Scripture for the Atheist
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin M Overfield
Date: Mon, 15 May 2000
Scripture for the Atheist
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt,
they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
(Psalm 14:1)
Probably you have heard, or else observed in reading, that the
Bible does not try to prove God's existence. The whole Bible
seems to take for granted that God exists. If we think about it, this
is but a logical position for the Book which claims to be the Word
of God. For, if there were no God, then the authority of a book
claiming to be His Word could not be established. So, if one
believes in the existence of God, he may then consider the claims
of the Bible -- whether it is indeed the Word of God and whether
one will accept and obey His Word.
What the Word of God does do (twice -- Psalm 14:1; 53:1)
is to declare that the one who says in his heart, "There is no God"
(an atheist), is a fool. FOOL here means "stupid or silly" (Strong's).
So, the "stupid" -- unintelligent or slow of understanding, or "silly" --
lacking in common sense, are the kind of people who are atheists.
However, this is NOT exactly what this Scripture is saying.
Really, it seems that many who claim to be atheists are actually
quite intelligent people, but it is foolish for them to pit their
intelligence
against God. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."
(I Corinthians 3:19).
For many practical purposes in the poetical Scriptures (Psalms,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.) the word FOOL could probably be
defined (non technically) as one who knows what is right but refuses
to do it, and knows what is wrong and insists on doing it even though
it will mean the eternal undoing of his soul. The Biblical fool is one
who ignores what God has to say about how to live and how to
prepare for eternity. This seems to me to be the contextual use of this
word when applied to the atheist, or one who thinks he is an atheist.
"They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none
that doeth good."
These words, following the declaration of the fool, point out that
the primary problem with the atheist is, not so much an intellectual
difficulty with the concept of God, but rather a spiritual and moral
difficulty. To state it more briefly, the atheist's primary problem is
that he is a sinful rebel against God. The atheist is trying to cause his
moral responsibility to disappear by convincing himself that the God
to Whom he must answer does not really exist.
I am thus convinced that most who claim to be atheists are far
more in need of the prayers of God's people for the conviction of
their sins and conversion of their souls than they are of great
intellectual arguments in the attempt to convince them of God's
existence.
Some have said that there are no true atheists. I believe that
there are no truly, entirely honest atheists. They are ignoring God
and His Word. What an atheist needs is to see a true Christian
living out the righteousness of Christ in his life. And, he needs to be
awakened to his need of God.
The atheist may say, "Don't talk to me about God!". Very well
then, let us talk to God about the atheist. He may also say, "Don't
talk to me about the Bible". Then, let us have the Word of God
abiding in us and bearing fruit in our lives. Let us be living epistles
"known and read of all men." (II Corinthians 3:2).
"Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that,
whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your
good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of
visitation." (I Peter 2:12).
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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