An atheist is a person who does not believe in God. The word "atheist" is a compound word meaning "against God." He or she believes that the universe came to exist by some natural mechanism rather than by the creative act of God.

Usually the atheist will say he does not believe in God because he cannot see Him. This sounds well thought out and reasonable. But can he explain the origin of the universe based on what he now sees? No, he cannot. No one has seen energy either being created or destroyed. No creation process, either natural or supernatural, has ever been observed. If one rejects supernatural creation because it has not been observed, then he must reject natural creation on the same basis. That leaves us with the embarrassing conclusion that nothing has been created and therefore nothing now exists, so why are atheists even having this conversation? The Bible tells believers to "always be ready to make a defense to everyone that asks you" to give account for what we believe (1 Peter 3:15). It seems that the atheist should at least do likewise.

Even atheists live by faith, though not faith in God. They believe in things they have never seen. Most atheists believe that George Washington existed, but not a one of them were around to actually meet him. To say that one does not believe in God because he has never seen Him is foolish and inconsistent. To cast off belief in God is to also admit that life is without purpose because our very existence is just the result of blind, cosmic accidents randomly occurring and there is no answer to the age old question "Why are we here?" However, believers know that they exist as a part of a plan; that they have purpose and reason, and this is just the beginning of an eternally satisfying life extending beyond this world.


 

By Jon W. Quinn
The Front Page
From Expository Files 14.4   April 2007

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