Sunday Sermons
The Flight From God
The Flight from God
The Psychology of Unbelief
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).
It is interesting that the Holy Spirit linked unbelief or rejection of the obvious truth that God exists to a word that is often used in modern psychology, that is, the idea of suppression or repression. Skeptics often seek to argue that Christianity unnecessarily represses natural desires in man, yet the Holy Spirit says that the rejection of God’s truth is the real repression. “It is a repressing or holding down a truth that ought not to be repressed or held down” (If There’s a God, Why Are There Atheists?, R.C. Sproul, p. 60).
There is no problem with the evidence
This chapter, as well as other verses (Psalm 19:1), make it clear that “the knowledge of God is not a problem of obscurity that can be detected only by an intellectually elite group or by a skilled master of esoteric mysteries” (Sproul, p. 61). Here is how the Holy Spirit worded this point, “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (Romans 1:19). The word evident means “plain”, and the idea is that God makes His existence “clear” to everyone who has ever lived, for it is made plain each and every day in everything we see (Romans 1:20). “In this case if the pupil doesn’t learn, it is not because the teacher didn’t teach” (Sproul, p. 61). Therefore, no one can logically cite insufficient evidence, for not believing in God. In fact, learned men and women and even some scientists who claim that the evidence for God’s existence is insufficient should be embarrassed to make such a statement, seeing that around 96 percent of the population claims that they can see the evidence for God’s existence. So the professor who claims that the evidence is “insufficient” is really indirectly admitting that 96 percent of the population has a clearer insight than he or she does.
The light does get through
Even though we cannot read a person’s heart, the Holy Spirit is reading the hearts of unbelievers for us in this chapter and others. Christians, at times, wonder if the die-hard atheist, in his or her heart, really believes in their atheism or actually does have an idea that God exists, yet do not want to serve Him and are looking for an excuse. The following verses demonstrate the believers and unbelievers and God knows that His truth gets through; it does penetrate even the hearts of those who claim that He does not exist:
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“Who suppress the truth” (1:18)
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“Even though they knew God” (1:21)
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“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (1:25)
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“Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer” (1:28)
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“And, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death” (1:32)
Thus, God’s wrath is not directed against people who supposedly had no possible way of knowing anything about Him. “That would hold people accountable for ignorance that could not be overcome. But the point is that such a revelation is given so that invincible ignorance cannot be the plea” (Sproul, p. 64).
Unbelief is a retreat from honesty
“For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (1:25). Therefore, atheism and false religion are not movements toward truth, but man-made attempts to flee from the truth. “Either option, atheism or diluted religion, manifests an exchange of the truth for a lie. The truth is exchanged for the lie simply because the lie seems easier to live with” (Sproul, p. 76).
Unbelief is a retreat from humility
“Professing to be wise” (Romans 1:22); “they did not see fit to acknowledge God” (1:28). In fact, to claim that no God exists is to claim that one is omniscient, for one would have to be all-knowing, omnipresent and eternal to realistically make such a claim. Only one who has been around forever, knows everything and has been in every corner of reality, both physical and spiritual, to make such a claim. Yet a finite, limited man who is confined to only one planet in the galaxy for about seventy some years is in no position to positively claim no God exists. Observe that the unbeliever does believe in some absolute truths, for the statement, “God does not exist” is an absolute and dogmatic statement.
The religious unbeliever
It is noteworthy that the Holy Spirit does not view natural religion or the idolatry of paganism as a positive step in man’s supposed evolution, but rather views idolatry as an irrational flight from God. Idolatry and immorality are evidence that a man or woman or a culture are on the run from truth. “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:25). “Religion (man-made) is not the fruit of a zealous pursuit of God, but the result of a passionate flight from God. The glory of God is exchanged for an idol. The idol stands as a monument, not to religious fevor but to the flight of man from his initial encounter with the glory of God… That the pagan is ‘religious’ is no way lessens his guilt before God. The practice of idolatrous religion is not viewed as an approximate form of authentic religion but as a negation of it. It is one thing to deny the existence of God; it is another thing to add insult to the denial by worshipping something that is clearly of the created order. The worship and service rendered to idols may be sincere, yet it is regarded as being sincerely evil. A sincere distortion of the truth that dishonors God evokes nothing less than the sincere wrath of God” (Sproul, p. 69).
Most religions are man-made
The skeptic is partially right. Ninety nine percent of the religions on this planet are human inventions, yet what the skeptic forgets is that one true religion, the faith revealed by the Holy Spirit does exist, which all other religions are departures. And every generation has been confronted with all sorts of attempts to soften the demands imposed by the true God.
The dishonoring of self
It is noteworthy that what begins as an act that dishonors God (1:21), ends up being a lifestyle that ends in dishonoring men (1:24, 26). In other terms:
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Man has no honor in a society that rejects God.
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When God is not valued the value of human life decreases.
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When man no longer keeps his commitments to God – do not be surprised when men do not honor their commitments among each other.
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Ridicule God and you make yourself an object of ridicule, for you are made in His image
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Hate God and you will end up hating yourself
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Abandon God and you will find yourself without any restraints and in a life of complete abandon (1:24)
Unbelief suppresses the real desires
Often the argument is made that Christianity harms man by suppressing or repressing man’s natural sexual desire, yet this chapter says the exact opposite. In fact, the chapter claims that homosexuality is not only an evidence that one is running from God, but equally evidence that one is suppressing the natural desires (Romans 1:26-27). Thus, this behavior not only damages a person physically and spiritually, but emotionally and mentally as well. I say mentally, because the text says in the very next verse, that God gave them over to a “depraved mind” (1:28).
Yet they still know
“And, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death” (Romans 1:32). Even though the knowledge of God or the truth is repressed, put down, or held in captivity, it is not destroyed. “The memory remains, though it may be buried in the unconscious realm. Knowledge of God is unacceptable to man, and as a result man does his best to blot it out or at least camouflage it in such a way that its threatening character can be concealed or dulled” (Sproul, p. 75). Yes, the knowledge of the truth can be deeply buried, yet this chapter suggests that men and women, even when in full flight and rebellion, have a knowledge of the truth that is very near the surface. They not only know that there is a God but often they are very aware of His specific instructions and moral standards. What this says is that the average unbeliever might be far more biblically literate than they admit.
Unbelief in the collective
“They not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:32). Not only did the average unbeliever in Paul’s day know that his deeds were evil and would be punished by God, but he also applauded and encouraged others to “participate in the madness with him” (Sproul, p. 71). It is far easier to engage in sin when there is no disapproval from others but rather there is a collective approval. This explains our modern society’s emphasis on “tolerance”, which is nothing more than an application of Romans 1:32 “hearty approval”. For the believer this chapter says that you are not only on the right track, but you are honest, courageous, honoring God, self and others, and that you are quite sane.
