THE FOOLISHNESS OF UNBELIEF
“The fool [senseless
one] has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1a).1 Beyond
the foolishness of rejecting the Creator, having done so one becomes a fool in the
way he lives. A person can deny the reality of fire, but that will not prevent
him from getting burned. Likewise, to dismiss God’s existence does not eliminate
the consequences of so doing. And the denial is not limited to formal atheism.
People deny the Lord when they dismiss Him from their thoughts and leave Him
out of their lives, saying in essence, “There is no God for me.”
Does a man first
become an unbeliever in his head or in his heart? “The fool has said in his heart . . .” If one’s affections
are set on truth and righteousness, there is no difficulty acknowledging the
reality of the Supreme Being. Alternatively, if one’s affections are set on the
earth – worldly pleasures and selfish ambitions – then it becomes much easier,
more convenient, and even necessary to deny that God is real. Such a repudiation is not due to a lack of evidence (Psalm 19:1). All the proof in the world will
not convince a man whose heart is set on earthly things (cf. Luke 16:31). It is
therefore not a problem that can be solved in the realm of intellect alone.
The bottom line is, if
a person does not first have a willingness
to believe, he will not be convinced regardless of the evidence that is
available (see Acts 17:21-34). It is ultimately
a matter of faith, but it is a
false dichotomy to suggest that the issue is faith vs. science or faith vs. evidence
or faith vs. reason. I exist, you exist, and this
universe exists. From where did it all come? Whether one accepts the origin of
our universe as having resulted accidentally from absolutely nothing or from a primordial
clump of non-intelligent matter or purposefully from the intelligent design of a
supernatural Creator, it is still a matter of faith.
No one
looks at an intricately designed, carefully constructed edifice and concludes
that it came from nothing or randomly fell into place or gradually evolved
into its current state. “For every house is built by someone, but He who built
all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). While this is reasonable, believable, and even
self-evident, unfortunately it is not enough to convince the Richard Dawkins of
this world. The problem is one of the heart.
OUR RESPONSE TO AN
UNBELIEVING WORLD
When it comes to the highly
complex intellectual debates, I am happy to leave that to the capable
apologists among us.2 But what about those of us who deal with
ordinary, everyday people who disbelieve, not because of outright antagonism
and immersion in naturalistic philosophy, but simply because they have
not had the opportunity to hear the alternative?
In my
experience, when meeting people who say they do not believe in the God of the
Bible, the biggest obstacle for them is the problem of evil and human
suffering. The irony is that
evil and suffering exist, not because there is no God but because people reject
Him and then live accordingly. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no
God.’ They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does
good” (Psalm 14:1). While the basis of the
world’s evil lies in a practical denial of God, this is frequently twisted
around to serve as what appears to be one of the most powerful objections to
God’s existence.
The argument goes
all the way back to Epicurus (300 BC): If God is all-good (omnibenevolent) and
all-powerful (omnipotent), why does evil exist? If He desires to take away evil
from the world but cannot, He is not all-powerful. If He can take away evil but
does not, He is not all-good. If He is neither willing nor capable, He is
neither all-good nor all-powerful. If He is both willing and capable, why does
evil exist?
While this may
sound like a compelling argument on the surface, is it valid? Let us first acknowledge that there are
some things God cannot do. He cannot lie (Titus 1:2), for instance, or be tempted
by evil (James 1:13). He cannot realistically be expected to do what
is logically impossible (like make a square circle). If He is indeed a God of love, would He force us to
act against our wills or would He grant us freedom? The blessing of freedom involves choice, and choice
includes not only the possibility of making right decisions but also wrong
ones. It is impossible for God to
have made man a free moral agent and yet take away his capability of making
wrong choices.
Now the Lord has given mankind an
instruction manual to guide us in the right direction (2 Timothy 3:16), but when
people disregard divine directives and make bad decisions, pain and suffering
often result. It is man, not God, who has created slavery, whips, bombs, death
camps, liquor, pornography, pollution, environmental devastation and waste, false religion, et al. The gift of freedom, when it is misused,
accounts for the majority of human misery.
At the same time, the imperfections of this world serve a purpose in
allowing individuals to grow and develop into mature, responsible beings in a
way that would otherwise not be possible (see Romans 5:3-4). God’s desire for His creation seems to be,
not the suffering itself, but the positive and beneficial effects.
Pain, loss, and hardship also help to
create a realization of human weakness and the need for God in one’s life. Pride
and arrogance are self-destructive traits (cf. Proverbs 16:18), but suffering
has a way of helping put things in perspective. "My flesh and my heart
fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
Moreover, the suffering we see in the lives of others provides opportunities
for compassion and volunteer service (both of which would otherwise be superfluous).
The trials we face help us to avoid
complacency and to look forward to that place where “God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and
there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation
21:4). It would appear that the Lord desires a loving relationship with His
creation more than a perfect world. Out of suffering, pain, hardship, and loss
God can and will accomplish His good purpose (Romans 8:28-39).
GOD’S RESPONSE TO AN
UNBELIEVING WORLD
“The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children
of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God” (Psalm 14:2). The
Lord is seeking those who seek Him! “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you
seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29); “so
that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and
find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27); “Ask, and it
will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to
you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who
knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
For anyone who
sincerely desires to know God, God will provide a way. And this more often than
not involves a connection with the people of God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). May we
be diligent, not only in seeking the Lord ourselves, but in proclaiming His
message to a world that is lost and dying without Him.
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 All scripture quotations are from the NKJV.
2 See, for example, Apologetics Press, Focus Press, Christian Courier, et al.
Related articles: Eric Metaxas' The Case for God
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