“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1). Notice carefully, God did not say, “The fool KNOWS in his heart,” but that, “The fool SAYS in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” While many claim atheism, God declares that such intellectuals clearly see, understand, and know there is an eternal, all-powerful, and supreme being that exists (Romans 1:19-23).
How do atheists KNOW undeniably that there is a God? God answers, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
Declarations from God
Notice these declarations from God concern those who deny His existence. God says atheists clearly perceive and understand, without any doubt in their minds, that there is an eternal power and divine nature that is the explanation of the mass, order, and complexity of the physical universe!
So, where does that leave the professed atheists who are lying to themselves and those they seek to proselyte to their unbelief? God Almighty says, so that they are without excuse (1:20d). Judgment at the end of time awaits such fools, but, as we will see in a future article, judgment is underway right now in such unbelievers as well.
Are Atheists Fools?
Never miss the power of why God divinely deems professed atheists fools. These brilliant unbelievers are certainly not fools because they are not, in some cases, absolute geniuses who have accomplished great things in the fields of medicine, space, chemistry, botany, and every field of human investigation of the universe.
God’s reasons for calling them fools is because they know, clearly see, and understand there is a supreme being, but trade their obvious knowledge of eternal power and divine nature of God for the transient pleasures of the flesh of this world of satanic spiritual darkness. Although most of them would shout to the high heaven that is absolutely false (but, if you mind or don’t mind), I will take the unbreakable word of our Savior, Jesus, to counter their denial.
Jesus, who was and is the living personification of the truth, said, “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Why do Atheists Deny God?
Why do professed atheists deny God’s existence? God says they do so in order to continue in their wickedness and evil by suppressing the truthfulness of the existence of God so they can feel some measure of spiritual relief to commit a litany of evils (Romans 1:29-31).
These sins that are violations of God’s universal moral law written on the hearts of every accountable human being (Romans 2:14-16) include “…all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful” (Romans 1:29-31).
Further, God reveals that they not only know and understand there is a God, but they know and understand His universal moral law. Paul writes, “…although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32). From heaven to earth comes this message from God that professed atheists know, clearly see, and understand two things: (1) God exists and (2) God’s universal moral law governs our lives.
Oh, you dispute that? If so, answer these questions.
First, since Gentiles (that is, non-Israelites were never subject to the Law of Moses, Romans 2:14, 15; Deuteronomy 5:1-5; Romans 2:17 – 3:18), how could God condemn and destroy pagan nations for violations of His moral law?
This has been demonstrated with the following cities God was bringing to destruction for their sins.
Damascus
“This is what the Lord says: ‘For three offenses of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges’” (Amos 1:3).
Notice, the inhabitants of Damascus (Capital of Syria) committed “offenses,” or violations of God’s moral law. These were not violations of God’s moral law given specifically and exclusively to the Israelites from Mount Sinai forward, but offenses or violations of God’s moral law written on the hearts of every accountable person from the Fall in the Garden of Eden until the end of time (Romans 2:14-16).
In what way did Damascus offend or violate God’s moral law?
They committed atrocities in war by “…threshing Gilead with iron sledges.” The Syrians did not need a prophet to tell them that sadistic practices in war were immoral, because they knew and understood that instinctively by the universal moral law written on their hearts!
Gaza
“This is what the Lord says: ‘For three offenses of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, because they led into exile an entire population to turn them over to Edom’” (Amos 1:6).
The armies of Gaza conquered other cities with the aim of trafficking in slave trade with no pity on men, women, boys, and girls. God said that was an “offense,” but an offense or transgression of what? Of course, it was a violation of the universal moral law written on the hearts of all mankind.
Edom
“This is what the Lord says: ‘For three offenses of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled his compassion; his anger also tore continually, and he maintained his fury forever’” (Amos 1:11).
Edom committed “offenses,” or transgression of what? Of course, it was violations of God’s unwritten, universal moral law inscribed on the hearts of the Edomites. They were not subject to the Law of Moses, but they were subject to moral law!
Otherwise, sin, or “offenses” would have been impossible. Paul wrote, “Where there is no law, neither is there sin” (Romans 4:15).
What were the “offenses” of the Edomites for which God was bringing in-time judgments on them? The Edomites attacked their own near kinsmen without compassion or ceasing after a reasonable time in the spirit of animalistic fury! Such was a violation of an instinctive law of the heart!
Abimelech, King Of Gerar (Genesis 20:1-7)
When Abraham sojourned into the Land of Gerar, he greatly feared the men of that land would murder him in order to take his beautiful wife, Sarah, from him. Therefore, they agreed to claim they were brother and sister.
This backfired on them when Abimelech, King of Gerar took Sarah into his harem. Before the king had sexual union with Sarah, God woke him up in a dream saying, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married” (v. 3). Abimelech defended himself saying, “Lord, will You kill a nation, even though blameless? Did he himself not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this’” (v. 4, 5).
God acknowledge that He knew that was true. Yet, what did Abimelech mean by his statement? The king was freely acknowledging that had he known that Sarah was another man’s wife that he would have known it was wrong to take her!
How did he know it was wrong to take another man’s wife and have sex with her?
That could not have been a violation of the Law of Moses, because Moses had not even been born, must less have gone to the top of Mount Sinai to have God write with His own finger the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone!
Abimelech knew it was wrong to take a married woman instinctively because it was a violation of the unwritten and universal moral law written on the hearts of all mankind!
The Universal Moral Law
Should someone retort, “Well, Gerar, Edom, Gaza, and Damascus all had civil and criminal laws to govern their nations.” Exactly! And, amazingly, many of those foundational laws were exactly alike!
What inspired those national legislators to write such civil and criminal laws to govern their nations? Those writers of law all wrote those national tenets referencing the universal moral law of God written on their hearts!
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