“What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:19-21
Are you living an enlightened life? A purely secular definition of an “enlightened” life is having conscious recognition of one’s true self, the true nature of reality, which leads to a more fulfilling and meaningful existence. We need truth about ourselves and our environment in order to survive and thrive. Being “enlightened” basically means to live in illumination or light so you have a clear direction about where you are going and why.
To live without truth is painful.
So, for example, if I do NOT believe Newton’s Third Law; that is, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, my life would be short and painful. I would be oblivious to the resulting pain and damage associated with punching a tree or ramming my vehicle into a brick wall. To live a truly enlightened and satisfying life, we MUST know the truth! But, two of the greatest questions every person must have the answer to are:
- What is the truth?
- Who can we trust to tell us the truth?
There are all kinds of voices claiming to have truth. For example, “The Great Enlightenment” in the late 17th and 18th centuries was influenced by philosophers like Descartes, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Newton, who emphasized reason and individualism rather than tradition or Biblical beliefs. Furthermore, in 1848, the German philosopher, Karl Marx, published “The Communist Manifesto” and in 1859, the naturalist, Charles Darwin, published “The Origin Of The Species,” both of which radically influenced people to believe a non-Biblical perspective of “truth.” In fact, Marx characterized religion as “the opium of the people,” and Darwin stated in a handwritten letter to F. McDermott, “I do not believe in the Bible as a divine revelation, and therefore [I don’t believe] in Jesus Christ as the son of God.” Both were fathers of the modern secular humanist movement which soundly rejected Biblical Christianity as truth.
But it’s critical for us to ask “What do ANY of these people know of ‘truth’ that makes them credible as THE source of OUR truth?”
Today, there are so many platforms of influence that it’s hard to know who to believe. Should we believe Marx and Darwin and their protégés, like Huxley and Dawkins, simply because millions of others have also believed them? If science and reason were the only components of your life worth considering, then secular humanism might make more sense to you even though there are thousands of gaps and assumptions one must make to believe the theories. Conversely—should we believe the truth taught by God’s Word?
According to God’s Word, He has planted the knowledge of Himself in every person:
“What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” Romans 1:19-20
Each of us instinctively knows there is more to our life than science and reason. We know we were created for love, and it’s much more than a function of procreation. We ARE afraid of what happens when we die. We want to know what’s next and in fact, we CAN know. God has placed within us the knowledge that we were created for a supernatural purpose. And when we are born again, we discover the relationship with God that we somehow always knew was meant to be.
Then, as we grow closer to God, we recognize that HE is the only source of truth. We also realize just how dark our world really is without Him. Jesus said:
“I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
Ah, my friend, when we allow God to give us the gift of supernatural faith, we are no longer restricted to the perceptions of only our five senses. Our life is enlightened by the only truth that lives outside of time and space. When we seek to know and obey God with a passion greater than anything else in life, He exposes reality like we’ve never before seen it! We are no longer like a blind man alone in a dark, unfamiliar room—afraid of the smallest sound. God’s presence flips the switch and illuminates the truth. When we are guided by Him, we don’t stumble in darkness, step on those we can’t see, run into walls, fall into ditches, or become frightened of imaginary dragons.
