Psalm 53:1-3 (NIV)
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
The term “fake news” has become a popular political phrase these days on a certain side of the aisle, but like King David’s son said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). There has been plenty of fake news regarding man’s assessment of himself and his world since his earliest days. A growing number of people simply believe there is no God (FAKE NEWS!). The overwhelming majority of people think they are pretty good in terms of morality and character (FAKE NEWS!). Most people think they are open-minded spiritually and seriously willing to consider various views (FAKE NEWS!). The average person believes that dirty politicians and greedy business tycoons are the truly corrupt ones (FAKE NEWS!). “Fake News” is not a pithy way to acknowledge some new phenomenon, but a sad and time-tested reality.
It’s easy to take today’s passage and apply it to your average atheist, or even to your average church-goer who mistakes his or her “good works” for a golden ticket into Heaven…but it can, in its essence, apply to most if not all actual Christians, including you and me. How so? I’m glad you asked! How often do you live as if there is no God who can see everything you do? Who can discern every thought and motive? This is not about denying the faith or God’s existence, but rather, a sober-minded acknowledgment that in our sin we sometimes are living as functional atheists…as if “there is no God” (v. 1). So, whether it’s a lost person who says it…or a found person who lives like it at times…both are playing the fool.
And while we are on the subject of atheists, it is important to remember that on the authority of God’s Word, there simply is no such thing. The first chapter of the Book of Romans says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom 1:18-20). It could be said that an atheist is just an agnostic with an attitude problem. God IS the 800 lb. gorilla in the room and every single person on the planet knows it. The fool simply chooses to deny it.
When asked if people are “basically good” or “basically bad,” the vast majority of folks you might talk to are going to answer with the positive assessment. Try it today at work and see for yourself! And when it comes to a purely man-centered assessment of good and evil, I would tend to agree with them…but God’s standard is altogether different than ours. While we give ourselves credit for not being an axe-murderer, God condemns us for the hatred towards others that resides in our hearts. We try to “do the right thing,” but God condemns us because our motives tend to be selfish. Spurgeon pulled no punches regarding today’s passage when he wrote, “Errors as to God are not the mild diseases which some account them, they are abominable evils. Fair is the world to blind eyes, but to the all-seeing Jehovah it is otherwise.”
When the evidence is plain and plentiful, why do so many people choose to just look the other way? Why is it that most people refuse to agree with God’s assessment of mankind? Quite simply, it’s because nobody likes to be judged. John 3:20 explains it this way: “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” When you share the gospel, you are asserting that people are essentially naked…and nobody likes to be exposed. The Good News is only good if people understand the bad news about their nakedness before a Holy God and the resulting condemnation. That is a reality that no man can convince people of as it is purely the work of the Holy Spirit to convict people of their sin (Jn. 16:8). Yet, we are commanded to proclaim the truth with gentleness and patience (1 Pt. 3:15) and then hope and pray that God brings the fool into the light, knowing that God does not desire that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pt. 3:9).
