Psalm 14:1 |
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==psalm 14:1:
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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
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To note, there is nowhere in the Bible which argues the existence of God, but assumes His existence from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. To argue the existence of our physical sun, which arises in our eastern sky and sets in our western horizon every day of the year, would be more reasonable to argue the existence of God. The nearest approach to an argument for the existence of God in the Bible will be found twice in the Psalms, where the Psalmnist declares: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Ps 14:1; 53:1) Having paid his respects to the "fool," immediately the Psalmnist dismisses the subject and proceeds to predicate things concerning God.
Psalm 10:3–4:
The wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts [or all his plans] are, “There is no God.” 
I will write bluntly on this subject as I do not even for a minute think that I can interpret this verse as meaning anything different than what it says. For here we are also told that these fools are corrupt, and “there is none that doeth good.” The fool is, in essence, a somewhat stupid, wicked, and vile man. His problem is moral, not intellectual. They have allowed themselves to be deceived in believing that there is no God. It is not a logical decision at all, but only one achieved through the acceptance of an illusionary universe created by figments of their own imagination and then tied together with whatever piece of “science” or “intellectualism” that they dare apply to it. It is no small decision they have made but it is made on only small pieces of information which they attempt to piece together and create a world view which is “logical.” They, however, cannot do this. Neither can they summon anything adequate enough to put to silence the idea that there is a God. At best they summon their own will, as weak as it is on the subject of anything permanent and eternal.
There is no middle ground in God’s spiritual economy. “Sitting on the fence” is as being “lukewarm” and God has chosen not to waste time with such people. They are ones who will bargain with God, and bargain with the truth, in hopes that maybe if they just accept the stuff they like…it will be enough. They then re-write the Bible to fit their needs and create a God who is too big or too small..but, totally nonexistent in the form they describe. They, then, have become fools…and they will find others who will share their foolishness as if they needed some kind of vindication from a fellow-fool. God would rather a person be either hot or cold….for or against…because He can deal with a man who has made a decision. The man who makes none has nothing of substance to deal with. In that light, I will cut some grace and say that a man who is a fool is NOT a lost cause. It is the man who hangs in the balance between being a Christian or being a fool that is most lost. Sadly, anyone who has been even just a little bit observant knows the world has an over abundant supply of “fence sitters.” In politics they are moderates who tend to destroy the integrity of any party they would belong to. In Christianity, they do the same in that they tend to destroy the integrity with their lukewarm approaches to God and especially to the issue of “love.” Jesus to John did not mince words when He said He would “spew them out of his mouth.” Not a pretty picture to even consider. And even worse to consider what redeeming value their is to anything that has been spewed out of anyones mouth. |
January 13, 2025: John Piper said: “Are there atheists?” we could ask Paul. Here’s Romans 1:18: The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. That’s a crucial statement. What truth do all human beings apart from Christ and the Holy Spirit suppress? What is it? For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. (verse 19) So, the answer is that what could be known about God is being suppressed by human beings. 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. (verse 20) So, God has revealed himself in nature, and his eternal power and his divine nature are clearly perceived, he says, by all. So the next verse says they knew God — all of them: For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. (verse 21) So, Paul is maintaining this astonishing statement. All human beings know God. That’s remarkable. He may be thinking of texts like Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” If you don’t see God’s handiwork and you only see stars, you’re not seeing right. November 7, 2024: Japan Today reported: Religious beliefs appear to be on the decline in Japan over the past two decades, particularly among males. That was among the topics covered by Shukan Gendai (Oct 26-Nov 2) in a wide-ranging 17-page, 4-part section titled "Religion and the Japanese People." To track the changes taking place, the magazine compared responses to a once-a-decade survey on religion conducted by NHK's Broadcast Culture Research Institute. The survey taken in 2018 was compared with a previous one in 1998. When asked, "Do you have any faith?" in 1998, the subjects who replied "not much/almost none" and "none at all" combined to total 45%. Two decades later this figure had risen seven points to 51%, with the percentage of males who replied none at all roughly doubling. Belief in karmic justice declined overall, with those agreeing that "If people do bad things, they will certainly face retribution" dropping from 74% to 62%. The decline was most significant among people age 70 years and over, going from 84% in 1998 to 57% in 2018. The breakdown of self-professed religious affiliation was given as Buddhism, 31%; Shinto, 3%; Christianity, 1%; no preference, 62%; and other or no reply, 3%. These figures have not changed appreciably over the past 20 years, although a slight decline was noted in the percentage of those holding religious beliefs. Even among these individuals, however, the frequency in which they engage in religious activities showed continued decline, with 45% rising to 48% for "just a few times a year" and 16% rising to 21% who stated "practically never." |
Simon P Kennedy
In the parable of the ten virgins, it is those who bring enough oil and are therefore properly prepared to wait for the returning bridegroom who are considered wise (Matt 25:4). The bridegroom in this parable is Jesus, meaning that the virgins’ wisdom is not simply practical but is linked to a kind of spiritual discernment. In contrast, Paul describes those who “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man” and animals, those who reject God, as fools (Rom 1:22–23). They are the fools of Psalm 14:1. As we have seen, listening to and responding to the word of God is an entirely different matter. As Paul writes to Timothy, the Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15). There is a wisdom offered in God’s word that is not practical, but spiritual. It is a wisdom that is garnered by hearing the words of God and by responding to these words with obedience and faith. We can be made “wise for salvation,” and this work is done by the Holy Spirit working through the Scriptures and the message of the gospel. --Simon P Kennedy; American Reformer; Rethinking Worldview with Biblical Wisdom 10.16.24
Billy Graham wrote: It is interesting that people are seldom offended when an April fool’s prank is played on them, but highly offended that the Bible lays out clearly the meaning of a fool in the eyes of God. God is not a practical joker. He never plays tricks, He never deceives, and He never, ever, lies; He speaks only the truth. He defines the truth in Himself, and every word that proceeds out of His mouth is just, wise, and loving. He identifies the fool as one who refuses to acknowledge God’s ample evidence of who He is, His love for us, His desire that we might come to know Him through Jesus Christ, and His provision for us throughout our lives. When people refuse to believe God’s Word, they will eventually find out how foolish they really are. When they find themselves in Hell it will be too late. The Bible says, “A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart…. The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works” (Proverbs 18:2; Psalm 14:1). All people have been granted one precious life from Creator God with many opportunities to know Him personally. We are indeed the biggest fools of all if we make the eternal mistake of rejecting the loving truth that God has communicated through Scripture and demonstrated to all through His death for our sin on the cross. But we do not have to remain fools. We can humble ourselves before Him and receive Him by faith and rejoice in His resurrection that gives to us the promise of Heaven.
A description of the depravity of human nature, and the deplorable corruption of a great part of mankind.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. The sinner here described is an atheist, one that saith there is no Judge or Governor of the world, no Providence ruling over the affairs of men. He says this in his heart. He cannot satisfy himself that there is none, but wishes there were none, and pleases himself that it is possible there may be none; he is willing to think there is none. This sinner is a fool; he is simple and unwise, and this is evidence of it: he is wicked and profane, and this is the cause. The word of God is a discerner of these thoughts. No man will say, There is no God, till he is so hardened in sin, that it is become his interest that there should be none to call him to an account. The disease of sin has infected the whole race of mankind. They are all gone aside, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Whatever good is in any of the children of men, or is done by them, it is not of themselves, it is God's work in them. They are gone aside from the right way of their duty, the way that leads to happiness, and are turned into the paths of the destroyer. Let us lament the corruption of our nature, and see what need we have of the grace of God: let us not marvel that we are told we must be born again. And we must not rest in any thing short of union with Christ, and a new creation to holiness by his Spirit. The psalmist endeavours to convince sinners of the evil and danger of their way, while they think themselves very wise, and good, and safe. Their wickedness is described. Those that care not for God's people, for God's poor, care not for God himself. People run into all manner of wickedness, because they do not call upon God for his grace. What good can be expected from those that live without prayer? But those that will not fear God, may be made to fear at the shaking of a leaf. All our knowledge of the depravity of human nature should endear to us salvation out of Zion. But in heaven alone shall the whole company of the redeemed rejoice fully, and for evermore. The world is bad; oh that the Messiah would come and change its character! There is universal corruption; oh for the times of reformation! The triumphs of Zion's King will be the joys of Zion's children. The second coming of Christ, finally to do away the dominion of sin and Satan, will be the completing of this salvation, which is the hope, and will be the joy of every Israelite indeed. With this assurance we should comfort ourselves and one another, under the sins of sinners and sufferings of saints. --Matthew Henrys Commentary
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. The sinner here described is an atheist, one that saith there is no Judge or Governor of the world, no Providence ruling over the affairs of men. He says this in his heart. He cannot satisfy himself that there is none, but wishes there were none, and pleases himself that it is possible there may be none; he is willing to think there is none. This sinner is a fool; he is simple and unwise, and this is evidence of it: he is wicked and profane, and this is the cause. The word of God is a discerner of these thoughts. No man will say, There is no God, till he is so hardened in sin, that it is become his interest that there should be none to call him to an account. The disease of sin has infected the whole race of mankind. They are all gone aside, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Whatever good is in any of the children of men, or is done by them, it is not of themselves, it is God's work in them. They are gone aside from the right way of their duty, the way that leads to happiness, and are turned into the paths of the destroyer. Let us lament the corruption of our nature, and see what need we have of the grace of God: let us not marvel that we are told we must be born again. And we must not rest in any thing short of union with Christ, and a new creation to holiness by his Spirit. The psalmist endeavours to convince sinners of the evil and danger of their way, while they think themselves very wise, and good, and safe. Their wickedness is described. Those that care not for God's people, for God's poor, care not for God himself. People run into all manner of wickedness, because they do not call upon God for his grace. What good can be expected from those that live without prayer? But those that will not fear God, may be made to fear at the shaking of a leaf. All our knowledge of the depravity of human nature should endear to us salvation out of Zion. But in heaven alone shall the whole company of the redeemed rejoice fully, and for evermore. The world is bad; oh that the Messiah would come and change its character! There is universal corruption; oh for the times of reformation! The triumphs of Zion's King will be the joys of Zion's children. The second coming of Christ, finally to do away the dominion of sin and Satan, will be the completing of this salvation, which is the hope, and will be the joy of every Israelite indeed. With this assurance we should comfort ourselves and one another, under the sins of sinners and sufferings of saints. --Matthew Henrys Commentary