For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20, ESV)

God is not hidden. He is evident in his creation and in our minds. Sinners do not acknowledge him because they repress what they have perceived about him. They have no excuse for doing this, and they have no excuse for denying God or transgressing his commands.

The distinction between the conscious and the unconscious provides a framework for thinking about this. The conscious refers to thoughts and perceptions that are before your awareness at this very moment. The unconscious refers to memories, assumptions, and perceptions that are not immediately before your awareness, but that could be recalled or applied, and that might, perhaps without your knowing it, affect your conscious thoughts and actions.

This is all that we mean by the distinction right now. You are not constantly aware of or thinking about all your memories, assumptions, and so on. Perhaps you were not thinking about your favorite food a minute ago, but although you might not be thinking about it all the time, you always know what it is, and you could recall the item to your consciousness at any time. And now that I have mentioned it, you might be thinking about it. It rose from the unconscious to the conscious.

Now, a song might remind you of a friend. He enjoys pancakes, likes tennis but dislikes hockey, and is six feet tall. Perhaps you were not thinking about him a moment ago, and the song that reminds you of him does not contain all this information, but it is a trigger that brings to mind what you know from the unconscious to the conscious.

All men know about God, his eternal power and divine nature, and even his righteous decree and the requirements of the law (1:32, 2:15). But because sinners are traumatized by this holy God and desire to continue in rebellion against him, they try to forget about him. Whenever they are reminded of God, they suppress their thoughts about him into the unconscious, or they reinterpret and redirect these thoughts, resulting in idolatry, heresy, and false philosophy.

For this reason, they detest and persecute believers. The Christian reminds them of everything that they want to forget; he represents everything that they wish to destroy. But the Christian is more active and concrete than a passing thought – he testifies to the righteousness of God and salvation through Jesus Christ with declarations, anecdotes, and arguments.

The Christian becomes a living banner for Jesus Christ in the world, telling unbelievers to repent and to believe the truth. Those who have been chosen for salvation are awakened. Their innate knowledge of God is stirred and surfaces to their consciousness. They recognized the Shepherd’s voice, and follow. The preaching of the gospel adds so much more to what they already know, revealing to them the works of Christ and the way of salvation.

But the reprobates are hardened. They suppress or redirect what they already know about God, and they resist the gospel knowledge that comes from our preaching. If they are without excuse before hearing us, they are condemned even more after hearing us. This, too, is God’s purpose in his command for us to preach the gospel to all creation.

Let us, therefore, constantly place Jesus Christ before men’s consciousness, so that the chosen ones may be stirred to faith and holiness, and that the reprobates may be confirmed in their rebellion, and suffer God’s righteous punishment in this life and in the life to come.