God and Moral Law
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.” They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.“ Psalm 14:1-4 HCSB
The simple assessment of the atheist is found in a brief statement of the Bible, “The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.” What is of interest is that this is not just foolish “thinking” but is an indication of foolish “behavior.”
In the Old Testament, often the word, “fool” indicates one who is morally debase. We can observe this in the context of Psalm 14 because we see the lack of moral character and conscience clearly described. As “wise” and as “enlightened” humanity may view itself, without God they are “foolish” and “corrupt.”
Why is this? Because without a belief or awareness of God, there is no absolute moral standard. Man lives for himself, to himself and is his own arbitrator of right and wrong. To recognize any consistent moral standard is to recognize the existence of the One who puts into place that standard. Rejecting God and His standard brings a downward path to destruction.
We can observe this in Romans 1. We read this list of evil deeds by those who reject God and His standard, “They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.” (Romans 1:29-31 HCSB)
These deeds become the lifestyle of those who reject God. It is not that they don’t know or have not heard about a God and His righteous standard; they just exalt themselves and their ways above the Lord. The final statement of Romans 1 sounds not just like the first century, but the 21st century.
“Although they know full well God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.” (Romans 1:32 HCSB)
Those who are righteous become an “irritant” in the minds and eyes of the “foolish.” There is an attempt to silence their voice and remove their influence. But we see these encouraging words, “…God is with those who are righteous. You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted, but the Lord is his refuge.” (Psalm 14:5,6 HCSB)
The calling of people of faith is not to gain acceptance by the “world” but to live lives that are submitted to Christ and bring honor to Him.
Prayer for today…. “Lord, as the world more and more reflects the character of those who live as “fools” let those who follow you, maintain their faith and focus on You. Thank You we serve a God who is “with us” and who is our refuge.”