There Are No God Free Zones

"Only a fool would say, 'There is no God.'

People like that are worthless; they are heartless and cruel and never do right." Psalm 41:1 CEV

[Contemporary English Version]



"Only a fool would say there is no god." That saying is to be expected from a deist - someone who believes in a god or gods. And I understand "fool" sounds offensive.  My breath, however, is taken away by the rest of Psalm 41:1.  

Most of us know, perhaps love, post-modern individuals who say, "There is no God."  But, look at the labels piled on here - heartless ... cruel ... worthless. God is pretty hard on these friends!  And, if that is not enough, God lays on another judgment - "People like that ... never do right."

Come on!  There are good people in the world. That can't be true. My friends do what's right. Well, at least sometimes.  No wonder people call us exclusive and harsh.

Remember, my friends, we are not dealing with human ideas about right, worth, or the value of actions.  We are not reading in a context of godlessness [the absence of God], but in the context of a world with one true God.  A world, and people, created for his plan, his purpose.  There are no god-free zones.

The Bible affirms over and over again, even quoting God, that right and worth, cruelty and heartlessness are defined by God.  Defined by his rightness, the worth he assigns us, the compassion and kindness in his heart. The only good, the only thing done right, comes from walking with him humbly. Those individuals who believe there is no god by their very nature and core values cannot do that.

The truth remains - God is pretty hard on my friends.  But it is truth being spoken - not to diss or down, but to show the deception in our human hearts.  Even mine when I presume to judge God.