“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.”

— Psalm 53:1

The statement “Atheism is the religion of fools” may make some people angry, but let’s examine its veracity. First of all, we know atheists are fools because God says so in His Word (see today’s text). Second, reason confirms the irrationality of atheism. For an atheist to prove that God does not exist, he or she would have to explore every corner of the universe. Logic calls this the “fallacy of the universal negative.” You cannot prove a “universal no” because you cannot “know” everything. You cannot know for sure that no little green men inhabit the universe because you cannot visit every planet and every star. In the same way, you cannot prove that God doesn’t exist. Third, experience demonstrates that atheism is foolishly destructive. The twentieth-century atheistic philosophies of Nazism and Communism have butchered some 170 million people. This total tops the sum of all those who died in all the preceding wars in history. As well, atheism has in some cases led to hopelessness and insanity. Nietzsche, founder of the “God is dead” movement, went stark raving mad during the last eleven years of his life.

Only a small number of Americans label themselves as atheists. In fact, many consider themselves Christians. Some attend church on Sunday, but the rest of the week they ignore God, so in reality these people are “practical atheists.” Others who might, in past years, have called themselves atheists now hide their true identities under the names of humanism or secularism. The atheist says, “Down with God.” The humanist says, “Up with man.” These are seemingly opposite statements, but they communicate the same thing.

The good news is that atheism is not accomplishing its goals. Today more people believe in God than at any other time in history. So even when Christians appear as fools in the world’s eyes, we know that God has chosen the “foolish” to shame the “wise.”

Today pray for your atheist friends. Pray that they would join you as followers of Christ. Pray that they may experience God in such a powerful way that they can never again doubt His existence.

“The greatest question of our time is not communism versus
individuality; nor Europe versus America; not even the East
versus West. It is whether men can live without God.”
Will Durant

“… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve …”

— Joshua 24:15

Decisions, decisions. Many people nowadays drown in a sea of options. Perhaps you feel that way today. But fortunately, despite the myriad of decisions you must make every day, most decisions are not particularly life-changing. On the other hand, we can examine decisions in history that changed the course of nations. Someone once asked Alexander the Great, “How did you manage to conquer the whole world?” Alexander replied, “By not wavering.” Is decision-making really that simple? Well, it may be more profound than we think. But often we find that as we hesitate, ponder, and consider things, we don’t conquer much of anything—not even our own indecision.

We do have one decision we must make as soon as possible, and it is life-changing. Joshua laid this same decision on the line for the Israelite people. He had gathered the Israelites together at Shechem, which, before the conquest of Jerusalem, was the most holy place in all of Israel. At Shechem, Abraham had built an altar when he came from Ur of the Chaldees. At Shechem, Jacob had purchased a parcel of land. At Shechem, Joseph’s bones had found their final resting place after the Israelites brought them from Egypt. At Shechem, tribes had gathered to hear the curses and the blessings from Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. At this most historic place, Joshua once more gathered the tribes of Israel and delivered his equivalent of Washington’s farewell address. Joshua rehearsed God’s goodness and His mercies to the people over the years and called upon the Israelites to make a decision. He said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”

Sooner or later we all must decide whether or not we’ll live for God and serve Him. Joshua ended his farewell address with the words that many a godly family has made its own: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Do those words describe your life, your home? Today, if you haven’t already, make the decision to serve the Lord with all you have and all you are. This is one decision you’ll never regret.

“The rich young ruler, in his famous interview with
Christ, asked the right question, asked the right person,
received the right answer, but made the wrong choice.”
Billy Graham

“But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.”

— Proverbs 8:36

Explore with me one final modern myth: “Suicide is a viable option.” Dr. Arthur Caplan, the director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Biomedical Ethics, says that the most significant bioethical event in our country’s history “is not artificial hearts; it’s not grandmothers who give birth to their grandchildren. It is the matter of doctor-assisted suicide because it is a break from a two-thousand-year-old tradition that says [in the words of the Hippocratic Oath] doctors cannot harm.” We can’t tell what harmful actions will follow in the wake of doctor-assisted suicides. We can trace the atrocities of the Holocaust to a small beginning: the blurring of the line between physicians healing people and killing them. As serious as this subject is, it has generated its own class of humor. Picture this: A cartoon shows a doctor’s waiting room full of elderly patients with their crutches, canes, and wheelchairs. The nurse steps cheerily to the door and announces, “The doctor will kill you now.”

Advocates for doctor-assisted suicide call it “death with dignity.” But that watered-down term masks the reality that this practice is self-murder. Charles Hodge of Princeton Seminary put it this way, “Suicide is … self-murder in the sight of God … We have no more right to take our own life than the life of another … It is a crime which admits of no repentance and consequently involves the loss of the soul.”

If you have lost a friend or loved one to suicide, let me hasten to make something clear. I believe that a Christian may fall prey to intense, overwhelming despair and could, in such a mental state, commit suicide without forfeiting his or her soul. But for the most part, as Hodge says, “Suicide is most common among those who have lost all faith in Christianity.” Remember that God has given you your life as a precious gift. Cherish and preserve it whatever difficulties come your way.

“Let us not be cowards, deserting our posts, flinging
back thanklessly in the face of God the gift of life.”

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

— Ephesians 2:8–9

No doubt you’ve heard the statement “God helps those who help themselves.” What is your reaction when I tell you that this, too, is a myth of our culture? Do you feel shocked? Indignant? Relieved?

We’ve heard this statement again and again, sometimes from deeply spiritual people whom we trust. In fact, we’ve heard it in church so many times that many people think it comes from the Bible. But it doesn’t. We buy into this myth because it has that can-do, pioneer spirit that built our nation, but it often leads us astray.

God does expect us to help ourselves in some things, such as working diligently. But when it comes to salvation, we must rely entirely on God’s provision and mercy. From the beginning, we’ve tried to help God provide us with salvation, but He has put up a sign that clearly states, “No help wanted or needed.” As the late Anglican bishop, Taylor Smith, received a shave from his barber, the bishop brought up the topic of salvation. The barber snapped, “I do my best, and that is good enough for me.” Through the rest of the shave, the bishop remained silent, and when the barber finished, Smith paid his bill. In the meantime, another man had come in for a shave. The bishop picked up a razor and said, “I’ll give this man a shave.” The barber exclaimed, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, bishop.” The bishop said, “Ah, but I assure you, I’ll do the best I can.” The barber said, “But I’m afraid your best will not be good enough for this gentleman.” The bishop replied, “And neither, sir, is your best good enough for God.”

Our best falls far short of what God accepts for our atonement, and for that reason, we can’t help ourselves. And fortunately, we don’t need to. Christ has already fully paid our debts. As far as salvation is concerned, God helps the helpless who trust in Him. Today, thank God for that truth, and rest yourself in Him and in His provision for your atonement.

“Not the labors of my hands can fulfill Thy law’s demands,
All for sin could not atone; Thou must save and Thou alone.”
“Rock Of Ages” (Hymn) By Augustus Toplady

“And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

— Matthew 7:28–29

What part does your relationship with God play in your life? Your answer to that question will affect your reaction to the myth we look at today.

Many people believe that they can have morality without religion. What do you think about that statement? It’s a myth so ingrained in the modern American mind that people take it for granted. In fact, we continue to build our current educational and legal systems upon it, despite the warnings of great people in history. For example, George Washington, in his farewell address, warned us to avoid this myth: “And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.” Dostoevsky, an author of the last century, reminded us, “If there is no God, then everything is permissible.” Jean-Paul Sartre echoed Washington and Dostoevsky: “[Without God] all activities are equivalent … Thus it amounts to the same thing whether one gets drunk alone, or is a leader of nations.”

And I say: We cannot have morality without religion. Why? Because people don’t follow a code of ethics when a fellow human being has drawn it up. While the humanists have drawn up a Humanist Manifesto that many have chosen to follow, this manifesto includes many things originally forbidden by God—divorce, suicide, free love, fornication, adultery, and euthanasia. No one can impose his or her morality on others. The atheists and humanists have only accomplished this because they’ve legislated whatever behaviors they’ve wanted to sanction. We also can’t have morality without religion because if we get rid of God, we have nothing left to guide us except what we see other people doing. And what someone is doing is not necessarily what he or she should be doing. You cannot get an “ought” from an “is.”

No one but God is just enough, powerful enough, or wise enough to create a moral code by which humankind must live. God not only created this code, but He sent His Son to pay the penalty for all our violations of it. Today, thank God not only for the creation of His code but also His fulfillment of it through Jesus Christ. Then submit your will to Him, allowing His moral code to guide you in everything you say and do.

“And let us with caution indulge the supposition
that morality can be maintained without religion.”
George Washington

“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.’”

— Romans 3:10

Most people in America today believe that people are basically good. This belief astonishes me because it flies in the face of Biblical teaching and contradicts much of human history.

Today we hesitate to mention the word “sin.” We don’t talk about “right and wrong;” we talk about “right and stupid.” A person doesn’t admit to sinning but instead says, “I did something dumb. I acted stupid. I should have been more careful.” We no longer label violent criminals as “evil.” Instead, we say they are “victims of illness.”

But the Bible expounds on humankind’s basically evil nature. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Jesus also believed in humanity’s evilness. He said that we are all sinners; children of Satan; hypocrites; filled with evil thoughts—murder, adultery, fornication, and theft; vipers; fools; and blind. History confirms humanity’s evil nature. Historians tell us that one-third of all human beings who have lived on this planet have died at the hands of their fellow human beings.

We’re all sinners. God knows our base, evil nature. He knows that none of us could ever be good enough to have a relationship with Him. So He made a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven by placing all our sinfulness on Christ and having Him die in our place. Praise God that He hasn’t left us to our own devices but instead has forgiven us and imputed to us Christ’s righteousness. By God’s good grace, we have Christ’s basic goodness resident within us.

“The greatest saints, down through the centuries, have all
acknowledged themselves to be the greatest of sinners.”

“And you shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.”

— John 8:32

Over the next few days we’ll look at some modern myths—assertions by our society that contradict Biblical truth.

The first and perhaps most prevalent is “There are no absolutes; all truth is relative.” Have you perceived this attitude recently? You can hear it in statements such as “Things change, and what we believed ten years ago no longer fits”; “That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me”; “That concept works in America, but it would never work in China.”

The statement “There are no absolutes; all truth is relative” contradicts itself because it’s an absolute statement. When people assert that no absolutes exist, they really claim that God doesn’t exist because God is the ultimate absolute. “No absolutes” means no inspired Word of God. It means no Jesus Christ.

But absolutes do exist. The Bible constantly deals with absolutes: life and death, obedience and disobedience, righteousness and sin, saved and lost, light and darkness, good and evil, faith and unbelief, Heaven and hell, God and Satan. Not only do absolutes exist, but we can know and understand them. The Bible says, “These things I have written to you … that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). We can know that we must receive Christ as our Lord and Savior; that no one can mock God; that all have sinned; that one day we shall all give an account of ourselves; that Christ is the Way, the truth, and the life; and that Christ prepares a place for us in Heaven.

When we know the absolute truth, it sets us free to realize God’s will in our lives. Don’t let cultural relativism fool you into thinking that each person can determine his or her own “truth.” We all may perceive minor aspects of truth differently, but that doesn’t support the idea of relative truth. Truth is eternal and unchangeable.

Do you want to know the absolute truth? Then look into God’s Word today. Search the Scriptures for God’s truth, and let it set you free.

“Those who deny moral absolutes find themselves
in even greater bondage to sin.”

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.”

— Proverbs 22:29

A gentleman was walking down the street, and he passed a large construction site where a group of men were laying brick. He asked one of the workers, “What are you doing?”

The man answered, “I’m laying bricks, stupid. What does it look like I’m doing?”
The gentleman asked another man, “What are you doing?”
The second man replied, “I am making a wall.”
The passerby asked a third man, “What are you doing?”
He said, “I am building a magnificent cathedral to the glory of God!”

What’s the difference between the narrow vision of the first two men and the great vision of the third man? The third man saw the ultimate purpose of his work: to glorify God.

We need to have the same focus in whatever work we do, whether we work directly for the Church or in a secular profession. As the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession states, the chief end of humankind is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. So as we live and work, our ultimate purpose should be to glorify God.

How can you and I glorify God in our work? By pursuing excellence in all we do. Too often, work done in the Church by professing Christians is sloppy or below par. But when we do things well, God is glorified. For this reason, Christian books should be of a higher caliber than secular books, and Christian videos should be of a higher quality than secular ones.

Whatever God has called you to do, pursue excellence both professionally and personally. Make it your end to glorify God in all you do, and God will help you achieve the highest quality of which you are capable. Remember that even the smallest, most mundane task will ultimately result in a magnificent cathedral of glory to our God.

“Excellence in all things and all things to God’s glory.”
Motto Of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church

“… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

— Revelation 2:10

What is one goal you’ve reached that you feel particularly proud of? Is it graduating from school? Running a marathon? Teaching your children good morals? Bringing a friend or family member to Christ?

Now, what did it take for you to reach that goal?

Columbus set the goal of sailing around the world. Every day of his voyage, he penned these words in his diary: “And this day we sailed on.” Columbus achieved incredible results because he continued the pursuit of his goal day after day. In the same way, if we want to reach any goal, we need perseverance and faithfulness. How well we start doesn’t really matter. In any goal we set out to achieve, we need to persevere until the end.

Would you like to know a couple of secrets about living successfully? Then read with me a verse from Genesis which contains two great secrets of success in any sphere of life: “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” Do you see in these words the two great principles of success in life? “And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan.” The first secret to succeeding in life is this: We must set out to achieve noble goals, goals worthy of our effort as people who will dwell eternally in Jesus Christ’s presence. Second, we must keep going. Abram and his family made it to Canaan because they persevered. They traveled toward Canaan day in and day out until they arrived. If we expect to lead successful lives, we can’t give up after we’ve set out to achieve a goal. Instead, we must everlastingly keep on keeping on.

If you haven’t already determined some goals for yourself, choose a goal today, a goal worthy of your time and effort. Then set out to meet that goal, persevering today and in the days to come.

“There aren’t any hard and fast rules
for getting ahead, just hard ones.”
Anonymous

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

— Ephesians 3:16

Leap tall buildings in a single bound. Run faster than a locomotive. Defeat villains with superior wit and strength. You know who I’m talking about, right? We’ve all seen characters such as Superman and Batman bending steel beams and knocking out criminals, and we cheer as good wins over evil.

Perhaps we cheer because we see a kind of power that can affect our world. We know we don’t have that kind of power within ourselves, so we live vicariously through the superheroes our culture has created. Through them, we attempt to compensate for what we so obviously lack.

We all need the power to triumph over evil. However, our real need lies not in the external world but in the internal combat zone where we fight our moral battles. None of us will ever need to leap a tall building or bend steel beams with our bare hands. But we do need to conquer sin, overcome temptations, and bend our iron wills in obedience to God. And we can’t do those tasks without strength and power.

As Christians we have only one source for such might: the explosive power of Jesus Christ in our hearts. Not only does Christ’s power expel the evil within us, it conquers the attacks from without. Christ calls us to triumph, but He never leaves us to fight on our own. Jesus always leads us forth in triumph, exhorting us to “go and conquer in my name.” With Christ’s power inhabiting our souls, we can conquer evil and draw people to Jesus. God can use us to transform people and thus the society around us.

Christ is the only true superhero, and He lives within us and works through us. Allow Him to empower you for the challenges and temptations you face this day. By Christ’s power, you can conquer all evil that comes your way.

“Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.”
Old English Hymn