The Sociological Implications of Denying God’s Existence(Three Steps Into Apostasy/Reprobation)
“18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 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: 21 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. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:18-32).
The purpose of the Scriptures is doxological, i.e. that we might know God and bring Him glory (make Him known). The vast majority of humanity rejects the Scriptures, either in whole or in part. In Romans 1:20, God gives His conclusion about those who suppress these truths that testify to His existence. “They are without excuse.”
“Even if one does not accept the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, the concept of a personal, omnipotent, omniscient, loving God is fatally flawed by the old-earth dogma. The very reason for postulating an ancient cosmos is to escape from God – to push Him as far away in space and as far back in time as possible, hoping to escape His control altogether, letting Nature become ‘god.’ ”[i] (Creation and the Modern Christian, Henry Morris, Master Book Publishers, page 42)
If a person rejects the two witnesses in Romans 1:19-20 to the existence of God, are there grounds to believe that person might respond to additional witness in the gospel? Before a person will see his need of a Savior, he must believe that God exists and the God that exists is absolute as to Who He is and what He expects. There is no second chance. A person has one lifetime to believe in God and accept His free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.
When lost people stand before the Great White throne, they will stand there without excuse. God has given them two great lights that testify to His existence. Satan is doing everything he can do destroy those two witnesses. Before a person has any hope of being saved, he must open His heart to the inner testimony of his conscience testifying that God exists. Once a person accepts the fact of God’s existence, His message to all mankind is that we are lost and need a Savior.
“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:16-21).
“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:16-21).
In Romans 1:21-23, God begins to reveal to us three responses of lost mankind to His two witnesses of Romans 1:19-20. (Three steps towards apostasy/reprobation.)
“21 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. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Romans 1:21-23).
When individuals deny the existence of the God of the Bible (this does not mean they deny the existence of a god), God will begin to give them over into His wrath even in this life. When a society begins to deny the existence of the God of the Bible (absolute and righteous), the things listed in these verses will become more and more prevalent in that society until they dominate it.
In the mid 1960’s, Romans 1:21-32 began to happen in the U.S.A. Today we live in the period of history commonly referred to as the Post Christian Era. Christianity is no longer the positive restraining force it once was. Every few years a new generation of liberals and Secular Humanists graduate into our society. Generation after generation has been over-run by the lumbering bandwagon of pseudo- intellectualism called Secular Humanism or Liberalism. Across it sides (scribbled in crayon) is a banner proclaiming, “God is dead.”
That is not a true statement. God is not dead. However, it does accurately state their goal. It is the goal of Secular Humanism to kill the very idea of God. It is the goal of Secular Humanism to totally eradicate every moral absolute from the face of the earth and replace them with their own (political correctness; i.e., Neo-absolutism). This is the religion of the Antichrist that will ultimately become the Satanocracy that will govern the whole world. This is a broad movement touching all religions, governments and the economics of every nation in the world. In religion it is Ecumenicism. In government it is Marxist Reconstructionism (Fabian socialism). In economics it is Keyne’s Economic Socialism. Put them all together and we have the Satanocracy.
“7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (II John 1:7-11).
The first major step into apostasy is to deny God’s existence. The result is, “There foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21).
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 53:1).
God says that the person denying His existence is a fool. Mark that person down as a fool. Regardless of how many degrees he has or how important he is. Mark it down. He is a fool.
What is the cause of their hearts being darkened? “When they knew God, (through the two witnesses of verse 19-20) they glorified Him not as God.” “Glorified” is from the Greek word doxazo (dox-ad'-zo), which means to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged. Even though there are these two overwhelming internal and external witnesses to the existence of God, the first steps into apostasy is to deny those witnesses and refuse to acknowledge God’s existence. Therefore (because God’s existence is denied) “neither were they thankful.”
“Darwin said we evolved from lower species and that nature is in a struggle for existence; Marx said society is in a constant class struggle; Nietzche proclaimed that God is dead and that ‘one must die several times while still alive. Kiekegaard found life disgusting.
“7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (II John 1:7-11).
The first major step into apostasy is to deny God’s existence. The result is, “There foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21).
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 53:1).
God says that the person denying His existence is a fool. Mark that person down as a fool. Regardless of how many degrees he has or how important he is. Mark it down. He is a fool.
What is the cause of their hearts being darkened? “When they knew God, (through the two witnesses of verse 19-20) they glorified Him not as God.” “Glorified” is from the Greek word doxazo (dox-ad'-zo), which means to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged. Even though there are these two overwhelming internal and external witnesses to the existence of God, the first steps into apostasy is to deny those witnesses and refuse to acknowledge God’s existence. Therefore (because God’s existence is denied) “neither were they thankful.”
“Darwin said we evolved from lower species and that nature is in a struggle for existence; Marx said society is in a constant class struggle; Nietzche proclaimed that God is dead and that ‘one must die several times while still alive. Kiekegaard found life disgusting.
Whether we realize it or not, these are among the philosophies which have become the basis for the worldview of modern education. This view permeates through our school systems in every academic discipline. As it does, it produces the same uncertainty and the same confusion of mind that it did in those men who formulated the philosophies.
In everything which touches our lives we are reaping the harvest from the seeds these men and their disciples have sown. The alarming thing is that most people don’t understand or realize this.”[ii] (Hope For The Terminal Generation, Hal Lindsey and C.C. Carlson, F. H. Revell Company, page 29)
Obviously, when people deny God’s existence, they will not be grateful for Who God is or what He does to give them life and its provisions. When people deny God’s existence, they reduce themselves to just another animal. However, even some animals are more grateful to their masters than a human who denies the existence of God.
Another step into apostasy is “they became vain in their imaginations.” Before God can be explained away, alternatives to Creation must be established. The word “vain” is translated from the Greek word mataioo (mat-ah-yo'-o) meaning foolish or empty of truth. “Imaginations” is from the Greek word dialogismos (dee-al-og-is-mos'), which refers to the inward reasoning of a person as he deliberates and questions what is true.
“Until the emergence of Social Darwinism, it was generally held in the West that the process of history constantly revealed that the Judeo-Christian God was behind it . . . Darwin changed all of this. His idea of natural selection is meaningless gibberish unless he is in fact referring to an impersonal force, a power that propels history and establishes its direction. Although Darwin had Christian associations as a young man, as his life progressed he became less and less willing to ascribe the control and direction of history to God. Rather, he came to think of the progress of history as being determined by the impersonal engine of natural selection. God was exchanged for a force, and history dropped into a depersonalized mode.
The Social Darwinists of our time have continued along this line. Our society, once rightly called a Christian civilization, has become secular to a greater degree than the solons of Western civilization would have thought possible. Education, government, business, the media, and, in many cases, religion, have moved through progressive stages of secularization from Christianity to atheism. As a result, God is not merely ignored but rather is resented, opposed, and vilified at every opportunity.”[iii] (Seven Men Who Ruled the World from the Grave, Dave Breese, Moody Press, page 48)
The second major step into apostasy by those who deny God’s existence is, “Professing themselves to be wise, they become fools” (Romans 1:22). “Professing” is from the Greek word phasko (fas'-ko) meaning to affirm or allege something. This refers to their opinion of themselves. “Wise” is from the Greek word sophos (sof-os'), which is the basis for our English word sophisticated. It means to be wise, skilled in letters, cultivated and learned. To them, anyone disagreeing with them is ignorant. “Fools” is from the Greek word moraino (mo-rah'-ee-no) from which we get our English word moron. It means to prove one’s self a fool.
“Reading Freud [Sigmund Freud] on religion, one hears in his words the source of many a modern conversation about the nature of the Christian religion and the purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. Freud, an atheist, gave every successive detractor of the value of religion a set of clever, psychological remarks through which to express contempt for God and His work. After all, psychoanalysis was the new revelation, and psychotherapy the new salvation.”[iv] (Seven Men Who Ruled the World from the Grave, Dave Breese, Moody Press, page 137)
The third major step into apostasy by those who deny God’s existence is they changed God’s glory into images (Romans 1:23). “Change” is from the Greek word allasso (al-las'-so) meaning to exchange one thing for another. “Glory” is from the Greek word doxa (dox'-ah), which in this context means the reality of what something is.
The intent is that they exchanged the real God for a manufactured God. They made up a God. Every step away from the God of the Bible is a step into the human imagination. Any deviation from the God of the Bible creates a deviant and false god. Close enough is never good enough when it comes to theology. God has revealed Himself for mankind to know Him accurately and personally. Unless we know Him accurately, our relationship with Him and worship of Him will not be what it should be.
“23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).
This fact is evident by the practices that come from the denial of the God of the Bible as seen in Romans 1:24-32. God’s first response to lost mankind’s denial of His existence is found in Romans 1:24-25.
“24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:24-25).
God is never inactive when it comes to those who reject Him and His absolutes. However, His purpose is to bring lost souls to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When man is pre-occupied with the carnal things of this world and his own selfish desires for them, his tendency is to reject the inner witness of his conscience. God is working in that person’s life by allowing him to be filled with unrighteousness to the place where he can finally see the end of such a way of life. Romans 1:24-32 gives us the digression of sin when God’s existence and absolutes are rejected.
“23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).
This fact is evident by the practices that come from the denial of the God of the Bible as seen in Romans 1:24-32. God’s first response to lost mankind’s denial of His existence is found in Romans 1:24-25.
“24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:24-25).
God is never inactive when it comes to those who reject Him and His absolutes. However, His purpose is to bring lost souls to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When man is pre-occupied with the carnal things of this world and his own selfish desires for them, his tendency is to reject the inner witness of his conscience. God is working in that person’s life by allowing him to be filled with unrighteousness to the place where he can finally see the end of such a way of life. Romans 1:24-32 gives us the digression of sin when God’s existence and absolutes are rejected.
One thing all Christians need to caution themselves about regarding people who have denied the existence of God and are given over to lives of sin as described in Romans 1:24-32, is that of self-righteous contempt for these people. Apart from the grace of God, this would describe every person in the world. The Christian has one responsibility regarding these people.
“17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:17-23).
“17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:17-23).
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