| “For the invisible things of Him (God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen … so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). |
| As human beings, some of us find it difficult to believe something that we cannot see. This was particularly true about 140-150 years ago, when men like Koch and Pasteur and others first began to discover germs. Before that time, even doctors and other scientists had no idea what really caused infectious diseases. It is true that a man named Leeuwenhoek had discovered bacteria back in the 17th century, but it was men like Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur who really proved the existence of germs beyond any doubt in the late 19th century, and proved that they were the cause of infectious diseases. This was when really good microscopes became widely available. |
| However, many doctors and scientists were skeptical of this new idea, and sad to say, reputable doctors even ridiculed the idea that microscopic organisms could cause disease. |
| This same ridicule caused the death of an American president — James Garfield. He was shot by a deranged man named Guiteau in July, 1881, but his wounds were almost surely not fatal. Had they been left alone, he would likely have healed uneventfully and lived. But his doctors ridiculed the germ theory, although antiseptic surgery had already been introduced by a British surgeon named Joseph Lister. Garfield’s doctors continued to probe his wound with unsterile instruments and fingers, introducing infection which eventually took his life on September 19, 1881. |
| With our present-day knowledge, perhaps you and I are horrified at this, and cannot understand how otherwise clever men could refuse to believe in something they could not see without a microscope. However, there are many in this world who refuse to believe in a God because they cannot see Him. As we see in our verse today, God cannot be seen, for “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24), but what God has done can be clearly seen in creation. More than this, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has become a man who could be seen, touched, and heard. Man has no excuse today, for God has done everything possible to reveal Himself. |
