In the course of running this blog, I have encountered some of them and have had various interactions with them. From some of my interactions with them, I could see that even though they all claim God does not exist, many of them still have problem with God.
They sometimes question His love, His justice and His character and are obviouly angry at Him. One of them even called God ‘a baby-killer’.
To that I asked him, “I thought you claimed God didn’t exist? How could He be a baby-killer if He didn’t exist?”.
The question is, if atheists truly believe that God does not exist, why does it bother them so much when we say He does? Why do they express so much angst towards God and any mention of Him or His attributes?
I see no reason they should continue to engage in diatribes against God. I mean, what is the essence of trying to prove that a ‘non-existent’ God does not exist? They obviously have a problem they haven’t probably figured out!
As believers, atheists scorn us for believing that God exists. But they turn blind eyes to their own folly in not believing that He exists.
Also, they don’t fully realise their own limitation in not knowing all things yet are boldly proclaiming that God does not exist. Doesn’t that validate the biblical position that only fools say God does not exist?
The only way to know without an iota of doubt that God does not exist is to possess the capability of being ‘all-knowing’. As you know, no man alive or dead, including atheists themselves possess that kind of knowledge.
So I would totally agree with one Hank Hanegraaff when he said, “atheism involves a logical fallacy known as a universal negative. Simply stated, a person would have to be omniscient and omnipresent to be able to say “there is no God” from his own pool of knowledge.
“Only someone capable of being in all places at the same time — with a perfect knowledge of all that is in the universe — can make such a statement based on the facts. In other words, a person would have to be God to say there is no God. Hence, the assertion [that God does not exist] is logically indefensible.”
Simply put, atheists do not have what it takes to come to the conclusion that God does not exist. So when you have anyone claiming God does not exist, understand that he or she is either being insincere or are displaying their ignorance. Or as the Bible puts it, they are simply being foolish.
Just like the Sadducees that accosted Jesus over a question on resurrection, whereas they didn’t believe in resurrection, the problem with atheists who go about discrediting God and the notion of His existence is that they neither know the Scriptures nor the power of God.
By not knowing the Scriptures here, I do not mean to say that atheists have never read the Bible, because I know many of them have. The problem is that those of them who have read it lack the proper understanding of it.
***
Let the conversation continue in the comment section.
“Being an atheist must be like living in a closed cell with no windows” – Anthony Hopkins.
If you are a movie enthusiast, I am sure you have heard about the name, Anthony Hopkins. But if you haven’t, a simple check on Wikipedia will convince you that he is not a man of mean achievements in the movie industry.
Let’s take a little peep:
“Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins CBE is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992, and was nominated three additional times. Hopkins has also won three BAFTAs, two Emmys, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 1993, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts.”
Anthony Hopkins. Photo Credit: CBN News
According to a report monitored via Godupdates, “Anthony Hopkins is one of the most well-known actors of our time. For years, he was a well-known atheist, too. But all of that changed when a woman at an AA meeting challenged his disbelief with one simple question… “Why don’t you trust God?“”
It was the expression, “For years, he was a well-known atheist” that first caught my attention. But I’m glad to learn that all that has changed.
You must now use the word “former” atheist when referring to Hopkins, because he has become a firm believer in the existence of God.
Not only that, he now “lives out his real life with Christ in his heart. He’s been an atheist before finding God and now he just feels sorry for atheists, comparing a life of disbelief to “living in a closed cell with no windows.”
Sir Hopkins’s transformation and conversion from atheism to Christianity began with his positive response to that question, “Why don’t you trust God?” at a time he was dealing with alcoholism.
A reputable source has it that,”miraculously Anthony says the craving to drink was taken from him, “never to return again.” And he’s believed in God ever since, working day after day, year after year, to grow in his faith.”
In the end, he not only got helped with overcoming the spirit of alcoholism which had bedeviled him, he transformed from being a man who didn’t believe that God exists to one that now affirms that He does.
“When asked in a CNN interview with Piers Morgan if he believed in God, former-atheist Anthony Hopkins replied wholeheartedly, “Yes, I do. I do.”
As much as possible, you should endeavour to maintain a good communication flow with your spouse. That means you have to promptly take care of anything trying to impede appropriate communications with your spouse. Failure to do so may later lead to sad moments or other unpleasant consequences which you would not like.
In a thorny situation, your spouse is not the thorn.
If your spouse wears an unusual outlook, you as the other half should show persistent care (by asking) to find out what the problem is.
If your spouse slows down in communicating with you, that’s not the time for you to withdraw from him or her.
Be strong for your spouse by whispering to him or her that you are there for him or her.
There are “three levels of knowing God: recognition, acquaintance, and friendship.” To know someone deeply, you have to regularly talk to, or spend time with, him or her.
Knowing God deeply is not different from that. Except you are willing to regularly fellowship with God, talk to Him as a friend and let Him talk to you too, you may never get to know Him at the deepest level possible.
We can always find a friend in the Lord Jesus,
Who has promised He’ll always be there for us.
Whatever we go through in this time and space,
We can get succour by looking unto His face.
Except you are married to the devil personified, I am free to say that your spouse is not the problem in your marriage. So resist the temptation to see him or her as one.
A vital key to amicably resolving the challenges between you and your spouse is to learn to focus on tackling the issue at hand rather than putting the blame on a person – your partner.
You may have been hurt by what your spouse said or did at some point, but the problem is still not your spouse. A problem is a problem and your spouse is your spouse. Please don’t mistake one for another.
I can’t force anyone to believe in God. But I can at least let them know some things that may help them make up their mind in the affirmative. After all, acknowledging Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and personal Saviour remains a decision everyone has to take by him/herself. So if you are an atheist, here are some sobering truths I wish you to know:
Jesus Christ is the only Way to God.
You are not the first person to doubt the existence of God.
The Bible has a word for anyone who doesn’t believe there is God…FOOL.
There have been people who turned from atheism to God and so can you.
Your lifetime is your only opportunity for you to know God.
Whatever misgivings you have about God can be handled.
God has numerous children and He has room for you too.
… For many years, I went about my life
With a broken piece of heart, bleeding.
No one could fill the great void I felt
Or mend the awfully shattered part of me.
But then I met the greatest Friend and Lover
Who truly loved me as I am, unconditionally.
The One who gave up His life for me
And gave me a brand new heart too.
In His birth, divinity became humanity. It was the beginning of the unfolding of the grandest heavenly agenda in bringing salvation to mankind. Here are some of the things that proved Jesus was not an ordinary person:
Jesus’ miraculous conception by a virgin.
His conception by a virgin and birth were undeniable fulfillment of Prophecies.
Jesus got His name several centuries before He was born.
He wasn’t born to earthly royalty, but angels heralded His birth.
The birth of Jesus is the proof of God’s love for the world.
Jesus was born to die.
Jesus is the only man in history with the complete tripartite cycle of birth, death and resurrection.
He is the only one giving eternal life to anyone who believes in Him.
Part of the joy of blogging is having people following your blog, regularly reading your written thoughts and sending you feedbacks through their comments, likes, emails, reblogs etc. If you have ever wondered why people are not following your blog, then you have to check out the post.
Based on my own experience, the post was used to highlight 8 possible reasons, just like some other people, I have not been following your blog:
I don’t even know that your blog exists in the first place.
You are not following my blog.
I got to your blog, but your posts care less about my core values.
The first three posts I read on your blog did not make much sense to me.
Your picture is not on your profile.
You did not join any blogging community.
Your blog language is totally different from mine.
No one has recommended your blog to me yet.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free leave A comment and share the post.
Atheists know there is a God even though they wouldn’t admit it. And it seems to me that the more their hearts condemn them, the harder they try to put up the front that denies the existence of God.
If atheists truly believe that God does not exist, why does it bother them so much when we say He does? I believe their conscience is working them up!
There is no excuse good enough to justify a disbelief in the existence of God.
The Scriptures tell us that the things in us and outside us bear evidence that God exists. So one must have suppressed this knowledge of God over time to reach the point where one can willfully and deliberately assert that there is no God.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Romans 1:20-22.
Professing to be wise, they became foolish
That statement aptly describes the situation of atheists. Their so-called wisdom in denying the existence of God is at the same time their foolishness.
Just like every human being born into this world, they were not born without an inkling of the knowledge of God. Rather, out of their own sheer volition, they gradually stifled the voices in their hearts which tell them that there is a God.
And in “professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” I could say I have observed that firsthand more than a few times…
In the last one and half years, I have written some posts specifically targeting atheists or those who say there is no God. Following those posts, I have also been involved with series of online conversations with some atheists, both on this blog and across my Twitter handle.
During our discussions, I could see that many of them tend to assume an air of superiority in knowledge. They seem to want to show that they have read so many books, and have known much about the universe, life and existence to know that God does not exist. And nothing could be farther from the truth!
We know who the foolish one is
Granted, some of the atheists I have encountered are quite knowledgeable! To that extent, they appear to think that we believers must be foolish to believe that God exists. But any form of knowledge that denies the existence of God is not a correct knowledge.
Atheists may be wise in their own eyes, calling us, believers, uninformed. But between they and us, the Bible is very clear about who the foolish one is:
The fool says in his heart that there is no God… Psalm 14:1
Those words were spoken over two thousand years ago and they still hold as true today as they have always done. According to the Bible, it is the person that says God doesn’t exist that qualifies to be called a fool, not the one that believes in His existence.
Another thing I observed from my conversations with atheists is that they are not absolutely sure that God doesn’t exist as they would want to claim. In their unguarded moments they do make claims or raise objections that presuppose that there must be a God. Yet they are reluctant to admit it.
In other words, I could surmise that many atheists are living in self-denial when they say that God doesn’t exist, because deep in their hearts they know that they are wrong.
A wicked, loveless non-existent God, Really?
On one occasion, a self-professed atheist got carried away during our conversations and he kept saying, God is wicked, God doesn’t love humans, God enjoys to see people suffer, etc. Really?
I couldn’t hold back asking him, “How can the God you say doesn’t exist be wicked and loveless? How can He even enjoy the suffering in the world except He exists in the first place?”
You see, that atheist knows there is God. May be what he doesn’t understand is the nature or character of God.
It is one thing to doubt the goodness; of God and another to claim His non-existence. I think that so-called atheist got it completely mixed up…
No matter how hard they try, atheists would never be able to prove that there is no God. (We know He does exist!). The more they try to do so, the more of their folly they put on display.
God exists, and anyone who seeks Him with all his or her heart will find Him.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart Jeremiah 29:13.
When a Princeton educated atheist cried out to God
It is a hard truth, but it still has to be said again: Deep in their hearts, atheists know there is a God, but they just don’t want to admit it.
In his book, The War Is Over, Andrew Wommack expressed it better when he wrote that:
(Atheists) know that there is a God. It is just a lie (when they say there is no God). You don’t have to try and convince people of their need for God. Everybody in their heart already knows it. Every body!
For emphasis sake, let’s echoe it again: everybody, including atheists, already know in their hearts that there is a God… They may deny it or suppress the knowledge, but they still know!
To further illustrate his point, Wommack tells of an experience with an educated atheist who cried out to God to save him when he faced enemy-attacks during the Vietnamese-American war:
While I was an American soldier in Vietnam, many told me they were atheists. I remember one guy, a Princeton educated atheist, made me look like an absolute fool because he was a better talker than I was. But when the bombs started dropping and the bullets began to fly, this guy cried out to the God he said he didn’t believe in… saying “Oh God save me!” It’s all just a mind game let them get into a life-and-death situation and they will say, Oh God help me!”
The question is, if the atheist Andrew refered to truly believed there was no God, why did he cry out to Him for help when his life was in danger?
Recently, I heard something on an international news channel that I consider worth talking about here. An aged author and ostensibly an intellectual man who was being interviewed about a book he wrote (amongst other things) was asked:
“You are an atheist and a Christian. How is that possible?”
“I’m a cultural Christian: I’m a Christian by my culture, but not one by my belief,” he replied.
Really? An atheist and Christian in the same breadth?
Can someone be a Christian who does not believe in God?
The answer is obvious!
Unfortunately, this man in question is not the only one making this type of “cultural” mistake. There are people around the world who think that they are Christians simply because of the home or geographical location they were born into.
Those things as factors may exert some influences on who you become but they are not what will make you a Christian. And of course, being a Christian goes beyond being born into, or living in, any of the so-called christian nations.
I would like to further explore this topic in subsequent posts, but here it suffices to say that being a Christian is not about the culture you were born into or the one you live in. It is about you having a personal relationship with God through faith in His son Jesus Christ.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
John 1:12
Unlike the man mentioned above, it is not enough to to see yourself as a cultural Christian; you should be a Christian by heart as well.
In the first place, being a Christian presupposes that you believe in God. And in fact, a Christian does not only believe in God, he or she also believes in God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
It is therefore a mistaken identity to be called a Christian if you don’t believe in God and in His Son Jesus Christ.
I want to be a happy father to my children and a happy husband to my wife. After all, a grumpy man would not make a good companion to anyone – family or not family. This is part of the reason I have realised that I should strive to always have my emotions under control…
It seems logical to think that unhappy parents may not be able to raise happy children. And I don’t want to be caught in that web.
Distinguished and best-selling Author, Rick Warren, in one of his devotional articles, stated that there are three levels of knowing God: recognition, acquaintance, and friendship.
To know someone deeply, you have to regularly talk to, or spend time with, him or her. Knowing God deeply is not different from that. Except you are willing to regularly fellowship with God, talk to Him as a friend and let Him talk to you too, you may never get to know Him at the deepest level possible.
Various situations could arise in your marital relationship that may want to force a communication gap between you and your spouse. But don’t allow for a breakdown in communication between you both. If communication fails, many other things will fail along.
In a thorny situation in your marriage, know that your spouse is not the thorn.
If your spouse wears an unusual outlook, you as the other half should show persistent care (by asking) to find out what the problem is.
If your spouse slows down in communicating with you, that’s not the time for you to withdraw from him/her.
Be strong for your spouse by whispering to him/her that you are there for him/her
Jesus was more than a baby. He is the God-incarnate. As the Saviour of the world, in Him lies the eternal hope of mankind. Here are some special things about Him that set Him apart from any other man in recorded history:
Jesus’ miraculous conception by a virgin.
His conception by a virgin and birth were both undeniable fulfilment of Prophecies.
He wasn’t born to earthly royalty, but angels heralded His birth.
The birth of Jesus is the proof of God’s love for the world.
Jesus was born to die.
Jesus is the only man in history with the complete tripartite cycle of birth, death andresurrection.
He is the only one giving eternal life to anyone who believes in Him.
There’s one thing I have come to know.
Many friends will always come and go.
Their going away may not be caused by strife.
It is a normal phenomenon of this life…
We can always find a friend in the Lord Jesus,
Who has promised He’ll always be there for us.
Whatever we go through in this time and space,
We can get succour by looking unto His face
A problem is a problem and your spouse is your spouse. Please don’t mistake one for another.
Next time you have any marital issue, be sure to remind yourself that your spouse is not the problem. Identify what the issue is and focus on tackling it.
If you don’t want to end up in the wrong destination, you should not continue on the journey in the wrong direction. The prodigal son found his back to his father, so can you! If you are an atheist, here are 16 sobering truths I wish you to know:
God exists – whether you believe it or not.
To know God, check the Bible
God loves you, I thought you should know.
God is not angry with you.
Jesus Christ is the only Way to God.
You are not the first person to doubt the existence of God.
The Bible has a word for anyone who doesn’t believe there is God…FOOL.
There have been people who turned from atheism to God and so can you.
Your lifetime is your only opportunity for you to know God.
Whatever misgivings you have about God can be handled.
God has numerous children and He has room for you too.
If you die today, where would you spend eternity?
The problem of sin cannot be solved except in Christ Jesus.
You are accountable to God, now or later.
There is a future reality called Hellfire, for everyone who rejects Jesus.
For many years, I went about my life
With a broken piece of heart, bleeding.
No one could fill the great void I felt
Or mend the awfully shattered part of me…
But then I met the greatest Friend and Lover
Who truly loved me as I am, unconditionally.
The One who gave up His life for me
And gave me a brand new heart too.
During my interactions with him, he asked what came across like honest questions. So I was obliged to respond to him as much as I could.
Please enter the conversation (it is a bit long please).
Commentator 2
Hi there.
This is just my opinion but what a terrible and hurtful post.
I mean what happens to the less fortunate in life who have to deal with the ‘devils temptations’ on a day to day basis compared to the person who is wealthy and rarely troubled in practical terms. I mean a young person living in an impoverished third world country cannot be judged the same as a middle class Londoner and if that’s the case I disagree strongly.
I mean if I was a small child and a group of people burst into my home and killed my brother, raped my mother and sister and burned my village and turned me into a child soldier would I be judged the same throughout my life as someone who works as shop assistant in a grocery store in London. How does that work? Surely there’s going to be some issues there regarding level playing field.
Not to get all judgemental or anything but God doesn’t even seem like that nice a thing to be honest. He seems like a mystical dictator representing thug life and using life as a playground. I demand I go to ‘hell’ consider it my protest. I mean c’mon, god seriously needs to get his house in order.
Would you say anything about god is dubious or questionable? I personally hate how it plays on fears we all might have and frankly I just don’t have time for it. If you don’t believe in god, are you able to love? God is love, what even is that? I mean These are the kind of statements you hear during a weekend spent taking hallucinogens.
I feel we all have a god of sorts inside us that is our morality, standards, aspiration etc… A life-long developing mentality.
How can anyone know god exists? I accept you can believe of course but this post is something else.
I don’t really believe in anything, I guess there could be a higher power of sorts out there, maybe not. Who actually knows?
Have a great day:)
My Response
Hi G, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate that you had to share your ‘opinion’ as you called it. But I feel that probably a few things weren’t clear to you.
Of course, there is a ‘Higher power’ as you chose to call Him. But we know Him as God, the creator of Heaven and Earth. Whether you believe in Him or not doesn’t take away anything from His existence, because He is all sufficient by Himself. But it is in your best interest to believe in Him.
In any case, you seem not to know anything about Him as you painted Him a wicked ‘man’ which He is not. I will like to introduce Him to you as a loving Father who loves you so much He made a provision for the redemption of your soul. Or haven’t you ever wondered what you would do about your sins?
Of course, anyone can know that God exists – including you. Because anyone who seeks God with all His heart will find Him. Many people around the world have found Him and so can you!
What He wants from you now is to have a personal relationship with Him through His son Jesus Christ. Feel free to let me know if you want to know how this works.
In response to the issue on judgment you raised, I will tell you one thing: God will not judge anyone based on whether you lived (as you put it) in London or in some third world country or any other part of the world for that matter. His judgment will be based on the simple but vital question “Did you accept or reject the grace of salvation which I (God) offered to the world through Jesus Christ?.”
It will be an individual thing and everyone will answer for himself; you will answer the same question too. And your lifetime is your only opportunity to decide on that.
You have a nice day too!
Commentator 2
I see but surely one’s decisions will be greatly influenced by what has happened in one’s life. Like I am going to find it a lot more difficult to accept salvation if one has been tested in far more hurtful ways and a tougher environment than say another.
Thanks for the reply.
My Response
G, I agree with you that one’s experiences in life may affect his decisions. That’s understandable. But having experienced a hard life doesn’t mean one cannot accept salvation. In fact, there are several people whom it was their suffering/hardship that led them to accept salvation. When they found that they reached their end, they decided to seek God and got help.
Jesus Christ actually made a special invitation to everyone experiencing burdens in life. He promised them rest they can’t find anywhere else (Matthew 11:28).
But one should not actually wait until he reaches a dead end before coming to God. In any case, whether one has a good/easy or a hard life on earth now, everyone needs God. No exceptions.
Commentator 2
Also someone born closer to the time the events of christ etc… took place are going to have a much easier time having faith than those born thousands of years later. It seems like such an uneven playing field.
In an ideal world, it would be great to be able to believe in a just fair god but if god said such and such is wrong and that such and such is right would that be the way no questions asked because it is the will of god?
I mean what about women’s role in the society (what’s that all about!), the LGBT community who just want to be happy or dietary stuff. In terms of how out of touch God is with the world, it amazes me when the bible I think says that if you lust after a woman you see on television you have committed adultery, seriously? What do you think about these?
If anything god really lacks foresight as the world has developed to the extent that it is nearly impossible to adhere to his laws.
To me, he is a dictator with some proper disturbing views that maybe was a sign of the times but still.
For example, how would you interpret the following?
Numbers 31:17-18
“Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves”.
Thanks
My Response
G, I appreciate your time here. So I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge. (Pardon the lengthy words please):
I understand your assumption that people that lived around Jesus Christ’s time would find it easier to believe in Him than the people after that time. But that’s not exactly what Biblical records and history tell us. There were people who rejected Jesus then as there are people who are rejecting Him in our days now. One thing is sure though: there are more followers of Jesus Christ now in the world presently than there have ever been at any time in history. The Gospel of Christ is what people need to hear to believe in Jesus Christ, not whether or not they lived in Jesus time.
God is a God of justice. But He didn’t say we should not ask questions, as you suggested. In fact in Isaiah 41:21, God Himself challenges us with this: “Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. In another place, He says to us “Come now, let us reason together…” Isaiah 1:18. So if we have questions, feel free to ask. The only difference is whether or not one asks genuinely.
Of course, God has roles for women in the society, no doubt about that. But it may not be in the way some people have understood it to be.
Everyone (not just the LGBT community you mentioned) has right to seek happiness and God approves of that too. In fact, Jesus says He wants our joy to be full. But it is in knowing God that there is a real joy and happiness.
G, God is not out of touch with the world as you suggested. It is even more appropriate to say that it is the people of the world that are losing touch of God. All men, including you, need to get know God better.
You sounded funny with your comment on ‘lust’. Be reminded that the dictionary defines lust as “strong sexual desire.” Is it appropriate to have a strong sexual desire for any woman you see on TV, (as you put it)? I will let you know that God doesn’t want people having strong sexual desires for someone OTHER THAN THEIR SPOUSE. I hope that’s clear enough?
You can’t keep all the laws on your own; no one can. But you can accept Jesus and He will give you the grace to please Him.
God is not a dictator as you believe. The story of killings you referred to in Numbers, was God’s judgment on the Midianites for their ‘sins’ AT THAT TIME. But you see, by the grace that Jesus Christ has brought to the world, God is not PRESENTLY judging people that way. We are in a time of GRACE now. As the Bible says, “God is patient towards us all, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” And NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION!
Thanks for your time.
Food for Thought.
Does it make sense that someone would demand to go to hell than believe that God exists?
Will God judge anyone based on where he lived ( whether he lived in developing or developed country)?
What is the basis of morality of atheists, since they don’t believe in God?
The purpose of the series will be to highlight some important parts of the online interactions I had with some people who commented on 16 Sobering Things Every Atheist Should Know, with a view to opening up the issues for further discussions and impressions here and beyond.
But first, we will need to take a look at some extracts from that referenced background post:
Even though I believe that God exists, I am aware that there are people from around the world who do not believe in His existence.
Life is meaningless if God did not exist.
The fact that some people do not believe in God does not diminish Him by any measure.
The Bible is the manual of life God gave to man. It is the final authority on anything there is to know about God and His creation.
God loves you even if you don’t believe in Him. The fact that you don’t believe in God does not mean that He is angry with you. In fact, He loves you too much to be angry with you.
It is true that there can be many ways to arrive a given destination. But when it comes to going to God, Jesus Christ is the Only Way.
According to the Bible, anyone who says God doesn’t exist, is a fool.
You can turn from atheism to God. Your life on earth is your only opportunity for you to know God, if you miss it you miss out forever.
You became an atheist by choice; you were not born as one. You get to know God by choice too.
God is big enough to handle any (mis)guided thoughts you might have about Him. But nothing can be sorted out without your cooperation.
You yourself know that you are not perfect; you are not without blemish. In order words, you are a sinner who needs the forgiveness of God. If you would make up your mind to seek Him in faith, you would find Him
You may not believe in God but you should understand that you are still answerable to Him. One day, you will stand before Him to explain how you lived your life here on Earth and what you did with the offer of grace by His son Jesus Christ.
There is a future reality called hellfire. You don’t have to go there if you decide to accept Jesus Christ now that you are still alive.
Many WordPress bloggers liked the post. But there were some readers that didn’t, as indicated by their comments. The comments and my responses to them will form the basis of Conversations With Atheists Series.
Needless to say, some of the comments from the professed atheists who responded are too abusive and unsavoury to be reposted here. We will therefore make do with extracts from some of the ‘reasonable’ conversations. (But if you don’t mind reading the largely offensive vituperations of the militant atheists that invaded my corner of WordPress as a result of that post, you may want to refer to the comment section of the original post).
Let the conversations begin with this reader/commentator who felt that he is not destined for the love of God
Commentator 1 I don’t really know what I was expecting when I opened this page. But I have to admit I wasn’t expecting this.
This posts makes precisely no attempt to meet atheists at common ground or to have a message that might resonate or anything. It’s just an opportunity taken to preach, claimed to be aimed at atheists but very much written in the language that could rightly make someone think other religious people were the audience; almost literally preaching to the choir.
Surely you have encountered the basic point that the Bible is only convincing to people who already believe…
I don’t mean this to come of rude, but I think it would benefit your writing for atheists if you actually take a moment to really think about the message you want to send, instead of just threatening them with Hell (which they don’t believe in) and telling them they’re wrong (they already know you disagree with them and so would say that).
My Response
Thank you for reading and commenting. The purpose of the post was to present the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is to the atheists, not to establish a common ground as you expected.
… The issue of Hell is not a threat (I thought I mentioned that in the post) as you took it to be. It is an avoidable terrible future reality I tried to mention in love. The fact that you don’t believe in it doesn’t preclude its existence.
But wait a minute, let me be a bit curious: how come it was the mere mention of hellfire that caught your attention more than the love of God for you as explained in the post?
Commentator 1 I’m not currently destined for the love of God.
My Response
My understanding is that God loves us all, including you! So I would like to ask you why you feel “not currently destined for the love of God.”
Commentator 1 First of all, to avoid patronising conversation later on, I want to point out that I am having this conversation from within the Christian narrative, even though I don’t accept it as true. That’s probably too obvious to need pointing out, but I’ve had the ‘atheists can’t talk about that stuff’ argument used against me before.
Anyway, I’m going to be sent to Hell by virtue of not being able to believe: (1) a God exists; (2) a human sacrifice is a good thing; (3) perfection was ever a reasonable expectation of a person.
My Response
The death of Jesus Christ was a perfect sacrifice, without which the redemption of the human race would have been impossible. It is however not an approval for human sacrifice as you suggested.
God raised Jesus from death and He is alive forever. Therein lies the eternal hope of all men, including you.
Food for thought.
Do Christians have a “common ground” with atheists?
Why would someone say that God giving His Son to die for the sin of mankind is an act of human sacrifice, or is it?
What would make a man close his heart to the love of God, to the extent of believing that God’s love is not for him?
… Belief in God isn’t blindly based on acceptance of the Bible as truth, or simply because the argument makes sense, but because when we begin to truly look for him, we begin to find him everywhere. In nature, in science, in supernatural experience, and perhaps most compellingly of all in the transformed lives of the people who have already believed in him – Martin Saunders,Contributing Editor, Christian Today.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that God exists. But I also know there are atheists everywhere around the world – people who do not believe in the existence of God.
Just like Jesus wants us to do, I owe it to such people in particular and to humanity in general, to tell them about God. Not just because of the earthly benefits but for the eternal significance as well.
As you well know, I can’t force anyone to believe in God. But I can at least let them know some things that may help them make up their mind in the affirmative. After all, acknowledging Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and personal Saviour remains a decision everyone has to take by him/herself.
So if you are an atheist, here are 16 sobering truths I wish you to know.
1. God exists – whether you believe it or not.
I had to say that first because it is the main thrust of this discourse. This article is of no effect if God does not exist. What is the point of life if there was no God?
Sorry to disappoint you: the fact that you do not believe in God does not diminish Him one bit. He is an all-sufficient God. Even if you change your mind and decide to believe in God today, it still does not add to His value.
But you know what? It is in your best interest both in time and in eternity to acknowledge Him. I hope you will find the impetus to continue reading after hearing that!
2. To know God, check the Bible
The Bible is the manual of life God gave to man. It is the final authority on anything there is to know about God and His creation.
If in your search for God, you have not checked the Bible, then you have been looking in the wrong direction. And if you have checked it before, you have to check it again. This time, do it in faith.
God has revealed Himself to mankind through the Bible. The Bible has the correct answer to all the questions about life and the after-life. If your disbelief in God has come from reading other books, it is now time you read the Bible with an open heart and with faith.
3. God loves you, I thought you should know.
Contrary to what you might have heard about Him, God is a loving God. As the Bible puts it, “God is love.” God loves you even if you do not acknowledge Him yet.
You don’t believe in Him, He loves you. You hate Him, He still loves you. Because of that love, He does not want you to perish in your ignorance of, or disbelief in, Him.
He would rather have you come to Him humbly in faith through His only Son Jesus Christ, whom He allowed to die in the hands of wicked people for your sin and those of mankind.
4. God is not angry with you.
Has anyone ever told you that God is angry with you? That will not be true! The fact that you don’t believe in God does not mean that He is angry with you. In fact, He loves you too much to be angry with you.
God should have been – and He has every right to be – angry with you for not believing in Him. But His Son Jesus Christ has paid the price for you once and for all. For now, you are covered by His abundant grace.
The only thing that can provoke God eventually is if you fail to acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for you before you leave this earth. If that happens, there is nothing God can do for you again; His anger would then no longer be restrained on the other side of this life.
Anyone who fails to believe in God while alive will be eternally separated from Him after death.
5. Jesus Christ is the only Way to God.
That is an audacious claim, I know. But it is not outrageous.
It is true that there are many ways to arrive a given destination. But when it comes to going to God, Jesus Christ is the Only Way; there is no shortcut and there is no roundabout way.
There is no other way to God apart from through Jesus Christ. That fact cannot be overemphasized.
Jesus Himself declared unequivocally: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:16.
6. You are not the first person to doubt the existence of God.
I guess you know that already! There have been people before you who did not believe in God and there will still be people after you who will not believe in Him.
For instance, Marilyn Adamson confessed in her expository article Does God exist?:
I was an atheist at one time. And like many atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly…
However, the fact that you are not alone in the disbelief in the existence of God should not give you any comfort. Being in a state where you do not believe in God is not the best place you can be.
7. The Bible has a word for anyone who doesn’t believe there is God.
You should hear that word as stated in Psalms chapter 14:1:
A fool says in his heart there is no God.
That is it. According to the Bible, anyone who says there is no God is a fool. Such persons may or may not be educated, lowly or highly placed in the society, if they do not acknowledge God, they are fools. That may sound harsh I know, but then it is the harsh truth.
So you can see that it is wisdom to acknowledge God. It is foolishness not to.
I know there are people who think they are wise so they think have no need of God. But for such people, the Bible says, “In professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).
No matter how you feel about it, there is no wisdom in saying there is no God. If I say there is no God, it means I am foolish.
The only good news after this is that this kind of foolishness can be cured. The cure is to turn to God in faith through Jesus Christ.
8. There have been people who turned from atheism to God.
Sad to say, some people have died in their atheism, thereby sentencing themselves to eternal damnation. But thankfully, there have also been people who moved from atheism to faith in the true God.
For instance, freelance writer and lecturer, Philip Vander Elst tells his own change story in the expository article From Atheism to Christianity: a Personal Journey. He gives us a glimpse into who he was before he came to acknowledge God:
Growing up in a non-Christian family with intellectually gifted but unbelieving parents, I used to think that belief in God and the supernatural had been discredited by the advance of science, and was incompatible with liberty. Religious faith seemed to me to involve the blind worship of a cosmic dictator, and the abandonment of reason in favour of ‘revelation
Similarly, in Five atheists who lost faith in atheism , Martin Saunders, a Contributing Editor for Christian Today, writes about some “former atheists who found that their belief in nothing ultimately led them nowhere.” These people were intellectuals who departed from their avowed atheism to robust faith in God. That can be your story too!
9. Your lifetime is your only opportunity for you to know God.
The nine months spent in your mother’s womb prepared you for the life on earth. Similarly, your life on earth prepares you to be birthed into eternity.
Therefore, your life on earth is your only opportunity for you to know God, personally. If you miss it, you miss out eternally.
I don’t want you to miss out. Hence, I am writing this post to you as an individual.
The point is, if you do not get to establish a personal relationship with God through his Son Jesus Christ while you are still alive, you will inevitably be faced with the stark reality of being forever separated from God. That’s not something to look forward to, I must say.
10. Whatever misgivings you have about God can be handled.
That’s a promise, trust me! God is big enough to handle any (mis)guided thought you might have about Him. But nothing can be sorted out without your cooperation.
As Saunders stated, “when we begin to truly look for [God], we begin to find him everywhere. In nature, in science, in supernatural experience, and perhaps most compellingly of all in the transformed lives of the people who have already believed in him.”
You were not born an atheist, just as I was not born a Christian. I became a believer in Jesus Christ and so can you.
At some point in your life (or is it over a period of time?), you came to believe there is no God. You have your reasons, rightly or wrongly, for the claim that there is no God. But He is such a gracious God that He would not force you to acknowledge Him.
Therefore, if you would make up your mind to seek Him in faith, you would find Him. This is a guarantee because God said through prophet Jeremiah that:
“… ye shall seek me, and find me [God], when ye shall search for me [God] with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13
11. God has numerous children and He has room for you too.
The key is in your hands! God created everyone but not everyone is His ‘child’. I hope you didn’t find that confusing?
The children of God are those who believe in Him through Jesus Christ. You may say you do not believe in God. But it is that same God that you don’t believe in that created you.
It is true He created you but He cannot force you to become His child. Becoming his child is something you would have to do out of your own volition, without any force from me or from anyone else.
To become a child of God, you have to be given the right. As the Bible says “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to … But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become sons of God” John 1:12
The good thing is that the right to become a child of God is yours for the asking… even right now!
12. If you die today, where would you spend eternity?
Would you not want to find an answer to that question before it becomes too late? That’s a question not only for you but for all humans. There are only two possible options – eternity with God or eternity without Him.
Fortunately, anyone who believes in God through His Son Jesus Christ has already settled that issue. For such people, there is nothing to fear; their place is in God.
You already know that the fact that you don’t believe in God does not preclude you from dying. And death is the gateway to eternity. Once you die, you have lost all the chances of ever knowing God.
Your present life is the only chance you to make the decision about where to spend eternity – with God in Heaven or with satan in hell. There is no sitting on the fence between the two choices.
Failure to choose God is already an automatic choice for hellfire. Hope that doesn’t sound too harsh?
13. The question of sin cannot be cured except in Christ.
There is no substitute to Christ at all! Even you yourself know that you are not perfect; you are not without blemish. In order words, you are a sinner who needs the forgiveness of God.
I didn’t say that to condemn you, but rather as a kind of reality check. You have to know this (in case no one ever told you before now): just like all humans, you are a sinner because you were born that way.
Sin is the nature of all men. You cannot solve the problem of sin on your own; you need help – God’s help.
The only authentic remedy for sin is in the blood Jesus Christ. All it requires is a simple faith in His sacrificial death and resurrection. It is only in believing in God through Jesus that your sin nature and its eternal consequence can be permanently dealt with.
14. You are accountable to God, now or later.
This is inescapable! You may not believe in God but you should understand that you are still answerable to Him. Whether you chose to accept Him or not you will still be accountable to Him for your actions.
One day, you will stand before Him to explain how you lived your life here on Earth and what you did with the offer of grace by His son Jesus Christ. I thought you should know that too.
15. There is a future reality called Hellfire.
Many people don’t like to hear that word ‘hellfire’. But I care about you too much not to warn you about it!
It is the final destination reserved for everyone who rejects the salvation that Christ offers. The place was originally meant for satan and his angels. But sadly, anyone that rejects God has sided with satan and so will ultimately end up where satan himself will be confined to too, forever.
You don’t have to go there if you decide to accept Jesus Christ now that you are still alive, otherwise, hellfire will be an inescapable reality. This is not a threat; it is the truth I just tried to share in love.
16. Very far from God is not too far yet.
You might think that you have gone a long way in the journey of your (wrong) belief that God doesn’t exist. But I would say you are yet to reach the point of no return. God is ready to accept you as his son/daughter if you give Him the chance now.
Once you realise that you are on the wrong part, the honourable thing to do is to retrace your steps. Anyone who fails to acknowledge God is already on the wrong path.
If you don’t want to end up in the wrong destination, you should not continue on the journey in the wrong direction. The prodigal son found his back to his father, so can you!
Forget about the wrong things you might have been told about God. Dismantle your previous mindset and seek God yourself with all your heart and with faith.Give Jesus an invitation into your heart and I can assure you He will honour it.
Would you acknowledge God through His son, Jesus Christ now?
P.S: To you that believe in God through his Son Jesus Christ, if you have any sobering thing you would want an atheist to know that doesn’t fall into any of the ones listed above, do me a favour by commenting. You may be the voice that someone may hear to turn to God. Those that have contrary opinions are also welcome to comment.
We are now in the third post in the special series highlighting an online discussion I had with an atheist. In the last post, we saw the said atheist claim that he was a ‘devoted Christian’ for several years before he switched to atheism.
In response to that, I sought to know if he ever had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. His answer to that question together with my own comment forms the basis of this post.
The Atheist, TAB
It wouldn’t matter if I told you that I had a “personal relationship with Christ” because you would just come back with I wasn’t doing something right and missed it.
The long and short of it is, there is no god. There is no Jesus. Modern religion is just the Zeus stories evolved into some place where we cannot go to prove whether the gods are there or not.
I don’t believe in anything of this sort because it cannot be proven. To quote Hitchens, what can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.”
It’s all rubbish. I chose to reject the god worldview and live simply as my own man with the world around me as it is.
Good sermon though. You got it down. It’s a shame that it misleads so many people away from a life of curiosity and learning to one that is simply satisfied with not knowing and looking forward to a world for which there’s no proof or evidence for.
My Response
I read your comments again TAB. I am glad that you also took some time to read mine.
I am convinced you got the message already. So there wouldn’t be much use repeating myself. But allow me to say that Zeus compares in no way with our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and resurrected. Did you ever hear that any god claimed to have died and resurrected?
Dear TAB, God is real and so is Jesus Christ His son. The proof is in me and in anyone that believes. If you seek Him with an open mind and with faith, you will find Him.
When it comes to the possibility of God’s existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God.1 On the other hand, for those who want to know God if he is there, he says, “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you.
I would like to hear your thoughts.
Still ahead: When You Encounter An Atheist For The First Time Part 4
Victors Corner Blog 