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In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton (AD 1642–1727), driven by curiosity and a great mind, developed a theory of physical reality based on the predicate that the Creator of the universe is the God of Scripture who is an orderly being. If so, then the universe is governed by timeless universal principles (TUP).
This Christian hypothesis became the foundation of the industrial revolution. For thousands of years prior to Newton’s work, people labored using primitive technology. His work opened the door for an era of new discoveries. Hidden within creation were wonderful truths that could facilitate the safety, ease, comfort, convenience, and stability of human life.
In the centuries that followed Newton’s work, the implications of TUP impacted virtually everything: education, agriculture, energy, information, communication, transportation, construction, health care, finance, etc. This was not Newton’s invention, he merely discovered some of the patterns of truth hidden by the Creator from the beginning that were waiting in silence to be discovered by God’s appointed men and women. Solomon noted that God is glorified by this process:
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It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. (Proverbs 25:2 ESV)
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Beginning with Creation (Genesis 1), God revealed himself in and through patterns in the form of timeless universal principles (TUP)—both physical and spiritual—that he uses to govern his universe. His divinely appointed agents are human beings (Genesis 1:26–28).
Mankind’s ability to understand TUP was impaired by the original sin of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Throughout Old Testament history, the depth of human depravity was not profoundly understood, though this truth was one of the primary lessons of the Old Testament. Total depravity means that humans, in their innate fallen condition (without internal divine enablement), are unable (impotent) to meet God's righteous standards.
Every human being is born into this fallen condition; consequentially, all people are biased to sin (John 3:19). And this bias is the reason for human rebellion against God. Part of the divine response to human rebellion (refusing to hear the Lord) is silence:
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If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9 ESV)
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Solomon wrote to a people who had divine revelation but refused to hear it. When humans reject divine revelation, further revelation is blocked. This is spiritual TUP that some call the principle of reciprocity. God’s response to sin is to turn people over to the consequences of their sin. When humans refuse to listen to God; he refuses to listen to them.
An example is the first-century Jewish religious leaders who rejected the revelation of John the Baptist regarding Jesus’ first advent.
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But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. (Luke 7:30 ESV)
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Another example is the revelation of the good news of the kingdom of God, which cannot be received except through faith that Jesus is Lord and Christ. Speaking of the hardness of the minds of people who reject the revelation of Jesus, Paul wrote:
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But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. (2 Corinthians 3:14)
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To receive divine revelation requires faith in Jesus as Lord and Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). Without divine revelation of truth, people live to serve their own will. They live as humanists, narcissists, and spiritual orphans. Though they may claim to seek the Lord, they do not; therefore, they do not recognize the patterns of God. In other words, though they may claim to know God, they live in divine silence.
The only solution to this condition of silence is divine empowerment (regeneration and illumination by the Holy Spirit) granted to humans at God’s sovereign pleasure. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that humans cannot see or enter the kingdom of God (terminology for receiving the truth of salvation from the power of sin and death) unless they are first regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:1–8). Therefore, divine empowerment through regeneration is the necessary precondition for anyone to enter the salvation process. The marker that a person is regenerated is faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8–9).
The populist view of Christianity today asserts that humans are not born biased to sin and, therefore, are not under the divine judgment of silence. It is presumed that humans can choose to believe in the salvific work of Jesus without the precondition of divine empowerment. This presumption is contrary to what Jesus said:
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"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3 ESV)
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Jesus also spoke of the bias to darkness innate in every human:
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”The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light.” (John 3:19 ESV)
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And he said that the drawing work of the Father was a necessary predicate to knowing him:
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“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44 ESV)
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Jesus recognized that divine empowerment was a precondition for entering the salvation process.
Another of God’s patterns is evangelism. Jesus first spoke of evangelism when he explained that his disciples were the light of the world through their lifestyles (Matthew 5:14–16). Evangelism was to be actions that reflected Christlikeness. Christians are not saved by works but are saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:8–10). This means that disciples’ good works reveal God’s presence in people. These good works are thoughts, words, actions, and choices that are congruent with the will, ways, timing, and glory of God. A lifestyle like this requires divine empowerment and is the only correct way for disciples of Jesus to live. Such a lifestyle will be the light of God to others. The Holy Spirit will sovereignly use this light to draw people to himself.
Sadly, the ability to align with the TUP of evangelism is largely muted today because discipleship is sacrificed for evangelism. God’s truth is muted because many professing Christians claim to obey the divine TUP of evangelism but are not obeying. There seems to be little understanding that discipleship is the predicate for evangelism.
For example, the apostle Paul spent several months seeking to evangelize the people of Ephesus, but they vehemently rejected his message. He then spent two years in daily discipleship training with a small group of men. The fruit of this initiative was transformed men and the evangelism of all of Asia (Acts 19:8–10). This illustrates that the predicate for effective evangelism is discipleship. This is the TUP of evangelism in the kingdom of God.
When discipleship is ignored or denigrated by the people of God in deference to evangelism, then divine judgment can be manifested through silence. The divine use of silence is also seen during Samuel’s time (1 Samuel 3:1) and the dispersion of Israel (Ezekiel 24:27). Furthermore, when God’s people doubt his revelation, then their voices can be muted as illustrated by Zacharius, John the Baptist’s father, at the time of Jesus’ first advent (Luke 1:20, 64).
Silence can be a divine consequence for those who refuse to embrace divine patterns to govern their lifestyles. Divine silence does not mean that God is not there; it means that man is not listening as evidenced by a failure to align with TUP. May we have grace to hear and obey.
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Teaching: Two Angelic Visitations
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Starts November 9, 2024: Strategic Life Alignment Seminar
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Biblical Guidance for Finding Your Life Purpose
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The Business Roundtable is a monthly gathering of organizational leaders who seek to lead and manage based on a Christian worldview.
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