Text: Psalm 14:1
In the previous lesson, we talked about the proof we have for the existence of God. There is evidence for God, and it is reasonable to believe in Him. Yet many people ignore this evidence and deny the existence of God. However, denying His existence is not inconsequential. There are several major problems with doing this.
We Show Ourselves to Be Fools (Psalm 14:1)
- In this context, a “fool” is not just someone who is lacking in knowledge – he is making a claim based upon what he does not know; he is claiming that no evidence for God could possibly exist, not just that he doesn’t know about it
- Quote from Daniel Sommer (1850-1940) – “But suppose that a man will arise and say, ‘There is no God,’ and will, therefore, say, ‘I do not believe that I shall have any existence beyond this life.’ Such a man we may answer in the words of David, king of Israel, ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God’ (Psalm 14:1). For a man to say that he does not BELIEVE there is any God might be a reasonable saying, for he would thereby imply that he has not become acquainted with sufficient facts and truths to convince him that a being exists who is worthy of being called God. But when a man boldly says, ‘There is no God,’ he pronounces upon all evidence with which he is acquainted, and upon all that is beyond his acquaintance. He not only declares that he has not been CONVINCED of God’s existence, but he implies that in all the entire domain of fact and truth and reason evidence cannot be found which WILL CONVINCE him. Such a man pronounces on all that he KNOWS, and on all that he does NOT KNOW. David declares that the man who does all this is a ‘fool,’ and we should not dispute what David says on this subject. The fact that David lived in the Jewish Age does not, in this instance, prevent his words from being justly applied to the Gospel Age. The man who says, ‘There is no God,’ may still be classed with fools” (Plain Sermons, p. 62-63).
We Become Intellectually Dishonest (Romans 1:18-20)
- The truth is evident [we talked about some of these proofs in the previous lesson]
- The universe exists (Hebrews 3:4) – it must have had a cause; that cause is God
- The universe shows evidence of design (Psalm 19:1) – design demands a designer
- We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) – this shows the work of God, not blind chance
- We seek for what is eternal and beyond this life (Ecclesiastes 3:11) – God placed this longing in us
- However, when we deny God, we suppress this evidence – we are deceiving ourselves (or allowing ourselves to be deceived); this makes it easier to embrace other falsehoods (ex: abortion, transgenderism, etc.)
We Treat Speculations As Facts (Romans 1:21)
- By denying the evidence for God, we are forced to speculate about the origin of the universe – theory of evolution; Big Bang theory; multiverse theory
- None of these have been proven – they are not even provable
We Turn to Idols (Romans 1:23)
- Man has always worshiped something [this is one of the points we discussed in the previous lesson]
- Money (Colossians 3:5) – greed/covetousness is idolatry
- Science (1 Timoth 6:20-21) – true science harmonizes with Scripture; but this leads us astray
- Rulers (Acts 12:22, 20) – viewing them as “gods” when they are our providers
- Sinful desires (Philippians 3:19) – ignore God’s law; do whatever feels good
- When man denies God, he replaces Him with something like these
We Descend into Depravity (Romans 1:24-28)
- God gave them over – they rejected Him, so He allowed them to choose their own path; they would suffer the consequences of this (Romans 1:27; cf. Proverbs 13:15)
- They did what was not proper (Romans 1:28) – contrary to God’s law (ex: Romans 1:29-31)
- They did what was unnatural (Romans 1:26) – contrary to nature (ex: homosexuality)
Our Existence Becomes Meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:11)
- Solomon may not have denied God’s existence, but lived AS IF God did not exist – he acquired and pursued anything we might imagine (Ecclesiastes 1:16; 2:3-10); yet none of those things fulfilled his purpose (Ecclesiastes 2:12, 17)
- Eventually he realized his (and our) purpose – to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Conclusion
- Those who deny God’s existence are fools – this is not meant to be an insult; this is what they have become
- There is nothing to stop them from descending into depravity and a meaningless life
- We need to acknowledge God’s existence and follow His word in all that we do
