

From the creation ( ἀπό )

From the time of. Rev., since .

Vincent: Rom 1:20 - Are clearly seen

Are clearly seen ( καθορᾶται )

We have here an oxymoron , literally a pointedly foolish saying ; a saying which is impressive or witty through sheer contradiction or paradox. Invisible things are clearly visible . See on Act 5:41. Illustrations are sometimes furnished by single words, as γλυκύπικρος bittersweet ; θρασύδειλος a bold coward . In English compare Shakespeare:

" Dove-feathered raven, fiend angelical;

Beautiful tyrant, wolfish-ravening lamb."

Spenser:

" Glad of such luck, the luckless lucky maid."

Vincent: Rom 1:20 - Godhead

Godhead ( θειότης )

Rev., better, divinity . Godhead expresses deity (θεότης ). θειότης is godhood , not godhead . It signifies the sum-total of the divine attributes.

Vincent: Rom 1:20 - So that they are

So that they are ( εἰς τὸ εἶναι )

The A.V. expresses result ; but the sense is rather purpose . The revelation of God's power and divinity is given, so that , if, after being enlightened, they fall into sin, they may be without defense.

Vincent: Rom 1:20 - Without excuse

Without excuse ( ἀναπολογήτους )

See on answer , 1Pe 3:15. Only here and Rom 2:1.

Wesley: Rom 1:20 - For those things of him which are invisible, are seen

By the eye of the mind.

Wesley: Rom 1:20 - Being understood

They are seen by them, and them only, who use their understanding

JFB: Rom 1:20 - For the invisible things of him from

Or "since"

JFB: Rom 1:20 - the creation of the world are clearly seen

The mind brightly beholding what the eye cannot discern.

JFB: Rom 1:20 - being understood by the things that are made

Thus, the outward creation is not the parent but the interpreter of our faith in God. That faith has its primary sources within our own breast (Rom 1:19); but it becomes an intelligible and articulate conviction only through what we observe around us ("by the things which are made," Rom 1:20). And thus are the inner and the outer revelation of God the complement of each other, making up between them one universal and immovable conviction that God is. (With this striking apostolic statement agree the latest conclusions of the most profound speculative students of Theism).

JFB: Rom 1:20 - even his eternal power and Godhead

Both that there is an Eternal Power, and that this is not a mere blind force, or pantheistic "spirit of nature," but the power of a living Godhead.

JFB: Rom 1:20 - so that they are without excuse

All their degeneracy being a voluntary departure from truth thus brightly revealed to the unsophisticated spirit.

Clarke: Rom 1:20 - The invisible things of him

The invisible things of him - His invisible perfections are manifested by his visible works, and may be apprehended by what he has made; their immensity showing his omnipotence, their vast variety and contrivance, his omniscience; and their adaptation to the most beneficent purposes, his infinite goodness and philanthropy

Clarke: Rom 1:20 - His eternal power

His eternal power - αιδιος αυτου δυναμις, That all-powerful energy that ever was, and ever will exist; so that, ever since there was a creation to be surveyed, there have been intelligent beings to make that survey

Clarke: Rom 1:20 - And Godhead

And Godhead - θειοτης, His acting as God in the government and support of the universe. His works prove his being; the government and support of these works prove it equally. Creation and providence form a twofold demonstration of God

1st. in the perfections of his nature; and

2ndly. in the exercise of those perfections.

Calvin: Rom 1:20 - Since his invisible things // So that they are inexcusable

20.Since his invisible things, ⁴⁶ etc. God is in himself invisible; but as his majesty shines forth in his works and in his creatures everywhere, men ought in these to acknowledge him, for they clearly set forth their Maker: and for this reason the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrews says, that this world is a mirror, or the representation of invisible things. He does not mention all the particulars which may be thought to belong to God; but he states, that we can arrive at the knowledge of his eternal power and divinity; ⁴⁷ for he who is the framer of all things, must necessarily be without beginning and from himself. When we arrive at this point, the divinity becomes known to us, which cannot exist except accompanied with all the attributes of a God, since they are all included under that idea.

So that they are inexcusable It hence clearly appears what the consequence is of having this evidence — that men cannot allege any thing before God’s tribunal for the purpose of showing that they are not justly condemned. Yet let this difference be remembered, that the manifestation of God, by which he makes his glory known in his creation, is, with regard to the light itself, sufficiently clear; but that on account of our blindness, it is not found to be sufficient. We are not however so blind, that we can plead our ignorance as an excuse for our perverseness. We conceive that there is a Deity; and then we conclude, that whoever he may be, he ought to be worshipped: but our reason here fails, because it cannot ascertain who or what sort of being God is. Hence the Apostle in Heb 11:3, ascribes to faith the light by which man can gain real knowledge from the work of creation, and not without reason; for we are prevented by our blindness, so that we reach not to the end in view; we yet see so far, that we cannot pretend any excuse. Both these things are strikingly set forth by Paul in Act 14:16, when he says, that the Lord in past times left the nations in their ignorance, and yet that he left them not without witness ( amarturon ,) since he gave them rain and fertility from heaven. But this knowledge of God, which avails only to take away excuse, differs greatly from that which brings salvation, which Christ mentions in Joh 17:3, and in which we are to glory, as Jeremiah teaches us, Jer 9:24

Defender: Rom 1:20 - from the creation

That is, from the very time of creation, men should have seen the evidence of God's existence and His work in the marvelous universe He had created, for "God hath shewed it unto them" (Rom 1:19). "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork" (Psa 19:1). Since these things should have been seen and understood by men from the very time of the creation of the world, it is clear that the latter did not take place billions of years before men appeared on earth, as evolutionists and progressive creationists have alleged. Men and women have been in the world ever since its very beginning, and all should have recognized the reality of God, even before God gave His written revelation. Those who apply uniformitarian reasoning and natural processes to deduce a multi-billion year age for the world are merely seeking a means to avoid the overwhelming evidence of the special creation of all things in the beginning, and are "without excuse."

Defender: Rom 1:20 - things that are made

The phrase "things that are made" is one word, poiema, in the Greek, a word used elsewhere only in Eph 2:10 : "For we are his workmanship." God has written two poetic masterpieces, as it were, one in the physical creation, one in the lives of men and women redeemed and saved by His grace (Eph 1:7; Eph 2:8). Both give eloquent testimony to the eternal power and Godhead of the Creator-Redeemer.

Defender: Rom 1:20 - eternal power

It is God's eternal power which is evidenced in the cosmos, the power which created it, not just the power which sustains it once it has been created. The remarkable significance of this fact is illuminated by the modern discovery of the two most basic and universal laws of science, known technically as the first and second laws of thermodynamics. More popularly, they can be understood, respectively, as the law of conservation in the quantity of all things God created, and the law of deterioration in the quality (or organized complexity) of all things God created. The first law reflects the completion of creation in the past (Gen 2:1-3), so that nothing is now being either created or annihilated; creation is being conserved. The second law reflects the subsequent curse on creation because of sin (Gen 3:17-20; Rom 8:20-22), so that everything now has a strong tendency to die - that is, to disintegrate back to the dust (the basic elements) which God had created in the beginning and from which He had made all the complex systems in the cosmos. Thus, the completed and sustained, yet deteriorating, cosmos testifies powerfully to God's eternal power. Since nothing is now being created, the universe could not have created itself by the natural processes which now function in it. Yet, since it is now disintegrating and dying, it must have been created at some finite time in the past; otherwise, if it were infinitely old, it would already be dead and completely disintegrated. If it must have been created, yet could not have been created by the temporal power contained in its existing processes, it must have been created by the eternal power of a transcendent Creator. The creation, therefore, eloquently testifies to the eternal power of its Creator. The only adequate Cause (by the scientific law of cause-and-effect) to produce an infinite, unending, power-filled, intelligible universe containing living creatures must be an infinite, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, living, personal God.

Defender: Rom 1:20 - Godhead

The "Godhead" has always been understood by Christian theologians to refer to the divine Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit: one God manifest in three Persons. The Greek word itself does not mean "trinity," but simply "Godhood" - the nature of God: God as He has revealed Himself. But that is the point; He has revealed Himself as a triune God. He is one God (Deu 6:4; Jam 2:19), yet not as the ineffable, unapproachable unitary God of the Muslims but as invisible omnipresent Father and as visible, approachable Son, and also as indwelling, guiding Spirit. This remarkable structure of God, like His eternal power, is clearly reflected in His physical creation, which could almost be said to be a model of the Godhead. That is, the created universe is actually a tri-universe of space, matter and time, with each permeating and representing the whole.

However, the universe is not partly composed of space, partly of matter, partly of time (like, for example, the three sides of a triangle). A trinity is not a trio or a triad, but a tri-unity, with each part comprising the whole, yet all three are required to make the whole. Thus, the universe is all space, all time, and all matter (including energy as a form of matter); in fact, scientists speak of it as a space-matter-time continuum. Furthermore, note the parallels between the tri-universe and the divine Trinity in terms of the logical order of the three components. Space (like the Father) is the invisible, omnipresent background of everything. Matter (like the Son) reveals the universe (like the Godhead) in visible, understandable form. Time (like the Spirit) is the entity by which the universe (like the Godhead) becomes applicable and understandable in events and experience. But that is not all. Space is a tri-unity comprised of three dimensions, with each dimension permeating all space. The reality of any portion of space is obtained by multiplying the three dimensions together (the "mathematics of the Trinity" is not 1 + 1 + 1 = 1, but rather 1 x 1 x 1 = 1). Further, space is identified in one dimension, seen in the second dimension, experienced in the third dimension. Similarly, time is future, present and past. The future is the unseen source of time, manifest moment-by-moment in the present, experienced and understood in the past. Finally, matter is unseen, omnipresent energy, manifesting itself in various forms of measurable motion, then experienced in corresponding phenomena. For example, light energy generates light waves which are experienced in the seeing of light. Sound energy generates sound waves which we experience when we hear sound.

Thus the physical universe is a great "Trinity of trinities," with the inner relationships of each element beautifully modeling the relationships of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All of this does not prove that God is a Trinity, but it certainly is a remarkable fact. It is an amazing effect which can be explained on the assumption that God is a triune God, and has made His creation to reflect Himself, but it is very hard to explain any other way. The two other references to the "Godhead" occur in Act 17:29 and Col 2:9.

Defender: Rom 1:20 - without excuse

The phrase "without excuse" is, literally, "without an apologetic" or "without a defense." 1Pe 3:15 instructs Christians to "be ready always to give an answer," where the word "answer" is practically the same in both cases (Greek apologia). In other words, Christians do have an apologetic and ought to be ready to give it whenever someone attacks or questions their faith. Those who do not see the eternal power and nature of God in the creation, on the other hand, have no apologetic. They are "without excuse" (anapologetos) if they do not believe in our Creator God. The evidence is all around them."

TSK: Rom 1:20 - For the // from the // even his // Godhead // so that they are // without

For the : Joh 1:18; Col 1:15; 1Ti 1:17, 1Ti 6:16; Heb 11:27

from the : Rom 1:19; Deu 4:19; Job 31:26-28; Psa 8:3, Psa 33:6-9, Psa 104:5, Psa 104:31, Psa 119:90, Psa 139:13; Psa 148:8-12; Mat 5:45

even his : Rom 16:26; Gen 21:33; Deu 33:27; Psa 90:2; Isa 9:6, Isa 26:4, Isa 40:26; 1Ti 1:17; Heb 9:14

Godhead : Act 17:29; Col 2:9

so that they are : or, that they may be, Rom 2:1, Rom 2:15; Joh 15:22

without : Act 22:1 *Gr.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Rom 1:20 - The invisible things of him // So that they are without excuse

Because it might be further objected in behalf of the Gentiles, that the notions of God imprinted in their nature are so weak, that they may be well excused; therefore the apostle adds, that the certainty of them is further confirmed by the book of the creatures, which was written before them in capital letters, so that he that runs may read.

The invisible things of him: the apostle tells us afterwards himself what he means by the invisible things of God, viz. his being and his attributes, particularly his eternity and almighty power; to which we might add, his wisdom, goodness, &c. These, though invisible in themselves, yet are discernible by his works, and that ever since the creation of the world. By what they see created, they may easily collect or understand, that there is an eternal and almighty Creator; they may argue from the effects to the cause.

So that they are without excuse: some render it, that they may be without excuse; but it is better rendered in our translation: the meaning is not, that God gave them that knowledge for this end and purpose, that they might be inexcusable, for they might catch even at that for an excuse; but the plain sense is this, that God hath given all men such means of knowledge as sufficeth to leave them without excuse, there can be no pretence of ignorance.

PBC: Rom 1:20

Human science may guide the mind of the philosopher, the astronomer, and the geologist into the hidden mysteries of nature, and clearly reveal to his mind that there is an Almighty Power, endowed with infinite wisdom, that has brought all these things into being, and fixed their order and harmony; for Paul tells us that the things that are seen declare his eternal power and Godhead; Ro 1:20; but the scheme of redemption, and the way of man’s deliverance from the bondage of sin and death human science or wisdom can never reveal, neither can it be taught, only by direct revelation to man by the Spirit of God; 1Co 2:10; Eph 3:5.   Eld. Gregg Thompson

Where has God revealed himself? First, he has revealed himself in nature. {Ps 19:1-6; Ro 1:18-25} This is called Natural or General Revelation. Every human being, says Paul, instinctively and inherently knows that God exists and that he/she is ultimately accountable to that God for violations of his moral law, so that they are without excuse.  291

Haydock: Rom 1:19-20 - That which is known of God

That which is known of God. Or may be easily known of God, is manifest in them. The light of reason demonstrates to them the existence of one God, the maker and preserver of all things. This is made known to them from the creation of the world, or from the creatures in the world: the Creator may be discovered by the creatures, and as St. John Chrysostom here says, every Scythian, every barbarian, may come to the knowledge of God by the wonderful harmony [3] of all things, which proclaims the existence of God louder than any trumpet: but having known him, they did not glorify him; they acted contrary to their knowledge, abandoning themselves to idolatry, and the vain worship of many gods, and to all manner of vices and abominations against the light of reason. (Witham)

Haydock: Rom 1:20

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

St. John Chrysostom, hom. ii. p. 20. Greek: tes panton armonias salpiggos, lamproteron booses.

Gill: Rom 1:20 - For the invisible things of him // from the creation of the world are clearly seen // being understood // by the things that are made // so that they are without excuse

For the invisible things of him,.... Not the angels, the invisible inhabitants of heaven: nor the unseen glories of another world; nor the decrees of God; nor the persons in the Godhead; but the perfections of God, or his "properties", as the Arabic version reads it; and which are explained by "his eternal power and Godhead": these,

from the creation of the world are clearly seen; this is no new discovery, but what men have had, and might, by the light of nature, have enjoyed ever since the world was created; these

being understood, in an intellectual way, by the discursive faculty of the understanding,

by the things that are made; the various works of creation; all which proclaim the being, unity, and perfections of God their Creator,

so that they are without excuse; the very Heathens, who have only the light of nature, and are destitute of a revelation, have no colour or pretext for their idolatrous practices, and vicious lives; nor have they, nor will they have anything to object to God's righteous judgment against them, or why they should not be condemned.