The Reason for Unbelief
What exactly does the Christian mean when they say they have “Faith in God?”...
Is it a reference to having faith that He will do and accomplish all that He has promised to do? Such as regenerate us and seal us with the Holy Spirit, along with instilling within us a new nature with new desires?
Does it mean we have faith He will give us the power to overcome sin and temptation?
Perhaps it means we have faith He will provide for us eternal life and upon the end of our journey here, we will dwell with Him forever in Heaven?
Or, whenever we assert we have faith in God, does it mean we have faith that... He exists?
What is the definition of faith?
Dictionary.com says:
2. belief that is not based on proof.
Thefreedictionary.com posits:
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
The Oxford dictionary defines faith as:
2. strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.
What is the biblical definition of faith?
Hebrews 11:1 tells us,
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (ESV)
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (KJV)
“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (HCSB)
It is evident here there is a difference in the way the world defines faith, and the way God defines it.
The world would have us believe that our faith is devoid of any rational proof, and in asserting the same we do away with logic and reason. We, in essence, throw our brains in the trash.
This is a severe falsehood…
Our Christian faith is more than just rational, it necessary due to the, "impossibility of the contrary." In reality, it is the unbeliever's worldview that is irrational and without reason. This is a fact that will be elaborated on more in the next installment.
Secular society deems our faith is as something to be scorned, belittled, and marginalized. Unwavering, faithful ministers of the gospel are spoken ill of because they will not give in and compromise the Word of God with a humanistic philosophy. This is all too evident in the modern culture today via television, music, print media, politics, and our educational institutions.
In 1971, John Lennon released a song named “Imagine”. The song has been a favorite among many atheists. There has been some contention if John Lennon himself was actually advocating such a philosophy. However, consider the lyrics:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Lets take this song and analyze it verse by verse. Hold it up to the scrutiny of scripture, logic, and reason and see what results.
To begin, we will examine the first verse. It will serve to introduce us into the reason for unbelief. We will contrast it with various scripture passages, but primarily Romans 1:18-32 will be utilized:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
This appears to be an invitation to set aside our faith and dare to imagine no God. In fact I can correlate the last line of this song verse, "Living for today..." with 1 Corinthians 15:32,
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
If, in fact, this is not what John Lennon meant by these lyrics. It is the meaning that many atheists and secularists, in adopting it as an anthem, have assigned to it.
In light of this, I will ask a particular question. Why do some believe and others not...?
After all, the Bible says:
no one understands; no one seeks for God. (Romans 3:11, ESV)
as well as,
2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one. (Psalms 53:2-3, ESV)
If we are all corrupt and none of us are seeking after God, then again, why do some believe and others not?
If we search the scriptures further, God reveals why those of us do believe:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8, ESV)
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:16, ESV)
So we see that faith is not of our own doing, but our ability to believe is predicated upon God. The gift of faith is a grace in which He has provided to us.
So what of those who do not believe...? If God has given some the gift of faith, and others are without the same, are those who are without faith... faultless? This is addressed in Romans 1:18-20:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 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.
No, they are held accountable.
We can see here that the Lord has made His existence plain to all in his General Revelation. General Revelation is the Lord's revealing of Himself through His creation. The existence of the universe, the world, nature, as well as intelligent man, serves as a testimony to the fact that there is a God.
He is the great uncaused cause of the universe. There are some who will ask silly, childish questions such as “If God is the cause and the universe is the effect, then who caused God?” However, giving credence to such questions leads to an infinite regress of causes and effects and leads to absurdity. God, by definition, is without a beginning. There has to be a starting point. Science has added to the truth of this with the discovery of the Big Bang.
The design evident in nature also bears witness to the creative hand of God. Our world alone is contingent upon so many different factors for life to survive. The smallest rise in the earth's temperature, or the slightest change in it's axis would be cataclysmic.
Some would posit that life arises from no life and intelligence from non-intelligence as if by magic. If one sees a beautiful painting, then common sense tells us the painting had a painter. Just as a building has an architect and a B-1 bomber has a builder.
Also worth noting, John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion had this to say in regards to what is termed as the sensus divinitatis, or sense of divinity:
“There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity. This we take to be beyond controversy. To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty. . . . Men of sound judgment will always be sure that a sense of divinity which can never be effaced is engraved upon men’s minds. Indeed, the perversity of the impious, who though they struggle furiously are unable to extricate themselves from the fear of God, is abundant testimony that this conviction, namely, that there is some God, is naturally inborn in all, and is fixed deep within, as it were in the very marrow.”
We all still bear the Imago Dei, or Image of God. This aspect of man was effaced during the Fall, but it has not been erased. Part of General Revelation is the innate knowledge God has placed into every human being, of Himself.
So, ultimately what is being said here, or what does all this mean?
In reality there are no true atheists…!
Unbelievers will work very hard and will deceive themselves into believing God does not exist.
Again, in verse eighteen (18) the Lord has pointed this out regarding the ungodly and unrighteous:
…who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Let’s continue with Romans 1:21-22:
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (ESV)
We see as result of suppressing the truth in their unrighteousness, people become fools. Fool used here in the original Greek is moraino (G3471, Strong’s), the root word of the same is also the root of the word moron. However, I would not suggest for believers to begin calling unbelievers by that name. But we do get an idea of God’s view of such individuals.
We can also reference Psalms 14:1,
1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.
So why are people willing to suppress the truth and become fools?
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20, ESV)
21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 2:21, ESV)
Simply put… people love their sin and do not want to separate from it. Genesis chapter three (3) records the Fall of Mankind. If you remember, the enticement by the serpent to Adam and Eve was that they would become like God if they ate of the fruit. To become like God would have meant autonomy from God. This is what we are seeing today, a continuance of the same sin… the sin of autonomy.
The autonomous individual basically says,
"I don't need you God, I got this all by myself."
People do not want to be held accountable and judged by a righteous God. So they in turn, reject and run from Him and His judgment, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. They are in rebellion and are enemies to Him. They prefer to set themselves up as their own gods so they may dictate their own standards.
What are some of the outgrowths of this rebellion against God?
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:23, ESV)
False religions!
All of the religions in the world are perversions of the truth. This includes atheistic secular humanism which worships mankind rather than God. All false religions mix error with some truth, "A little sugar makes the medicine go down." Christians need to be discerning in order to spot false teaching and doctrine. Regular study of God's word should be practiced and a sound theology developed. This, so that Christians may not be led astray and will recognize falsehood when presented with it.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:24-25, ESV)
The Lord says He will not restrain people, but will allow them to pursue their evil hearts. They will continue to suppress the truth so as to follow after what they truly want… their own carnal desires. Even if those desires appear noble and good on their face, the underlying reason or motivation for the same will be corrupt. In essence it will be done for the glory of the creature and not the Creator.
What is the focus of today’s society?
Materialism…
Instant Gratification…
Sex…
Romans 1:26-27 makes an address regarding the same:
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (ESV)
This particular passage deals with the sin of homosexuality, which is today being more and more normalized. People do not want to relinquish lordship to Christ in this area and will justify and defend it dogmatically. There is no doubt that God condemns the same here, and Paul uses it as a striking example. But, such unrighteousness is not to be limited to this one sin only. The unbeliever prefers to supplant the will of God, with the will of man. To honor God, obey Him, and to do His will, would mean to give up what they love most. In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus said:
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (ESV)
How much of this allowing the will of man to overtake the will of God has infiltrated our denominations, our churches, and our own personal opinions?
What is the reaction of an Almighty God to such people?
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:28, ESV)
Reprobation… This should be seen as a warning. It shows that God will not continue to strive with people who insist on rejecting Him. 2 Timothy 3:12-13 echoes the same pronouncement:
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (ESV)
The sad thing here is they are deceiving themselves. They will continue to harden their hearts and will continue to distance themselves from God. Making it harder and harder to repent and come to a saving knowledge. Romans 1:29-31 gives examples of the depths such a people with come to:
29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (ESV)
Unbelievers will also find solace and support for one another in their blinded state:
32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32, ESV)
The more people that agree with them, the more comfort they take from their rebellion. It almost seems as if Satan, well aware of his future demise and seeking to take down as many as possible with him, that those who are under his power are perpetuating the same.
Again, our modern secular society is engulfed in sins that are either winked at or at its worst, endorsed, promoted, and promulgated:
Sex, Has seeped into every corner of the culture and is used extensively for commercialization and gratuitous titillation.
Greed, Popular celebrities flaunt extravagant lifestyles and television convinces us we are in constant need of more and more.
Lust, When asked if lust is a sin, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith commented, “Lust is what I live for…”
Pride, When questioned if she knew pride was a sin, Queen Latiffa questioned back, “Pride is a sin? I wasn’t aware of that.
” Kirstie Alley when posed the same question quipped, “I don’t think pride is a sin, I think some idiot made that up.”
Anger, Rapper Ice-T stated regarding anger, “Anger is no sin, anger’s necessary man.”
Those who take a stand against such sins and proclaim Christ are berated and labelled as bigots, closed-minded, hate-mongerers, homophobes, archaic, extremists, nut jobs, zealots, puritans, and last of all intolerant. This one is ironic due to the double-standard employed. The tolerance of our detractors extends universally, but to Christian faith it stops short.
So we have seen:
What shall the Christian take from this...?
There is a certain and decisive antithesis between the Christian and the unbeliever. A gulf that exists between both, in which there are two separate mindsets. The one that embraces the gospel and the other that is at war with it. This is extremely important to realize. In that, when conversing with an unbeliever this antithesis plays a major role and should influence how we address justifying why we have faith.
We will examine how we should address the unbeliever and make a defense of our faith in the next exposition... No Neutral Ground.
Is it a reference to having faith that He will do and accomplish all that He has promised to do? Such as regenerate us and seal us with the Holy Spirit, along with instilling within us a new nature with new desires?
Does it mean we have faith He will give us the power to overcome sin and temptation?
Perhaps it means we have faith He will provide for us eternal life and upon the end of our journey here, we will dwell with Him forever in Heaven?
Or, whenever we assert we have faith in God, does it mean we have faith that... He exists?
What is the definition of faith?
Dictionary.com says:
2. belief that is not based on proof.
Thefreedictionary.com posits:
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
The Oxford dictionary defines faith as:
2. strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.
What is the biblical definition of faith?
Hebrews 11:1 tells us,
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (ESV)
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (KJV)
“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (HCSB)
It is evident here there is a difference in the way the world defines faith, and the way God defines it.
The world would have us believe that our faith is devoid of any rational proof, and in asserting the same we do away with logic and reason. We, in essence, throw our brains in the trash.
This is a severe falsehood…
Our Christian faith is more than just rational, it necessary due to the, "impossibility of the contrary." In reality, it is the unbeliever's worldview that is irrational and without reason. This is a fact that will be elaborated on more in the next installment.
Secular society deems our faith is as something to be scorned, belittled, and marginalized. Unwavering, faithful ministers of the gospel are spoken ill of because they will not give in and compromise the Word of God with a humanistic philosophy. This is all too evident in the modern culture today via television, music, print media, politics, and our educational institutions.
In 1971, John Lennon released a song named “Imagine”. The song has been a favorite among many atheists. There has been some contention if John Lennon himself was actually advocating such a philosophy. However, consider the lyrics:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Lets take this song and analyze it verse by verse. Hold it up to the scrutiny of scripture, logic, and reason and see what results.
To begin, we will examine the first verse. It will serve to introduce us into the reason for unbelief. We will contrast it with various scripture passages, but primarily Romans 1:18-32 will be utilized:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
This appears to be an invitation to set aside our faith and dare to imagine no God. In fact I can correlate the last line of this song verse, "Living for today..." with 1 Corinthians 15:32,
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
If, in fact, this is not what John Lennon meant by these lyrics. It is the meaning that many atheists and secularists, in adopting it as an anthem, have assigned to it.
In light of this, I will ask a particular question. Why do some believe and others not...?
After all, the Bible says:
no one understands; no one seeks for God. (Romans 3:11, ESV)
as well as,
2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one. (Psalms 53:2-3, ESV)
If we are all corrupt and none of us are seeking after God, then again, why do some believe and others not?
If we search the scriptures further, God reveals why those of us do believe:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8, ESV)
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:16, ESV)
So we see that faith is not of our own doing, but our ability to believe is predicated upon God. The gift of faith is a grace in which He has provided to us.
So what of those who do not believe...? If God has given some the gift of faith, and others are without the same, are those who are without faith... faultless? This is addressed in Romans 1:18-20:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 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.
No, they are held accountable.
We can see here that the Lord has made His existence plain to all in his General Revelation. General Revelation is the Lord's revealing of Himself through His creation. The existence of the universe, the world, nature, as well as intelligent man, serves as a testimony to the fact that there is a God.
He is the great uncaused cause of the universe. There are some who will ask silly, childish questions such as “If God is the cause and the universe is the effect, then who caused God?” However, giving credence to such questions leads to an infinite regress of causes and effects and leads to absurdity. God, by definition, is without a beginning. There has to be a starting point. Science has added to the truth of this with the discovery of the Big Bang.
The design evident in nature also bears witness to the creative hand of God. Our world alone is contingent upon so many different factors for life to survive. The smallest rise in the earth's temperature, or the slightest change in it's axis would be cataclysmic.
Some would posit that life arises from no life and intelligence from non-intelligence as if by magic. If one sees a beautiful painting, then common sense tells us the painting had a painter. Just as a building has an architect and a B-1 bomber has a builder.
Also worth noting, John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion had this to say in regards to what is termed as the sensus divinitatis, or sense of divinity:
“There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity. This we take to be beyond controversy. To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty. . . . Men of sound judgment will always be sure that a sense of divinity which can never be effaced is engraved upon men’s minds. Indeed, the perversity of the impious, who though they struggle furiously are unable to extricate themselves from the fear of God, is abundant testimony that this conviction, namely, that there is some God, is naturally inborn in all, and is fixed deep within, as it were in the very marrow.”
We all still bear the Imago Dei, or Image of God. This aspect of man was effaced during the Fall, but it has not been erased. Part of General Revelation is the innate knowledge God has placed into every human being, of Himself.
So, ultimately what is being said here, or what does all this mean?
In reality there are no true atheists…!
Unbelievers will work very hard and will deceive themselves into believing God does not exist.
Again, in verse eighteen (18) the Lord has pointed this out regarding the ungodly and unrighteous:
…who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Let’s continue with Romans 1:21-22:
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (ESV)
We see as result of suppressing the truth in their unrighteousness, people become fools. Fool used here in the original Greek is moraino (G3471, Strong’s), the root word of the same is also the root of the word moron. However, I would not suggest for believers to begin calling unbelievers by that name. But we do get an idea of God’s view of such individuals.
We can also reference Psalms 14:1,
1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.
So why are people willing to suppress the truth and become fools?
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20, ESV)
21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 2:21, ESV)
Simply put… people love their sin and do not want to separate from it. Genesis chapter three (3) records the Fall of Mankind. If you remember, the enticement by the serpent to Adam and Eve was that they would become like God if they ate of the fruit. To become like God would have meant autonomy from God. This is what we are seeing today, a continuance of the same sin… the sin of autonomy.
The autonomous individual basically says,
"I don't need you God, I got this all by myself."
People do not want to be held accountable and judged by a righteous God. So they in turn, reject and run from Him and His judgment, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. They are in rebellion and are enemies to Him. They prefer to set themselves up as their own gods so they may dictate their own standards.
What are some of the outgrowths of this rebellion against God?
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:23, ESV)
False religions!
All of the religions in the world are perversions of the truth. This includes atheistic secular humanism which worships mankind rather than God. All false religions mix error with some truth, "A little sugar makes the medicine go down." Christians need to be discerning in order to spot false teaching and doctrine. Regular study of God's word should be practiced and a sound theology developed. This, so that Christians may not be led astray and will recognize falsehood when presented with it.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:24-25, ESV)
The Lord says He will not restrain people, but will allow them to pursue their evil hearts. They will continue to suppress the truth so as to follow after what they truly want… their own carnal desires. Even if those desires appear noble and good on their face, the underlying reason or motivation for the same will be corrupt. In essence it will be done for the glory of the creature and not the Creator.
What is the focus of today’s society?
Materialism…
Instant Gratification…
Sex…
Romans 1:26-27 makes an address regarding the same:
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (ESV)
This particular passage deals with the sin of homosexuality, which is today being more and more normalized. People do not want to relinquish lordship to Christ in this area and will justify and defend it dogmatically. There is no doubt that God condemns the same here, and Paul uses it as a striking example. But, such unrighteousness is not to be limited to this one sin only. The unbeliever prefers to supplant the will of God, with the will of man. To honor God, obey Him, and to do His will, would mean to give up what they love most. In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus said:
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (ESV)
How much of this allowing the will of man to overtake the will of God has infiltrated our denominations, our churches, and our own personal opinions?
What is the reaction of an Almighty God to such people?
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:28, ESV)
Reprobation… This should be seen as a warning. It shows that God will not continue to strive with people who insist on rejecting Him. 2 Timothy 3:12-13 echoes the same pronouncement:
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (ESV)
The sad thing here is they are deceiving themselves. They will continue to harden their hearts and will continue to distance themselves from God. Making it harder and harder to repent and come to a saving knowledge. Romans 1:29-31 gives examples of the depths such a people with come to:
29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (ESV)
Unbelievers will also find solace and support for one another in their blinded state:
32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32, ESV)
The more people that agree with them, the more comfort they take from their rebellion. It almost seems as if Satan, well aware of his future demise and seeking to take down as many as possible with him, that those who are under his power are perpetuating the same.
Again, our modern secular society is engulfed in sins that are either winked at or at its worst, endorsed, promoted, and promulgated:
Sex, Has seeped into every corner of the culture and is used extensively for commercialization and gratuitous titillation.
Greed, Popular celebrities flaunt extravagant lifestyles and television convinces us we are in constant need of more and more.
Lust, When asked if lust is a sin, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith commented, “Lust is what I live for…”
Pride, When questioned if she knew pride was a sin, Queen Latiffa questioned back, “Pride is a sin? I wasn’t aware of that.
” Kirstie Alley when posed the same question quipped, “I don’t think pride is a sin, I think some idiot made that up.”
Anger, Rapper Ice-T stated regarding anger, “Anger is no sin, anger’s necessary man.”
Those who take a stand against such sins and proclaim Christ are berated and labelled as bigots, closed-minded, hate-mongerers, homophobes, archaic, extremists, nut jobs, zealots, puritans, and last of all intolerant. This one is ironic due to the double-standard employed. The tolerance of our detractors extends universally, but to Christian faith it stops short.
So we have seen:
- There is a difference in what the world calls faith and what the believer calls faith.
- Why the believer has this faith.
- That the unbeliever is unjustified in their unbelief and without excuse before a Holy God, who has provided indisputable proof of His presence. To the extent, that He has placed the sensus divinitatis, or sense of divinity, inside each person.
- As a result there is no such thing as a true atheist, and deep down inside their hearts they know there is a God.
- The reason people choose "not to believe" is due to a desire to hold on to their sin and make themselves god rather than submitting to the one true God.
- As time passes and unbelievers continue to harden their hearts to the Holy Spirit, and remain rebellious toward the Lord. He will eventually give them up to a reprobate mind.
- These antagonists and enemies of God will seek to convince others to join their ranks in their unbelief and perversion.
What shall the Christian take from this...?
There is a certain and decisive antithesis between the Christian and the unbeliever. A gulf that exists between both, in which there are two separate mindsets. The one that embraces the gospel and the other that is at war with it. This is extremely important to realize. In that, when conversing with an unbeliever this antithesis plays a major role and should influence how we address justifying why we have faith.
We will examine how we should address the unbeliever and make a defense of our faith in the next exposition... No Neutral Ground.