Beneath Rebellion

Beneath Rebellion

The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

Psalm 97:6

IN WORD Beneath every skeptic’s protests against God’s existence is a desire to be autonomous. Their objections are often a transparent mask. To acknowledge God and His righteousness would be to admit that humanity must bow down. That’s unappealing, so the intellectual arguments come out and the clarity of truth gets obscured.

How do we know that pure, objective logic does not guide the skeptic? Because the Bible is clear: “The heavens proclaim [God’s] righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.” The psalm was written at a time when many thought that only Israel saw His glory. But God has written the evidence for His existence—and His righteousness—into every human culture and into every dark corner of this world. The smoke-and-mirrors approach of agnostics and atheists will not hold water; even if their theories span centuries, they are still short-lived. And the misdirection strategies of those who worship idols will not hold water either. Tailor-made gods may appear to spring from religious sincerity, but they are simply one more human attempt to avoid the Righteous One. Our Sovereign has not spoken as subtly as many think.

IN DEED Be careful not to get drawn into religious issues as the world has framed them. There are only two categories of religion: the religion of those who accept the Righteous God, and the religions of those who avoid Him.

What does that mean in the daily life of the average Christian? It means that the bottom line in every conversation you have with a non-Christian about your faith is an authority issue. You don’t have to point that out; just know that it’s there. And it also means that the doubts you may struggle with are probably not an intellectual crisis. A question of authority often underlies them as well. Will you trust in God’s sovereignty or strive for your own autonomy?

Doubts are normal for believers and unbelievers alike, but understand the battle of wills that is their source. His righteousness has been abundantly proclaimed, and all have seen His glory.

Every revelation of God is a demand, and the way to knowledge of God is by obedience.

—WILLIAM TEMPLE