In Psalm 51 we see David’s profound confession, not only of his sinful actions, but of his sinful nature. Man is depraved. In his depravity man seeks autonomy! He seeks to break free from the moral and ethical bonds that the existence of God demands. We want to establish our own rules and live according to our own interests. We want to live “Our way.” Like Frank sang, “I did it MY WAY.” If we can

The Psalmist cries out in Psalm 53 that it’s only a foolish person who can look at the design and glory of all creation and deny God’s existence. Verse 1 says, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God.” It’s only the fool who can say or think such things because the evidence for God is too overwhelming. C. S. Lewis exposed the fallacy of atheism in his “Mere Christianity” many years ago. He explained, “. . . Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should have never found out that it has no meaning: Just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. ‘Dark’ would be without meaning.”

I might argue that atheism is not a tenable intellectual position. But it certainly is one very desirable for us as we seek to have everything our way. If we can cast off the shackles of a moral imperative, we can pursue all the sinful pleasures we want with impunity. Furthermore, if we can convince others that there is no God, then we can convince others to share our hedonistic lifestyle. It is our natural evil predisposition that longs to deny God, not our logical reasoning. The Psalmist goes on to explain the fool’s denial of God by saying “They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.”

1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Again man doesn’t need rehabilitation. He needs regeneration. Jesus was right, “You must be born again.”

Chuck
“As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth. Your strong right hand is filled with victory.” (Psalm 48:10)