THERE IS NO GOD?

THE FOOL SAYS IN HIS HEART, "THERE IS NO GOD." Ps. 14:1-3

Christians often quote Psalm 14:1 as a rebuke to atheists. The introduction of Psalm 14:1 is the verse that a lot of Christians believe it exposes clearly the atheists’ behaviour as anti-Christian. However, if we look at the entire passage, we see a different picture:

Psalms 14:1-3: ‘The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. ² The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. ³All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Christians usually quote the first half of Psalm 14:1 only, as if it is a slap in the face to atheists. Is this really a verse against atheism?

Fool's characteristics

The second half of verse 14:1 says "They are corrupt, their deeds are vile." At first, you might think that the "they" are those who disbelieve in the existence of God. However, the end of verse 14:1 says "there is no one who does good." One might still think that the verse is referring to atheists. However, Psalm 14:2-3 make it clear that as God looks down on all people, He can find none who are not corrupt, emphasizing it with "not even one." We have all become fools by the nature of our living in disobedience with God.

There is no God?

The Hebrew word translated "fool" is an adjective having the meaning of "stupid, wicked" or "vile person." It comes from the root verb which means "to fall away," "figuratively to be foolish or (morally) wicked" or "causatively to despise, disgrace, dishonour." So, the Hebrew word for ‘fool’ refers more to bad moral character rather than just being stupid. He is foolish because he thinks God will not notice his bad behavior.

But there is more evidence to show that there is a God who sees whatever we do in secret and He rewards accordingly. From the wonders of creation in Genesis through to God’s salvation plan for mankind (through Jesus Christ); the miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt to the promised land; the healings done by Jesus and His apostles and even todays happenings speaks beyond doubt that there is indeed a mighty God. However, the actions of believers disprove this assertion and actually portrays that most of us have become fools.

Who is the fool?

The passage makes it clear that God can find nobody who does good or even tries to understand God's ways. From God's perspective, not one person attains His standard of moral behavior. So, God sees all of us as fools. We all like to compare our behavior to that of others. There are unbelievers/atheists who are living morally superior to most Christians. However, they are still not measuring up to God's moral code. Some Christians are living deceptive lives by worshipping God with our lips but our hearts are far away (Isaiah 29:13-16). We have all become fools in our thoughts (Psalm 10:4); Corrupted our ways (Gen. 6:12, Rom. 3:10) and worse of all perverted the things of God (Rom. 1:18-32). Yes, indeed we have all become ‘believing’ fools by our actions – cheating, robbing, extorting, coveting, discouraging them that please God, fornication, committing adultery, killing, etc.

How to "measure up"

Unless you think you can lead a perfectly moral life, God has a solution for your problem. God's solution is to allow you to trade your moral imperfection for the moral perfection of Jesus Christ. The trade is accomplished through faith in Jesus' sacrifice as payment for your sins. The offer is really generous, but will cost you your self-righteousness. No, you can't remain an atheist either. As the psalmist says, you must "seek God." Bible says, we must not return to our ‘vomit’ after coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Samaritan woman at the well had her own definition of worship as ‘the place of worship’ (John 4). But the time has come that we worship God in spirit and in truth. We should live godly lives that our light will so shine before men, that they will see our good works and glory the name of our father which is in heaven (Matt. 5:16).

Shall we continue to sin and live this deception life that grace may abound? By no means! (Rom. 6:1-4). We should not deceive ourselves and live anyhow as a people without conscience. Adam and Eve were expecting physical death when they ate the forbidden fruit but they died spiritually. Satan is deceiving us today because irrespective of our sinful behavior we still preach, sing for the church, teach the children and things seem normal. No! We need to stop sinning to enjoy our fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

2Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:12-15 reminds us that there will be a day of accountability and judgment.

Conclusion

The fool says there is no God. But, he is not foolish because he is an atheist, but because he thinks he can get away with bad moral behavior. Psalm 14 goes on to say that all people are corrupt and there is not even one who does good. So, God says that we are all immoral fools. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we can measure up to the moral perfection required by a Holy God. Don't be a fool and think you can do it on your own! Your righteousness is like a filthy rag.

When Jesus comes, will you be the profitable faithful servant or the unprofitable unfaithful servant who hid his talent (Matt. 25:14-30)? Don’t be a fool and continue in sin! Amen!