Foolishness of Unbelief

Foolishness of unbelief

In the book of Psalms, chapter 14; 1 it says boldly "The fool has said in his heart there is no God". Why is the Bible so strong on unbelief? It is because it is a rejection of Gods revelation. It is to reject that the world is rational with an ultimate rational source behind it. It is to imply that the world is impersonal or irrational. But the fool thinks he can go out into the world and interpret a world, which has no interpretation or meaning to it. How foolish is that!

To reject Gods revelation is to reject knowledge, which is Gods interpretation of reality.
This is why the apostle Paul made the rhetorical question "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world ( 1 Cor. 1 ;20).That being the philosophies of man who try to explain reality without acknowledging God.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Prov. 12; 15). Professing to be wise they have become fools ( Rom. 1; 23 ).

To reject that the universe has a rational mind behind it is to make a world with no meaning and purpose. The unbeliever wishes to believe that the world is irrational, but they can tell us all about it purpose rationally. This is not wise or deep it is irrational, Foolishness.

The fool says,

There is no God or ultimate interpretation or meaning for life! But they use meaning and rationality to tell us this.

They say that there is no such thing as absolute truth! But one only has to ask them if their question is true.

They say that we can not know anything for sure! But they know this for sure "that we cannot know anything for sure.

They deny God existence and complain that evil exist, for which they have no standard to judge reality against.

Some say but how do you know that this world is not just an illusion? Well if this world is an illusion and our minds are in this illusion then our very thought that this world is an illusion is an illusion too, so don’t trust it.

But how do we know reality exists, maybe I don’t? Well the fact that you are trying to deny it shows you must exist. For who is doing the denying?

The unbeliever wants to be the ultimate standard for all things. He wants to have meaning but deny Gods existence for a rational world. He wants to have design, but not a designer, he wants to believe that he is a moral good person, but not that there is a moral lawgiver.

Instead of being a servant for the Creator, unbelievers want to be the Creator. They want to be the ultimate and stand in Gods place.

Eternal Revelation

Eternal Revelation

Because the Unbeliever lives in God’s world, we only have to push him hard enough and he will expose himself and his thinking. The Bible makes it clear that God has revealed himself through all creation. There is know where that one can turn and not see God

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Rom. 1;18)

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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 they about excuse" (Rom. 1; 20)

The first Chapter of the book of Romans verse 18- tells that the unbeliever lives in God’s world suppressing God’s truth. We only have to ask the unbeliever for his foundation for rationality and he will say from an impersonal universe. The unbeliever will never go to an eternal rational source for his rationality or intelligence. He will suppress its connection. His rationality and intelligence he will answer comes from non-intelligence. He will deny that a designed creation needs a designer, that a world full of purpose needs a God who is control guiding this world according to a rational plan, he will deny that objective evil needs an eternal standard to judge something against. He will deny that his mind and soul has been created in the image of God, which is why he can think and correspond with interpreting God thoughts about the world on a human level, that he can find "facts". He simple suppresses the truth of divine general revelation.

Romans says, that God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen, namely his eternal power and divine nature. They have been clearly seen by all people through the creation of the world and the things that are made. Creation demonstrates that there is knowledge, meaning, justice, good and evil, a purpose for all things, Holiness, laws of nature, beauty, Truth. There is an absolute mind with absolute standards that can be perceived through creation. There is revelation in this world, God has given meaning and interpretation to matter. There are rational facts to be found.

Psalm 19;1-2 also says,

"The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

So according to scripture God is involved in a "show" and "tell" presentation. He shows us who he is through the creation. That God is showing is a proclamation that gives human creatures knowledge. It is because it is so obvious that an irrational universe could not produce these attributes that every human is without excuse. Meaning there is no defense that can wipe God out of the picture. If you want to use reason to try and deny God, you will be implying that the world is rational presupposing but suppressing that God exists.

" For although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles" (Rom. 1;21-23)

Paul tells us they know God alright, but they have chosen not to honor him and let him be the final standard. He says that claiming to be wise they became fools. Why are they fools? Because who will believe that non-intelligence can produce intelligence. There foundation for reality is irrational. Instead of worshiping the Creator, they have chosen to worship the creation. Their philosophy of evolution does the same thing, it worships the creation and creatures. Thinking that the world is impersonal and we have evolved from creatures. Most unbelievers have the philosophy of evolution as their idol, they worship it being fully committed to it.

To deny Christianity is to deny that Knowledge is even possible.

Conflict between final Authorities

Conflict between final Authorities

The Christian and non-Christian come to debate with two different views of the world. We both come with presuppositions, which influence how we interpret the world we live in. The Christian will use the ability of "reason" as a tool to find facts or revelation in the world to defend his position and the non-believer will use his ability to "reason" not as a tool to find revelation but as a final standard to reasoning upon his own reasoning. This is the unbeliever final standard of truth as he does not believe that God has revealed himself.

As I have said before in great detail, either you believe that there is an absolute eternal mind behind the universe, which gives an objective interpretation to all objects of reality according to a rational plan making this world meaningful and rational, or you believe in an impersonal universe without God.

But if you believe that there is know God then you become the final standard for truth, your intuition is the standard. Because if there is know God then there are no facts to be found out in the universe as a criteria for truth. As an impersonal universe has know mind or interpretation behind its objects.

A "fact" is an interpretation of an object. A mind has to be behind it. God is the ultimate interpreter of what he has created as it follows from the eternal source of knowledge( His mind and will). Without God the world is irrational. To try and find revelation or facts in an impersonal universe is irrational, either finite man has all knowledge some where in his head or he is doomed in finding correct knowledge. Once we come into a saving relationship with Christ we put on the mind of Christ and see God’s interpretation of reality. We see that there is a mind behind the world, and his word reveals how we are understand this world. As Christian we are to interpret God ultimate interpretation.

So we see that there is a conflict of ultimate authorities either God’s interpretation or man’s finite intuition (interpretation of reality). Yes the unbeliever seems to have the same knowledge as we do because the truth is he lives in God’s world.

There are two choices to take,

God is the eternal foundation for rationality, giving the world meaning and revealing his interpretation of reality or the universe is impersonal and has evolved and made our minds which look out to a random irrational world imposing our theories and human concepts on it. If the impersonal created our thinking, then it is irrational, and if the world outside our minds has know interpretation behind it then it is irrational and will lead us to know truth. In the end we are stuck with our abstract irrational concepts that correspond to nothing as the world is meaningless anyway. They are random inventions…

When it comes to defending our faith we must push these truths, because the unbeliever will use, reason, will believe in meaning, good, and evil, and value, design, purpose, laws of nature. But will have no ultimate rational source for them. They will have to accept that the impersonal irrational world which they find themselves in some how produce there rational mind, that some how we just think things are evil, why they are or who’s standard we are following they cant say. Which is more rational, Our Intelligence came from a absolute intelligence God who has made the world rational, being a mind behind all the facts of the universe so they all relate to reach other, or that unintelligence produce intelligence, meaning and purpose making unintelligence more intelligent than intelligence.

When defending the faith we must use our weapon "God’s Word, his interpretation" to press the antitheses between God and unbelief.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor 10;3-)

In my next post I will look at the weapons of Romans One, when it comes to pressing the antithesis on the unbeliever.

Humble Boldness

Humble Boldness

Every Christian is called to give a reason for why he has this hope in Christ. It is vitally important that we learn how to deal with our emotions and passions. We are to boldly defend our faith with no fear, but this must be done with humbleness and respect.

1 Peter 3;15-16 says,

"But set apart Christ as Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed".

Peter tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. This means that Christ is to be LORD of our life, thinking, motives, and actions. He is to be the final standard that we seek to follow. As Christians we are called by God to give a defense for why we believe what we believe and why we have this great hope in Christ. This is to be done with meekness and respect. The word "defense" in its Greek translation is where we get the word "apologia". It is a legal word used often in courtroom settings. It carries the idea of setting forth a response to an accusation. We are to be ready always to give this defense for why we have this strong foundation in Christ.

When we come to defend our faith, we must start by defending it by the word of God. The word of God is our authority. The unbeliever may be quick to say that we are presupposing that the Word of God is true first, and then forcing it upon them. But as Christian this is what we must do, We have set apart our minds to God when we believed in him. For we did not learn Christ from the principles of this world. We have put on the mind of Christ. The unbeliever will still say "But you are just making the word of God your final authority. To this we answer, yes we do, but by what authority other than yourself do you use to justify yourself. Don’t you reason upon your own reasoning and then become the final standard in what you think. If reason is your authority then the Bibles claim to absolute authority, as God’s Eternal revelation is it’s own standard too.

The Truth lies in which worldview is consistent in its thinking and defense about all reality. As we will see, the bible says that unbelief is foolishness. This foolishness is not a mocking of a person, but of his worldview, that being an impersonal universe. The battle comes down to two conflicting ultimate commitments.

In the end there are only to views, you will presuppose that God exist or you will not. There will be two conflicting presuppositions on reality and two final authorities. Either your final authority will be the Word of God or finite reasoning.

The Battle belongs to the Lord

The Battle belongs to the Lord

How should we defend the Faith?

Its is time to start a new series of posts on "How we as Christians should defend the Faith". This post will be an introduction for the following posts that shall follow.
Ephesians 4; 17-20 says,
This I say, therefore and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. Who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you did so learn Christ after this manner, if indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus"

Paul makes it clear in verse 20 that we did not learn about Christ from the principles of this world. The world walks in sin, with their minds darkened in ignorance being alienated from God in the blindness of their hearts.

We did not learn or come to Christ by the wisdom of this world. We learned Christ by being drawn and by having repentance granted to us from God. The Christian who posses a knowledge of the truth, does so only because faith has been given to him as a gift (Eph. 2; 8-9).

Our sinful world see’ Christ as foolishness (1 Cor. 1; 18;25) so why would we use the principles of this world to defend our faith. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world, its philosophies, principles ... Romans 8; 7-8 describing the sin nature of the unbeliever saying that the carnal mind is enmity (opposed, hates) against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it indeed be. So then those who are of the flesh cannot please God.

When one becomes a Christian his faith has not been generated by the thought patterns of worldly wisdom. There are no principles to be taken from the word to defend our faith, for it is against our faith. We are to submit our thinking to the Lordship of Christ. We are to have the mind of Christ and walk in the new man and not in the old which is empty foolish reasoning, rejecting Gods existence. Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4;4).

In the words of 1 Peter 3;15, the perfect way for offering a reasoned defense of the Christian faith is to have "set apart" Christ as Lord in your hearts. Christ must be the ultimate authority over our philosophy, our reasoning, and our argumentation. Not just at the end, but at the beginning of the apologetic endeavor. If we are to "cast down reasoning and every high thing exalted against the knowledge of God. We must bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10;5). For "In Thy sight (God’s) shall we see light (Ps. 36;9).

After all in Christ "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are deposited (Col. 2;3). If you want true knowledge then you must have God’s interpretation of reality. You must have the Truth "Thy word is Truth" (John 17 ;17). As John 1;1 starts of, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and the Word became flesh. This Word is also Gods mind given to us as revelation, that being the Bible.

We are to use the weapon that God has given us to defend our Faith that being his sword, the Word of God.

To try and defend the faith any other way or even thinking that one must be neutral is infact to be immoral. No one is able to serve two lords (Matt. 6;24). Either you have the mind of Christ or you live with the vain mind of the unbeliever. As Christians we are to "set apart" our minds to the Lordship of Christ. Any other way makes you a double minded person (James 1; 8) unstable in all your ways.

This means that the believer must presuppose the truth of God’s word from start to finish in his apologetics witness. The Christians final standard is the word of God, for the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge"(Prov.1;7)

As we will see as these posts go on all the believer needs to defend his Faith is the power of the word of God. It will make every other worldview unintelligible and will press the unbeliever to see that he is suppressing the knowledge of God in unrighteousness making his so-called knowledge foolishness.

The next post will look at 1 Peter 3;15 and also at the believers and unbelievers ultimate commitments.