THE ATHIEST

“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good" (Psalm 14:1 NKJV).

This Psalm is almost identical to Psalm 53, especially verse 1. When something is repeated in Scripture, it is important that we pay attention. This verse speaks about the atheist – a person who denies the fact that there is a God. It tells of the conclusion of the atheist, the characterization of the atheist, and the conduct of the atheist.

The conclusion of the atheist - “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” The atheist has concluded that God does not exist. This however, is not an intellectual conclusion, but a heart conclusion as stipulated by Scripture. Men do not love God and do not want God, so they say there is no God. Similarly, evolution is not a result of intelligence, but a result of bad hearts. Leaving God out of the picture is at the heart of evolution.

The characterization of the atheist - “Fool.” The Bible calls the atheist a fool. Anyone who denies the existence of God or leaves God out of his life is a fool. Today, atheists are not called fools. Instead, they are often called professors, educators, and other high sounding titles and names. On the other hand, those who believe in Jesus Christ are often called fools by the world. Yet the real fool is the person who denies the existence of God.

The conduct of the atheist - “They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” It is a fact that our creed affects our conduct. Thus the creed of the atheist his corrupts conduct. Further, conduct in our schools and in our society has deteriorated because we have replaced God with atheism. The less we have God in our lives the less will be the good in our conduct. It is Christianity and not atheism that will improve the conduct of our society.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God without man is still God; man without God is nothing!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Shame (Disappointed)

In Rom 9:33 we read, “As it is written: Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame (disappointed)” (NKJV).

Shame (Disappointed) is the is the Greek word kataischunō (καταισχύνω = kat-ahee-skhoo'-no). It made up of two words: “kata” which means down but here it is an intensifier, and “aischuno” which means to shame. Kataischunō therefore means to put to shame, to humiliate, to disgrace. As used in our verse, it means to disappoint or to frustrate one’s hope. It is to fail to meet the expectation or hope of, to hinder from the possession or enjoyment of that which was intended, to prevent the fulfilment of a plan.

In Classical Greek as well as in the Septuagint kataischunō means to shame, or to be ashamed. And interestingly, in the Septuagint, the Lord is usually the One causing shame. And the shame was God’s judgment. In the New Testament, kataischunō means to disgrace, to dishonor, put to shame, to humiliate or to disappoint. And while the wise of this age will be put to shame (1 Cor. 1:27), those who have placed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will not experience shame (Rom. 5:5; 10:11).

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – The Messiah’s character would be holiness (Psalm 2:6) New Testament Fulfillment – John. 8:46; Rev. 3:7

Bible Facts

Jesus’ Titles for Himself

Jesus said He was the bread of life and the living bread (6:35, 48, 51). He said He was the light of the world (John 8:12). Jesus said He was the good shepherd (John 10:11, 14). Jesus outright claimed to be the Son of God (John 10:36). He also liked to call Himself the Son of Man (Matt. 20:28). He said He was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).

Bible Quiz

According to Ephesians 2, what part of the building did the apostle Paul compares the Lord Jesus to?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Why did King Herod order the killing of boy babies under 2 years old? King Herod ordered the killing of all the newborn boys in and around Bethlehem after the wise men failed to report the birth of Jesus to him. He feared that he might lose his throne to the newborn baby Jesus, the real King of the Jews (Matt. 2:16).

That’s in the Bible

"Your sin will find you out”

"But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23 KJV).

“Your sin will find you out” - The expression “your sin will find you out” carries the idea that your bad deeds will be found out. The compromising tribes were determined to go their own way. They did not want to “cross over” the Jordan into the Promised Land because they wanted the inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. They liked what they saw, and they wanted it. This is just like so many people today who are determined to go their own way instead of God’s way. They like what they see out in the world, and end up compromising with the world. But God’s warning to us all is, “Your sin will find you out.” Compromise and sin will be exposed. We always reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7).

Did You Know – Christian History

Marie Durand was born in 1711 in the hamlet of Le Bouchet near Privas in France. She was a French Protestant, who was famously imprisoned in the Tour de Constance from August 25, 1730 until April 14, 1768.

The Durand family maintained their faith secretly by daily readings of the Bible. The father organized secret assemblies in the “Désert” where protestant services were held from time to time. It was at one of these services that Marie’s mother was arrested due to the denunciation of a neighbor; she later died in prison.

In 1730 Marie herself was arrested; her crime - having a brother who was a Protestant preacher. Imprisoned in the Tower of Constance, Marie would spend the next thirty-eight years there; she was only 18 years old. Although she was the youngest, her faith became strong through suffering. She kept up the spirits of her fellow prisoners and gave them great comfort. She helped them to fight against the temptations of renouncing their faith. In short she was the very spirit of resistance to the pressures of the catholic hierarchy who wanted the prisoners to give up their protestant faith. During her long imprisonment, Marie’s brother Pierre was captured and executed.

Marie wrote to churches and government officials with appeals for improved prison conditions. Thanks to Marie’s efforts, the prisoners were allowed a copy of the Psalms and permitted to take air on the rooftop. She never recanted her faith.

Disgusted with prison conditions, the governor of Languedoc ordered the captives released despite the objections of King Louis XV. After her release, Marie returned to her childhood home. An Amsterdam Walloon church supported her for the rest of her life. Marie died in 1776.

A Little Humor

There was a young boy who was saying a prayer out loud one night and his brother was listening to him. This boy asked God for a fresh milkshake in the morning. His brother said: "just shake a cow and milk it. It will save God the trouble."

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Salvation causes us to step out of sin’s slavery into security with Christ!”