Atheists vs. Christians

An atheist doesn’t believe in the existence of a god. The word atheist originates from the Greek, “atheos” and is the combination of two words, a– “without” and theos– “a god” put them together and you have someone who doesn’t believe in a god.

Whereas an agnostic refers to a person who neither believes nor disbelieves in a god or religion. One additional aspect of an agnostic is one who isn’t sure a god exists.

According to the Pew Research Center, taken in 2019, 4% of American adults say they are atheists, up 2% from 2009. And 5% of Americans call themselves agnostics, up from 3% in 2019. If we continue on this trajectory America will have 15% of its population claiming to be atheist, similar to the percentage in France today.

Why, if God exists do people not believe in Him? The answer is not an intellectual problem, it’s a moral problem. People have an overabundance of evidence in the existence of God, if I had as much evidence as an arson investigator when I went to court to convict an arsonist, it would be a quick trial. What evidence? Look at the following three points.

1. Toping our list is creation itself, this evidence is based upon the law of causality, which states that every effect has a cause that is equal to or greater than it. This argument of evidence stretches back to the days Aristotle and later was highly developed by Thomas Aquinas. This argument seeks to answer the question: Where did creation come from? Did it come from nothing? (Like the now debunked Big Bang theory) Or was there a cause? The evidence looks like this: A. Every effect has an equal or greater cause. B. The universe is an effect. C. Therefore, the universe had a cause. To deny this is like sitting down to a delicious meal and arriving at the conclusion that they meal made itself. It would be absurd to think this and an insult to the chef. Now, look at creation, it reflects a significant and brilliant design. This world is overwhelmingly complex. Consider the simplest atom. In the words of scientist Michael Behe, even a single cell is an “irreducibly complex system.” Irreducibly means, “not reducible, incapable of being reduced or simplified further.” Our creation is so complex it points to a design and every design has a designer or creator.
2. Humanity is second on the list of evidence. Many atheists have told me that they are moral people and live a good life. What they refuse to acknowledge is that their virtue and morality comes from being created in the Imago Dei, the image of God. This truth applies to both male and female. How are humans created in God’s image? We are separated from the rest of creation by having a conscience and the free will to choose between right and wrong, good and evil. We have a profound sense of justice, when we see a violent act, we will immediately say, “this is wrong.” We have the capacity of love, joy, kindness, tenderness, gentleness, and goodness, as well as anger, hate, wrath, and vengeance. All stemming from being created in God’s image. Most importantly is that humans have an eternal soul. What they believe or don’t believe about God will directly impact where they will spend eternity, either in heaven or hell. This is no other choice. God created all things perfect, but it was man and woman who choose to reject God’s commands, leading all humanity into sin and as it states, “the wages of sin is death.”
3. Our last point, the Scriptures. The 66 books of the Bible, written over a period of 1,500 years, on three continents, by 40 different authors, in three languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. What is absolutely fascinating about the Bible is that it has the same theme all through it. The Bible never contradicts itself, and it is living, because it is divinely written. This is where we answer the most important question of why atheists don’t believe in God? Again, it’s not an intellectual problem, it’s a moral problem. They refuse to believe, for if an atheist believed in God, he or she would have to be accountable to God, and they hate the thought of submission to Christ. Christ said, “The Scriptures point to Me, but you are unwilling to come to Me.”

All the evidence in the world would not convince one atheist of the existence of God, unless God removes the blinders put over their eyes by the god of this world, Satan. Therefore, let us pray for those who claim to be atheists or agnostics and ask that our God would give them eyes to see and ears to hear the beautiful truth of the gospel.

A slave of Christ Jesus,

John