Jesus on Homosexuality

by Scott Rossy

There are those within professing Christianity who support and defend the homosexual lifestyle and homosexual marriage. Among them there are those who are practicing homosexuals as well as those who although they themselves are not homosexual, are of those who give “hearty approval” (Romans 1:32) and support to those who are. This may sound strange since homosexuality is clearly prohibited in the bible, but in recent years there have been more and more Christians who gradually adhere to this view. So how then, does someone who claims to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ defend a lifestyle and an act that the bible calls an abomination?  

There are two lines of argument behind their reasoning:

1) Jesus never spoke about homosexuality, so therefore He never condemned it. They attempt to find support for their view from Jesus supposed silence on the matter concluding that He would support and condone homosexual marriage.

2) It was Paul (and Moses) who condemned homosexuality and since Christians are to be followers of Jesus, we don’t need to obey what Paul said. He was just a man and his words aren’t authoritative to Christians today. It’s only what Jesus spoke that matters.

Neither of these arguments are valid. Concerning the second argument about the authority of the Apostle Paul, please see the previous post titled, That's Paul, not Jesus  where I give some thoughts on the authority of Paul. 

But what about Jesus? Do we know His view on marriage and sexual relations? Did He ever speak on these matters? Yes! He absolutely did. Jesus did reveal His will on these matters. He spoke clearly on God’s will for marriage and sexuality. He clearly upheld and affirmed that marriage is to consist of one man and one woman. He states that this has always been God’s purpose and plan for marriage. He did this in a number of ways:

First, He speaks directly about marriage. “He[Jesus] answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,  and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6).  Of these 3 verses that Jesus spoke, the first 2 were quoted directly from the Genesis chapter 2 account of the creation of man and woman on the earth. The third verse was added directly by Him. He states clearly that marriage is between one man and his one wife. He upholds the Genesis account of creation and marriage. The institution of marriage has been created by God, not man. He states; “What therefore God has joined together…”  It’s a man and a woman joined together in marriage by God. This is exactly what happened in the Genesis account that Jesus quoted. After creating the first man (Adam), “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18).  The helper that God created for the man is the first woman (Eve). Genesis 2 continues; “The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.” (Genesis 2:22).  The bringing of the woman to the man was done by God. He brought her to the man to be his wife, uniting them in marriage. This was His plan, His will and His purpose in creating marriage. The idea of marriage and the definition of marriage were not conceived by man. Again, this is what Jesus meant when He said; “What therefore God has joined together...”   It started with God, in His mind. Marriage exists by the work and will of God. It exists for His purposes. Man is not at liberty to change what God has created. He created the man and then created the woman as the corresponding helper for the man. He then brought the woman to the man and joined them together in marriage. Adam understood this and responded joyfully to what the Lord had done. The Genesis account ends with the words that Jesus quoted; “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). The two become one in the union of marriage. This would prohibit the idea of polygamy as well.

Secondly, Jesus spoke more of the marriage/family unit saying, “‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ – (Matthew 15:4).  These two quotes are both contained in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy and Leviticus.  Here, Jesus again affirms that the family unit is to consist of both a father and a mother. He does not say to honor “your parents” which is quite different and would have left it open for a mixture of family units, but instead He reveals that in His mind a child is to have both a father and a mother. Not a father and a father or a mother and a mother. In fact, Jesus quotes some 7 times the “father and mother” unit. Obviously, from His perspective, He considered this to be the norm.

In the Old Testament Moses speaks against and prohibits homosexuality saying,

“If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.” – (Leviticus 20:13).

“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” – (Leviticus 18:22)

These 2 verses are from the book of Leviticus.

Some attempt to pit the words of Jesus against the words of Moses or Paul, claiming their words don’t have the same authority as Jesus. It’s important to note that Jesus quotes Moses. In fact, Jesus quotes from the book of Leviticus, the very book in which Moses clearly condemns homosexuality. He (Jesus) affirms that what Moses spoke was scripture, the very words of God. Moses didn’t make these things up. This is what God revealed to him.

Man, who loves darkness, may choose to pervert God’s purpose and plan for marriage but man certainly CAN’T use Jesus to support his rebellion. For sure, those enslaved to homosexual sins can be cleansed and purified of their defilement and rebellion just the same as those enslaved to heterosexual sins can be cleansed and purified of their defilement and rebellion. But it is utter blasphemy to claim that the Holy Son of God who was without sin and obeyed the Law of God perfectly would in any way condone and approve of what is clearly prohibited in scripture.

There are countless matters that Jesus never spoke directly to. He never spoke directly of embezzlement, bribery, arrogance, rape, bestiality, etc., etc. His silence in these areas should in no way be taken as Him somehow supporting such acts.

Professing Christians who are not involved in the homosexual lifestyle yet support homosexual marriage may think they are being Christlike, loving and charitable but in reality they are of no help to those enslaved to this sin. Why not share the truth of the gospel with such folks, showing them that God has a better way and a better life for them where they can be reconciled to Him, cleansed and forgiven of all unrighteousness and defilement? Then will they experience His peace and joy, saying with the rest of the redeemed, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!”

That's Paul, not Jesus

by Scott Rossy
"Well, that's Paul, not Jesus.  Jesus never said that!"  Have you ever heard someone say this? People often say this when confronted with something in the bible that they disagree with or with something in the bible that they don’t like. It’s said in response to something the Apostle Paul said in one of the New Testament epistles. Since they don’t like what is said, they make the claim that since it was said by Paul and not Jesus, they can dismiss it. They claim that Paul’s words are not on the same level and don’t carry the same weight as Jesus words’, therefore, the words of Paul as recorded in the New Testament are not authoritative to Christians today.

But is this a valid argument? Are Paul’s words as authoritative as Jesus’ words? After all, Jesus is the Lord and Paul was only a mortal man.

No, it is not valid. It is an attack on the inspiration of scripture. Paul’s words as recorded in the bible are equal with the words of Jesus. They are equally authoritative. The reason being, the words that Paul spoke are the very words given to him by Christ. Paul did not write letters to churches to give his opinion. He was a called Apostle who was given direct revelation from the Lord.

“For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12)

“By revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:3-5)

The truth that Paul taught was not “discovered” by him, but was revealed to him by the Lord. His New Testament epistles are scripture themselves, equal with the Old Testament scriptures. The Apostle Peter refers to Paul’s letters (epistles) as scripture saying “just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (II Peter 3:15-16).

Paul’s letters are scripture as the “rest.” Whose writings are the “rest” that Peter is referring to? Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Zechariah, etc., and the rest of the Old Testament prophets. Those who distort scripture are described as untaught and unstable because all scripture originates from God. He is its source. It does not originate from these men themselves “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (II Peter 1:21)

It originates from Him and is given to His holy apostles and prophets. Scripture is as the very breath of God. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Jesus frequently quoted Moses and the Old Testament prophets. He referred to their prophecies as the word of God. Like Paul, these were all mortal men. But Jesus affirmed that although they were mere men, they were speaking the very words of God. God revealed truth to them. He spoke through them. The Holy Spirit moved them to speak the very words of God. In like manner, Paul was given revealed truth as he was moved by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s words are as authoritative as the “rest” of scripture (Moses and all the Old Testament prophets).

The inspiration of scripture is one of the non negotiable cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. To attempt to find a division or disagreement between the words of Christ and the epistles of Paul is to do so to ones own destruction. To discard the words of Paul is just as equal to discarding the words of Christ. You cannot pit one against the other. As Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35)

Born Again

by Scott Rossy
The term “born again” when used in Christian/religious circles tends to lead to a lot of misunderstanding. What is meant by this saying? Is it just another “type” of Christian? Just another denomination? Is being born again nothing more than a person deciding to start over again by turning over a new leaf in life? Some well meaning people understand it to be just that. They see it as something similar to making New Year’s resolutions. Taking stock of one’s life and determining to make some changes. Changes that attempt to clean up one’s life in the hope that these changes will make one more acceptable to God. These changes can include going to church, trying to do “good” things and trying to stop doing “bad” things. Maybe even volunteering and getting involved in church. But making changes in one’s life is not what the bible means when it speaks of being born again. Making changes like this is clearly the work of man, trying to improve himself by self effort.

The most direct portion of scripture that talks of being born again is in the gospel of John, chapter 3.   Here a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus is recorded. Their conversation, though taking place almost 2000 years ago has as much significance for us today as it did when these words were originally spoken. In this conversation Jesus talks of the need to be born again.

We all know who Jesus is but who was Nicodemus? Well, Nicodemus was a very devout, sincere religious leader in Israel. He is described as “a ruler of the Jews” and as “the teacher in Israel”. He was a member of the Pharisee’s who were the spiritual leaders and rulers of the Jews. Jesus tells this very sincere, devout religious leader what he is lacking and what is necessary to enter heaven. The necessary thing that Nicodemus and all of us lack and must have is the New Birth, also known as being born again or born of the Spirit.

John 3:1-10

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? “

I’ve been asked by people if it’s necessary to be born again or born of the Spirit to be a Christian. Whether it’s necessary to be born again or born of the Spirit to get to heaven. The words of Jesus leave no room for doubt. Jesus uses the words must, unless and cannot. He states: “You must be born again”, “Unless you’re born again”, “You cannot see the kingdom”. He says these things more than once. Unless! Must!, Cannot! But why? Why does Jesus say we must be born again? What does He mean by these things? The reason why Jesus said that it is necessary for Nicodemus and for all of us to be born again or born of the Spirit is because we do not possess spiritual life within us. He says in John 6: “you have no life in yourselves.” – John 6:53. Obviously, we all possess physical life but what Jesus is speaking about is spiritual life. We do not possess spiritual life within us when we come out of the womb. Our parents can give us physical life but they cannot give us spiritual life. To understand Jesus meaning, we must understand what the bible says about man’s true spiritual condition. The bible teaches unequivocally that all of mankind without exception is spiritually dead. This is the case of every one of us. We are spiritual corpses. Walking around in physical bodies but dead spiritually. None of us possess spiritual life within us. The reason for the spiritually dead condition of man is SIN. Sin brings about spiritual death. It is by the decree of God that the result of sin is death. He says: “when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” - James 1:15 “so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” – Romans 5:12. In Ephesians 2:1 we are described by God as being “dead in your trespasses and sin”. Spiritual death is what sin deserves, “the wages (earnings) of sin is death” – Romans 6:23. So all of us are dead spiritually. We do not possess the necessary spiritual life we need to enter into heaven. Only God, the Creator of life can give us the necessary, eternal, spiritual life we need. It must come from Him.

The new birth spoken of by Jesus is described in the 36th chapter of the book of Ezekiel. Here God says through the prophet: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh…"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27. This is the new birth. God places His Spirit in us, giving us the spiritual life necessary to enter heaven and to obey God. At this point, a person becomes born again or born of the Spirit. He has new life, spiritual life. He is no longer spiritually dead but is now spiritually alive! God’s Spirit is now permanently in Him and gives him the ability to know and understand the things of God. He now can perceive the beauty, the greatness, the holiness and the majesty of God. He now desires to obey God and walk with Him. He now delights in God. This spiritual life is permanent, making him fit to enter into and live in the presence of God for all eternity. He is now a child of God. He has experienced spiritual birth, spiritual renewal and spiritual regeneration. “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)

This new spiritual life comes only from God. He alone is the Author and Creator of life. We can’t inherit it. As stated before, our parents can give us physical life but they can’t give us spiritual life. This is why Jesus said: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” – John 3:6 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6:63

If being born again or born of the Spirit is absolutely necessary to enter into the kingdom of God, then how does one become born again? The Lord continually tells us throughout scripture to call upon Him. Repeatedly He says: call upon Me, seek Me, come to Me. Over and over again throughout the bible He continually calls on man to do this. Romans 10:13 says: “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

”Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” - Isaiah 55:7

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” – Isaiah 55:6

“AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’ – Acts 2:21

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” – John 7:37-39.

Jesus promises: “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” – John 6:37. Whoever comes to Him in faith and repentance, believing that He is the only way to the Father has the promise that He will not be cast out. Jesus alone has provided salvation for His people “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (I Peter 2:24). While He was bearing in His body the sins of His people, the Father in Heaven was pouring out His hatred and wrath towards sin on His Beloved Son. He was our substitute. He was punished in our place. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." - I Corinthians 15:3-4. The debt of sin was paid and those who believe are now clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is not their own self righteousness that they possess but it is “the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” – Philippians 3:9. They are born again with God’s Spirit and are now clothed in white robes, representing the perfect life of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. They can now stand before God without the debt of their sin hanging over them and are now viewed by God as perfectly holy.

Psalm 14 states that one of the characteristics of the wicked is that they “do not call upon the Lord” – Psalm 14:4

The Test

Scripture declares that the new birth is the test of whether we are truly of the faith. It’s the test of whether we are a genuine Christian. Paul told the Corinthian Christians: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?” – II Corinthians 13:5. The test of whether we are of the faith is if Christ is in us, if we’ve been born again. If Christ is not in us, if we haven’t been born again, we fail the test. We’re not of the faith. Similarly he says in Romans 8:9, “you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Spiritual life is found only in Jesus Christ. He alone can give it. “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” – I John 5:12

A person who is still trying to gain acceptance from the Lord based on the “good” things he is doing has never been born again. It’s an indication he’s never received the new life Jesus spoke of. He is like the person who views being born again as turning over a new leaf in life. He is still spiritually dead. His works or deeds proceed from his spiritually dead condition and are nothing more than an attempt to try and reform his condition. It can’t be done. Good deeds cannot produce spiritual life. It can only come from above, from God.

 If you leave this life while still in your spiritually dead condition, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven but will be separated from God for all eternity. Jesus says; "Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24) “You must be born again!"

Nicodemus’ end

As a side note, Nicodemus did become a true believer in Jesus Christ. He is amongst those who have been born again. John 19:38-42 records that after Jesus was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Christ, gained permission to take the body of Jesus from the cross to bury it. It then records that Nicodemus came also and brought with him “a mixture of myrrh and aloes” for Jesus burial. For many reasons, Nicodemus certainly wouldn’t have done this had he not become a true believer in Christ.

Being a Berean

by Scott Rossy
Berea was a New Testament city located in Macedonia that was visited by the Apostle Paul during his second missionary journey. Berea is first mentioned in Acts 17:10.

Before arriving in Berea, Paul first arrived in Thessalonica as is recorded in Acts 17:1-9. As was his usual custom when arriving in a city, he preached to the Jews in their synagogues, reasoning with them from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. While in the Thessalonian synagogue:

“Paul… reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ ”- Acts17:2,3.

After hearing Paul preach, some of these Thessalonians were persuaded and believed that Jesus is the Christ. After hearing this, the non believing Jews were jealous and became enraged. They formed a mob with some “wicked men” – Acts 17:5 and turned the city into an uproar, searching for Paul and Silas. Hearing that the crowd and the city authorities were being stirred up against them, “The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea” – Acts 17:10. Upon arriving in Berea, they immediately entered the synagogue there and again began reasoning with the Jews from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. And again, as in Thessalonica, “Therefore many of them believed” – Acts 17:12. But scripture records something very interesting about these Jews in that Berean synagogue. It states: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”- Acts 17:11. Luke, the human author of the book of Acts, states under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that these Bereans were “noble minded”. That is God’s evaluation of them. There are 2 reasons given for this. 1) they received the word with “great eagerness” and 2) they “examined the scriptures daily” to see if what they were being told is true. This is what made them more noble than those in Thessalonica. Noble minded is better defined as being a “noble race” or a “better bred” people. Unlike most of the Thessalonians, the Bereans being a more noble, better bred people, were open and eager to what Paul had to say. As a result of the Bereans openness, “many” of them came to believe, whereas in Thessalonica only “some” of them believed. It wasn’t just that they (the Bereans) believed what Paul was preaching to them, but it was the eagerness that they showed in receiving the word. Their eagerness was demonstrated in the fact that they were examining the scriptures (the Old Testament) daily to confirm if what Paul was preaching was true. They could have just taken Paul’s word for it and believed. After all he was an Apostle who was given direct revelation concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ and the “mystery” of the church.

“For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ”. –Galatians 1:11-12. “ by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit” – Ephesians 3:3-5.

Not content to take the Apostles word, these noble minded Bereans chose to search the scriptures for themselves. The text doesn’t indicate that they doubted the validity of Paul’s preaching but that they were of such a noble character that they would naturally examine the scriptures for themselves. These Bereans were not only examining the scriptures to see whether these things were so, but they were also examining to have a better understanding of what it is they were being taught. So as Paul was “explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."- Acts 17:3, these Bereans were “examining” and comparing this new revelation that Paul was giving them concerning the Christ, with the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Christ. They did this “daily”. They didn’t want to just know what they believe, they wanted to know why they believe. After better understanding for themselves what the scripture teaches, they’d also be able to teach others as well. This searching, examining of the scriptures brings more glory to God. It shows a reverence and love for His Word. Remember, He is the one who called these Bereans noble minded. We therefore should carry this same mindset in us as these Bereans did. We, as His children, must strive to test and compare everything we hear with the Word of God. We who are bible believing Christians, who hold the position that the bible is the sole source of all authoritative truth and that it is the sole source for all matters of doctrine and practice are to test the validity of all teaching and all preaching with scripture to see if what we’re being taught is scripturally true. God has warned us repeatedly throughout scripture about the danger of false teachers and their infiltration into the church and the damage their teaching can cause. Much can be said of this. We are commanded to be diligent. It is especially important for us to be diligent in this massive information age that we live in. All of us are constantly being bombarded daily with information, opinions and teachings. Whether it be in the secular or spiritual realm, it never stops. Whether it be Christian radio, television, the internet, seminars or books, we are always being exposed to something that is trying to influence our beliefs, to affect our way of thinking. The battle for the mind never ceases. Sadly, most of what we are being exposed to is contrary to what the bible truly teaches. This is especially true in Christian circles. It may be overt or it may be very subtle, but much of what is peddled in the Christian community is contrary to the “sound words” – II Timothy 1:13. of scripture. We must strive for a biblical worldview in all things and strive to make sure that everything we believe is grounded in scripture. We should examine all our beliefs in light of the scriptures. If we are not sure that what we believe is derived from the clear teaching of the bible, we should study to find out what the bible teaches. Anything that is not in conformity with sound doctrine is to be discarded. As bible believing Christians, we need to sift everything through the Word of God, to “ examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” – I Thessalonians 5:21-22. With the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit, this is what He has commanded us to do. We need to ask ourselves: Does scripture address this? What does scripture have to say about this? Is this (what we are being taught) scriptural? What is the context? These types of questions. It doesn’t mean that every teacher we hear is perfect in all that he teaches and never errs. It’s not about slamming a brother who misspoke. All human teachers are fallible and will err, but we must discern how his overall teaching compares with scripture. Was it just an honest mistake he made or is the thrust of his teaching nothing more than a twisting of scripture to suit his agenda? A true man of God, one who has truly been called by God to teach His word, will gladly be open to correction from the Word by his brothers. Pride will not be a concern for him. His only concern as one who will have to give an account of himself before the Lord will be to handle the word accurately and truthfully. There is an accurate way to handle the Word and there is an inaccurate way. The accurate way takes diligence and study on our part. As Paul told Timothy, ”Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” –II Timothy 2:15. It’s not enough for a teacher to quote scripture. Many “bible” teachers will quote scripture, but are they quoting it out of context? The question is: Are they staying true to the (biblical) authors original meaning, or are they changing the authors original intent? Words have meaning and can’t be changed to suit ones agenda. Every word is in the context of a sentence. Every sentence is in the context of a paragraph. Every paragraph is in the context of a chapter. Every chapter is in the context of a book. Every book is in the context of the entire bible and all of scripture is in complete harmony with itself. The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us illumination, understanding, wisdom, conviction and discernment in all these matters. Proper hermeneutics are essential. It’s not a question of whether a teacher “uses” scripture; it’s a question of whether he is “teaching” scripture.

We who are Gods children should have the same “noble minded” eagerness in our day that the original Bereans had in their day. We need to know not just what we believe, but why we believe. To think biblically about all things. If we as “the light of the world” – Matthew 5:14. don’t know why we believe as we do, how can we possibly proclaim the truth to those who are still in darkness? How do we know that we aren’t being deceived ourselves in our beliefs? Just as the Bereans examined the scriptures daily to confirm the validity of what they were being taught, we are called to labor to do the same. Concerning the reading, exhortation and teaching of scripture, Paul commanded Timothy to “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. “ – I Timothy 4:15-16.

We are commanded to long for the pure milk of the word, to completely saturate ourselves with it, to think about it, and to meditate upon it. As we fill our minds and hearts completely with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will speak to us in all situations. Not an audible voice, but He will bring to mind the scripture that we’ve hidden in our heart and give us discernment and the wisdom to apply the truth in all situations. He does not speak to us apart from His word but He does speak to us through His word.

Like the Bereans, let us be noble minded as well, not automatically accepting everything we hear, but examining everything carefully in light of the word, holding fast to that which is good and turning away from evil. Is there anything else more important?

“Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” – Hebrews 13:9

Long for Pure Milk

by Scott Rossy

The new birth marks the beginning of the spiritual life in a child of God, without which there is no salvation. This miracle, which is called “regeneration” or being “born again”, is solely the work of God. He, the Creator of all physical life, is also the Creator and source of this new spiritual life. It is the sovereign work of the Father that “has caused us to be born again” – (I Peter 1:3.) whereby He imparts spiritual life into us who are by nature spiritually dead.

Source and Means

In Peters first Epistle he reveals that God is not only the source of this new birth but also the means that He uses to bring about this new birth. The means that He uses to bring about the new birth is the Word of God. ”In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth.” – James 1:18 That is, His imperishable, eternal Word. “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” – I Peter 1:23. The Word of God is the seed that has been planted in us, giving us spiritual life. This seed is eternal. This seed is imperishable. Just as the Father is eternal and imperishable, so is His Word which He sends forth to bring about the new birth in His children. As His children, we now have His eternal, imperishable seed abiding in us. Peter also describes this eternal Word of God as “the living” (I Peter 1:23) word of God as does the writer to the Hebrews when he says “For the word of God is living and active” – Hebrews 4:12.

Peter quotes from Isaiah concerning the eternal nature of God’s Word, saying:

"All FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL IT’S GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER " – I Peter 1:24

And then he states, “and this is the word which was preached to you.” – I Peter 1:25

The Lord Jesus spoke of the life giving power of the Word when He said: “the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” – John 6:63

Through the perishable seed we receive our temporary physical life passed to us from our fathers, but through the imperishable seed of the word of God, wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, we receive our eternal spiritual life. We have His seed, His Word abiding in us. This is what the Holy Spirit uses to bring about the new birth. “the Spirit gives life” – II Corinthians 3:6. Through the imperishable word of God, the Holy Spirit gives us this new spiritual life. We have now been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. We’ve now been regenerated, indwelt, baptized and sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Grow in Respect to Salvation

As those who have now experienced this new birth he just described in chapter 1, Peter now goes on to address in chapter 2 how we as Christians “may grow in respect to salvation” – 1 Peter 2:2. As those who now have Gods seed abiding in us, as those who have been given The Holy Spirit to dwell in us and have been given a new nature, how are we to make progress in this new life? What is necessary for growth and progress in the new life? What nourishes this new life? How is this new life sustained?

The living and abiding eternal Word of God that is used as the means of the new birth, is also the same means the Holy Spirit uses to feed and nourish our spiritual life and cause us to grow in respect to our salvation. But first, in order for the Word of God to work its effect in our lives, we are commanded to remove all sin which will hinder our growth in sanctification. Peter lists 5 sins which must first be removed. We are to put aside, rid ourselves of “all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander” - 1 Peter 2:1. We are to have a definite break with sin. The word “malice” is an all encompassing word meaning “wickedness”. Sin and wickedness can hinder the effectiveness of the word of God in our lives. James also speaks of this laying aside, putting aside, ridding ourselves of all sin when he says: “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” – James 1:21

“No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” – I John 3:9.

We as Gods children may choose to sin, but if we do, we will hinder the power of the word of God to work in us. It’s been said that “sinning keeps us from reading the Bible and reading the Bible keeps us from sinning”.

Once these hindering vices have been removed, we must engage in a definite, active effort to grow in our faith. The command given to us is to “long for the pure milk of the Word” – 1 Peter 2:2. We are to long for, to crave, to intensely desire the pure milk of the Word. As stated, this is given as a command. We are to long for, to crave the Word as a newborn baby does for mother’s milk. Peter states it this way “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to your salvation” – 1 Peter 2:2. The craving that a newborn has for milk is an inborn desire that comes naturally to them. They crave and long for it instinctively. It is an intense longing and hunger within them. That is all that can satisfy them. They desire nothing else to fill that craving. This is what is necessary for them to nourish and build up there physical bodies. This will sustain them and cause their growth as humans. We as Christians are to be “like” them in our desire to intensely crave what it is that will nourish, sustain and build us up in our spiritual life. Only the living and active word of God can feed, nourish and sustain our new spiritual life. Concerning the living, active nature of God’s word, Paul told the Thessalonians that the word of God “performs its work in you who believe.” – I Thessalonians 2:13. The pure spiritual milk of the word is the only spiritual food able to feed our souls. By first removing all known sin, then prayerfully feeding on the word of God and obeying it, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is able to cause us to grow in respect to our salvation.

Pure, Unadulterated Milk

What type of milk are Christians to constantly be feeding on? Pure milk. The word “pure” means “unadulterated”, without mixture of any kind. We are to be craving the pure, unadulterated, uncorrupted, unmixed, untainted, uncontaminated spiritual milk of the word of God. If we add anything to the word, we invalidate its power to work effectively in our lives. We no longer have the pure word, but instead a weak mixture.

If we mix the teachings of men, the traditions of men, the philosophies of the world, with the word of God, we adulterate it. During Paul’s ministry there were many whom he said were “peddling (corrupting) the word of God” – II Corinthians 2:17. Not just a few but many. Paul, however stated concerning his ministry “we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” II Corinthians 4:2. Our day is no different. There are many teachings and philosophies that many are constantly trying to integrate with the scriptures. Many such teachings have infiltrated into the church and have had a major impact on Christian thought. Among them in our day are psychology (whether it calls itself secular psychology or “Christian” psychology, it doesn’t matter, they’re both the same thing), feminism, traditions, mysticism, Roman Catholicism, evolution, postmodernism, gnosticism, extra biblical revelations, experience theology, etc. Those who try to integrate the scriptures with these other thoughts will tell us they are not discarding the scriptures, they are just trying to be helpful, giving Christians something more that will help them in their Christian walk. Or they claim they are just trying to make the church more “relevant” or acceptable to our culture. But by mixing the teaching of man with the scriptures, they are now offering an impure corrupted, mixture. This is very subtle. They start out with the presupposition that what they are offering is true and necessary and helpful. As a result, they then have to reinterpret the scriptures from their presuppositions. For instance, a psychologist will start with the belief that what he’s studied in psychology is true. He then interprets the scriptures through the lens of his psychological presuppositions to try to make the scriptures and psychology compatible. It can’t be done. The word of God becomes (or the mixture he has come up with) adulterated and to no effect. The purity of the word is corrupted and weakened. An example of this in the “Christian psychology” realm, is this: Through his study of psychology, a Christian psychologist has come to the conclusion that mans greatest problem is a lack of self love or self esteem. He doesn’t come to this conclusion from studying the bible but from studying psychology. He starts with the assumption that what he’s learned in psychology (self love) is true and absolutely necessary for man. Since he’s a Christian and wants to “use” the bible in his teaching/counseling/therapy, he now begins to integrate the self love teaching into his interpretations of the bible. The bible is interpreted through the eye of psychology. The self love idea is now imposed upon the bible, and as a result Jesus clear teaching in Matthew 22:36-40 is given an entire different meaning than what the Lord really said. Other parts of scripture are also given new interpretations thus making the biblical authors original meaning invalid, thus corrupting the purity of the word. A lot could be said of this. It goes a lot, lot deeper and is widespread. This type of teaching also puts a new twist on the very gospel itself. Instead of the gospel focusing on the Lord and being seen as “to the praise of the glory of His grace” – Ephesians 1:6 and causing the redeemed to be in awe of His amazing grace, it now focuses on man and his infinite worth. Christ’s death on the cross is now seen as a way to validate mans self love. The teaching becomes widespread like gangrene, throughout the Christian community, even by those who aren’t psychologists, but who have allowed this adulterating of the word to contaminate their thoughts. When someone integrates with the scriptures the philosophies and teachings of the world they adulterate, contaminate and corrupt the Word and it loses all its effectiveness. They multiply theirs, and their hearers’ problems and retard their spiritual growth. Someone else who’s starting point is that evolution is true but doesn’t want to totally discard scripture will now attempt to understand the first 3 chapters of Genesis from an evolutionist’s point of view. He now comes up with an impure mixture of scripture/evolution and develops “theistic” evolution. As a result, nowadays, the belief in a literal 6 days of creation is very, very rare among Christians. This new belief now creates more interpretive problems with other parts of scripture. It doesn’t stop. Whenever someone attempts to integrate outside teaching with the scriptures they inevitably end up imposing their beliefs on the scriptures and force it to say what they want it to say. The outside teaching takes precedence. Scripture ends up being used to support their presuppositions. Our starting point should always be the presupposition that the scriptures alone are completely true and anything that contradicts the clear teaching of scripture is to be discarded as an adulterating, contaminating influence. We need to be very careful to preserve the purity of the word from any mixture and to “ examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. “ –I Thessalonians 5:21-22. God is just as concerned with maintaining the purity of His word as He is with the proclamation of His word. What good is it to proclaim an impure, adulterated, ineffective word? It is staggering that so much of scripture speaks about the influence of false teachers on Gods people. God knows of the dangers and He constantly warns us. Unfortunately we as 21st century Christians by and large have very little discernment and will accept anything, as long as the teacher says he loves or believes in Jesus. The danger with a person that wants to adulterate the word of God is that they will say many things that we agree with. That’s the hook that pulls us in and we find the church feeding on a corrupted, poisoned mixture of the word of God. We would never tolerate or be duped in this way in the physical world. “Long for the pure milk” If someone sets before us a pitcher of milk, and tells us; “It’s o.k., I only put a tiny drop of poison in it, so go ahead, drink up!”, we’d never allow ourselves to be duped into drinking it. We know it’s not pure. It’s an impure, contaminated, dangerous mixture. This should be our same attitude when it comes to feeding on the word. We must crave only the pure, unadulterated, untainted word of God.

"Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."- Mark 4:24.

Who’s it for?

Some erroneously teach that Peter is referring here only to new converts, to babes in Christ. That it’s only the newborn Christian who is commanded to feed on the pure milk of the word. This can’t be. It doesn’t fit with the whole of scripture. I believe it is clear that Peter is speaking to not only those who are new in Christ but to all Christians, no matter how long they’ve been in Christ. The purpose he gives for the need to constantly long for the Word is so that we may grow in respect to our salvation. All believers are to be constantly growing in their salvation. No matter how long they’ve been in Christ. It doesn’t matter if someone’s been a believer for a short while or if they’ve been in Christ for 70 years. No matter what their level of spiritual maturity is, they are to never stop growing. We never outgrow the Word. We never reach a level of growth or maturity where we will no longer need the constant intake of the Word. It will always be the means with which the Holy Spirit uses to feed and nourish our spiritual life. It will always be our spiritual food. The point of what Peter is telling us is not WHO is to crave the spiritual milk but HOW we are to crave the spiritual milk. How, meaning in what manner. The manner is “like” newborn babes or “just as” newborn babes do with mother’s milk. We, as the ones who have been born into God’s family, who have His Spirit indwelling us, need to cultivate within us an intense craving and longing for the unmixed purity of His word. That same, intense, natural craving that an infant has for milk should be ours as well. The word, is the God ordained means by which He chooses to bring about our growth in sanctification. As the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth” – John 17:17.

The process of sanctification is a lifelong process and there are no shortcuts. It’s not a matter as many teach, of us not having “enough” of the Holy Spirit and us needing to receive more of Him in a newer, special way. Everyone who has been born into God’s family has as much of the Holy Spirit as every other Christian. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” – I Cornithians 12:13 and ”if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” – Romans 8:9. The scriptures do not teach that in the church age the Holy Spirit is given out in intervals to God’s children. A brand new born again Christian has as much of the Holy Spirit as someone who’s been a believer for 50 years. We are not “zapped” from above with another baptism of the Spirit that will cause us to attain a higher level of spirituality. We grow in sanctification. It’s a process. Just as humans, we progress from one level of growth to another, so it is in our spiritual growth. Humanly, we progress from level to level. We begin as infants and continue to toddler, child, teenager, adult and finally to seniors. The same can be said of our spiritual development.

Contradictory Verses?

Those who teach that Peter was only referring to newborn babes in Christ point to two portions of scripture to support their position. The writer to the Hebrews says:

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.” -Hebrews 5:12 - 6:2

And the Apostle Paul says at the Church at Corinth:

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.” – I Corinthians 3:1-2
However, these verses are not teaching that newborn babes in Christ are the ones who are to feed on the milk of the word and the rest who are more mature in their faith are to graduate on to a more solid food. The progress from milk to solid food that Paul and the writer to the Hebrews are talking about is the growth in knowledge and understanding of the word. They were not growing in their understanding from the elementary, basic principles (teaching) of scripture which is the milk (in these verses), to the more weighty ”solid food” teachings of the word. They were still stuck at the basics. To their shame they never developed beyond the basic elementary teaching of the word. They should have progressed in their understanding and should have begun teaching others. Instead they themselves needed someone to teach them again. It’s not that we as Christians grow to be weaned off the pure milk of the word and progress on to a more mature spiritual food. What would that food be? The word is always our spiritual food.

Joy and Delight

As we read, study, memorize, meditate on and obey the word, we will make progress in our spiritual growth. But what about the opposite? What if we don’t actively develop that craving? What if we don’t continually feed on the pure milk of the word? Humanly speaking, what if a newborn stopped feeding on his necessary milk, what would become of him? Wouldn’t he become malnourished, sick and weak? In the same way, what happens to us as Christians if we stop our daily intake of our spiritual milk? If we are not “constantly nourished on the words of the faith.”? – I Timothy 4:7. It stands to reason that we will stop growing, retard our growth and become weak in our faith, if not worse. As the Lord Jesus said: “"It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"- Matthew 4:4.
This is our spiritual food, the Word of God , and prayer is our oxygen. Let us reach the point where our hearts and our minds so completely saturated with the Word of God that it just can’t be contained anymore, and the word will spill over into all our thoughts, and through the constant reading of the Word, we find ourselves automatically meditating on it continually. This is the place of blessing: Meditating and thinking on the Word.

“How blessed is the man whose… delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2.

Meditating on the Word, both in the day and in the night. May we strive to reach the point where we can also say “O how I love Thy Law! It is my meditation all the day” – Psalm 119:97. “My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Thy Word.” – Psalm 119:148.
Jeremiah spoke of taking in, eating the word of God and the joy and delight it brought him. “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.”–Jeremiah 15:16.
The work of the Holy Spirit within us can give us the ability to experience the power and joy of the word of God burning inside of us. The burning of the living and abiding word in the heart. The burning that the two disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus spoke of, after the resurrected Christ walked with them, explaining to them the Old Testament scriptures regarding Himself. After He left “They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"- Luke 24:32. Jeremiah spoke of the burning of the word, that if he didn’t let it out, it became like a fire within him that just couldn’t be contained. He just had to speak Gods words. “The word of the LORD has resulted in reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, "I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name, "Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire, shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.” – Jeremiah 20:8-9.
If we find ourselves lacking in that longing and craving for the pure milk of the Word and it is not our joy and our delight, we need to seek the Lord, and ask Him to give us that intense craving and desire. Ask Him to fan the flame!

Does God Believe in Atheists?

by Scott Rossy
Atheists and Agnostics! Are they real? Are they honest in their views? An atheist being defined as someone who doesn’t believe in the existence of God, that there is no proof for His existence, therefore, he comes to the conclusion that the world has no Creator.

What does God say about people who make these claims? Are there really people who truly believe that there is no God? That there is no proof for the existence of God? According to scripture, the answer is no. No such people exist. Anyone who makes such a claim is a liar! God, who has spoken to us in His Word and Who is the only one Who can speak authoritatively about the heart, thoughts and mind of man, declares that every human being who has ever lived on the face of the earth since the creation of man, knows and understands that He does indeed exist. God has not left Himself without a witness. He has revealed Himself to all of humanity in one specific way, known as general revelation. God’s revelation to mankind is generally divided into two specific categories of revelation.

Two Kinds of Revelation
1) General revelation
2) Special revelation

General revelation states that God has revealed Himself through what He has created, the created world, through nature. He has also revealed Himself to the conscience of mankind.

Special revelation states that God has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ and through the scriptures.

While it’s true that not everyone has been blessed to receive His special revelation, (Jesus Christ and scriptures) it is true that everyone has been exposed to His general revelation through the world He has created.

First, He has revealed Himself to all of mankind through creation. What He has created is His witness. It reveals that there is a Divine Creator. Psalm 19 starts with:

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” – Psalm 19:1

The heavens and their expanse, the open sky, are what is referred to here as speaking to all of humanity. They are “telling” and “declaring” two things: the glory of God and the works of His hand. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, Who hast displayed Your splendor above the heavens! “ – Psalm 8:1. The heavens are telling, declaring and displaying. It is the work of His hands, His creation, that is on display before us. As we observe the mighty expanse of the heavens and its utter vastness, we can clearly see and contemplate all that He’s displayed: the sun, the clouds, the moon, the stars and the planets. These are all bearing witness of Him, and all of humanity has seen that witness.

“The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory.” –Psalm 97:6

The “telling” and “declaring” in the heavens are a continual, ongoing testimony. They are constantly bearing witness for all to see and observe. They are continually telling of His glory and continually declaring the work of His hands. All that the heavens and the great expanse contain are called “the work of His hands” and “all the peoples have seen His glory. ” He is its Creator. Psalm 19 continues:

“Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard” – Psalm 19: 2-3

“Day to day” and “night to night.” It’s a continual, ongoing revelation. A permanent, perpetual 24/7 revelation. Both day and night. Anybody, throughout the entire world can observe the expanse of the heavens during the day or night and learn from what is being revealed. What does this continual revelation reveal? “Knowledge.” The knowledge of God. The knowable things of God. Most things about God are hidden from mankind but this He has made evident to all of mankind. What’s been made known is the obvious knowledge that the world and all it contains has a Supreme, all Mighty, all Powerful, all Wise Creator. This can be known. It is knowable for mankind to understand and know that he(man) and the world around him has a Creator. It is not hidden from us. In fact it is both “clearly seen” and “evident.”

“For that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made”- Romans 1:19-20.

His divine nature and eternal power are what is evident. His divine nature refers to the fact that He is God. His divine nature and eternal power are both “clearly seen” and are “understood” by mankind. Through what has been made it can clearly be seen and understood that the One who created the world is an eternal all powerful God. If we never understood anything else from observing the creation, we should at least understand the fact that it was created by Someone, and that this Someone is of a far greater power and wisdom than us. God has placed within all of us the ability know this. It “is evident within them”.

“There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard”-v.3. There is not an audible voice speaking words from heaven, but what has been created and is on display in the heavens does speak forth massive volumes. His creation “pours forth speech.” The heavens and all it contains are not just speaking, they are pouring forth speech. It can’t be missed! All that has been displayed in the heavens and is presented before us, is a continual, ongoing “voice”. It testifies to the clearly seen, evident, obvious truth that there is a Divine Creator behind all that we see.

When speaking through the prophet Isaiah to an apostate Israel, a people who should have known better, God called on them to “Lift up your eyes on high and see Who has created these stars” so that they would remember that He is the Creator, the Almighty, the all Wise One. He reminds them through creation that He is the Creator saying:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundation of the earth? It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in … Lift up your eyes on high and see Who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing.”- Isaiah 40:21-22,26

In Psalm 89 when He reiterates the Davidic covenant, the Lord again points to the witness of His creation when He refers to the moon as “the faithful witness in the sky.” Concerning His covenant with David, the Lord says “It will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky”- Psalm 89:37. The moon, the stars, the sun, and the planets are all His witnesses, speaking and testifying of Him.

Not just Israel, but the entire human race is called to “Lift up your eyes on high and see Who has created these stars.” All humanity since the creation of time has this same witness. Anywhere in the world this witness is clearly seen and is evident. It’s visible for all to see. It does not take superior intelligence to see and observe what He has displayed before us. All that is seen in the heavens He has placed there to reveal a glimpse of His divine nature and eternal power. When we observe and contemplate the creation around us, it should cause us to be in awe of a Creator God with such power, glory, majesty, intelligence and might. When we think about how immeasurable the universe is it should cause us to contemplate how immeasurable and infinite the One who created it is! Through observation and human reason we will come to the conclusion that the world was founded by wisdom. There is an intelligence behind the design, structure and order of the earth and the heavens as they are on display before us. “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.” –Proverbs 3:19. “It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” – Jeremiah 10:12. Things didn’t “just happen” by a chance explosion that created this design and order. That defies logic! The world was created by wisdom and understanding, not by chance.

All that’s been created continually pours forth speech that there is a Creator, and this Creator possesses infinite, unlimited, wisdom, understanding, power, might and majesty. These things reveal much about the One who created all things. There is much wisdom, understanding and beauty to be observed by contemplating His creation:

The awesomeness and power of the sun. It’s been placed at just the right distance from the earth to keep the temperature of the earth in the proper range that will sustain the inhabitants of the earth. If it were just a little closer it would cause the earth to burn up. If it were just a little further it would cause the earth to freeze.

We can also clearly see the beauty found in a sunset, cloud formations, full moons, eclipses, crescent moons and starry nights. All these heavenly bodies: the moon, the stars and the planets all continue on in their same fixed position just as when He created them. I remember as a little boy my mother pointing out to me the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. When I look up and still see them today in their same fixed position as when I was a boy, it reminds me of His faithfulness, that He “upholds all things by the word of His power.” – Hebrews 1:3. and that “He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing.”- Isaiah 40:26. If these things have continued to be true in my short vapor of a life on this earth, how much more awesome is it when we consider the fact that they’ve remained in place since the day He first called them into being

We can learn and observe the wisdom and understanding found in the migration of a flock of birds. Their order and structure, flying in formation, taking turns in the lead. It is understood that the bird that is leading the formation begins to tire more quickly than the other birds due to the fact that he is facing a greater wind resistance. Since the birds know this instinctively, they take turns in the lead to give each other a break. This is wisdom, built into them. A big bang cannot bring these things about. Only a wise, loving Creator would cause these things to be.

Mankind can also contemplate and understand the wisdom of God from observing what’s been created and placed with us here on earth. There is so much to be learned it’s astounding. Just studying botany, astronomy, insects, animals, the human body, the human brain, the human eye, the human heart, the laws built into nature, etc., we will see an amazing display of the fact that there is an intelligence of infinite wisdom behind all that we see. To name a couple: spiders and ants. A spiders’ ability to spin a web is incredible. The wisdom that is contained in their web spinning process, the building and construction, with their ability to catch their prey bears witness that an all wise, infinite God is behind their creation. The wisdom that is found by observing the workings of ants is also amazing. The teamwork, order and structure in which they carry out their tasks reveals the wisdom of their Creator in building these things into them. “Four things are small on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer.”- Proverbs 30:24-25. “Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.” – Proverbs 6:6-8. Even these tiny creatures have built into them the knowledge to understand the seasons and to prepare for their provisions.

What has been displayed in the heavens as well as what has been created on the earth is not limited to just a few to observe, but has been made known and is evident for all who dwell on the earth to see. Speaking of what is displayed in the heavens, Psalm 19 continues:

“Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.” V.4. Through all the earth, to the end of the world these things are displayed and seen. What is it these heavenly bodies are bringing with them to the end of the world? Their “utterances.” Again the point is driven home that they are speaking, bearing witness, testifying about the Creator who made them. The psalmist continues by speaking about the incredible presence of the sun.

“ In them He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” – v. 4-6.
The presence of the sun, shining its light and bringing heat from one end of the heavens to the other end. The entire earth is covered by its light and heat. There is no place that the sun does not make itself visible. “there is nothing hidden from its heat.” Even a blind man is exposed to this tremendous witness in the heavens. He may not be able to see it, but he can surely feel the heat of the sun and can contemplate the effects of this incredible creation. Perhaps because he is blind, his senses are even more observant to what’s around him. He can hear the sounds of the birds, the sounds of the ocean waves crashing, and can understand the power and might of God. He can hear the sound of the breeze through the trees and can feel the wind blow. He as well as all of humanity can hear the sounds of crickets as well as all the other nighttime creatures. Man should contemplate and meditate on the creation around him. It is speaking volumes. Gods witness is all around us, for all to see and understand. It should cause us to be in awe when we considers the vastness and infinite wisdom, design and creativity of the world around us. God is not a part of and is separate from His creation, but if His creation is this vast and awesome, it only reveals how infinite the One who created it is in all His Being! When we consider these things, our proper response should be “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?”- Psalm 8:3-4. Our contemplation of these things will lead us to the correct conclusion that God is so infinitely awesome, and so far above us, that in comparison we are of very little significance. This should cause us to be in awe, that He’d even take thought of and care for us, thus causing us to give thanks, and bringing all the more glory and praise to Him.

Mans Response

So what does man do with the witness that God has revealed to him? Does he in response to this revelation seek after and worship and praise his Creator with a thankful heart? No. Man takes the clearly seen, evident truth that’s been revealed to him and suppresses that truth in his unrighteousness. Romans 1: 18-22:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” – Romans 1:18-22
These verses make it clear that man does indeed clearly know and understand that the world does have a divine Creator, but in response to that truth, he suppresses that truth in his unrighteousness. These scriptures are very clear that in reality there is no such thing as an atheist, and declare that all of humanity does indeed know the truth of the existence of God, because He has made it evident to us. The problem isn’t that there is no clear evidence before man in order for him to make an informed, reasonable decision. These verses are clear that “they knew God” and that His divine attributes are “clearly seen” and “understood.” As a result, the bible plainly states that man is “without excuse.” He has no excuse for rejecting and suppressing the clear plain truth that’s been revealed to him. Man in his rebellion against his Creator, refuses to “honor Him as God or give thanks.” Man not only knows and suppresses the truth about God, but in his idolatry places man at the center of his existence. Since man has rejected God, he has to believe in something. Something has to be the center of his existence. Man becomes the center. Man, instead of God is the reason for everything. God is left out. There is no place for Him in our world. Mankind, human wisdom, technology is essentially what is worshipped. Man decides for himself where he came from and where he is going. Man controls his own destiny. He decides for himself what is right and what is wrong. He does only what is right in his own eyes. He will not submit to or be accountable to God. Man’s accountability before God is rooted in the fact that God is his Creator, and that man has been created in His image. If He created everything, then He owns everything. He says, “The world is mine and all it contains.” – Psalm 50:12. If He created man in His image and placed him in the world He has created, He owns man, and is the God to whom man is accountable. He has the right to demand worship, obedience and allegiance from what He’s created. To avoid this and to soothe his conscience, man creates all sorts of silly theories about the origin of the world, all of which exclude God. God calls mankind fools, with darkened hearts, who are futile in their speculations. Man thinks he is wise and even professes to be so, but God’s evaluation of him is that he is a fool! “Professing to be wise, they became fools”. Some of the most brilliant, intelligent men in the world, scientist of a far greater intelligence than me, in their suppression of the truth are reduced to come up with their own, alternative theories. The most popular of these theories about the origin of the world is the big bang theory and evolution. This is what the stubborn, foolish, rebellious, hardened, darkened, futile heart of man produces. This is pathetic. Sadly, from Gods perspective, they are nothing more than educated fools.

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” – Romans 1:21-22

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’” – Psalm 14:1. ‘The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, ‘there is no God’.” – Psalm 10:4.
In exchange for the truth of God, the clear revelation of Himself that He has given to all humanity, man replaces that truth with a lie. This idolatry, pure and simple. Man refuses to worship God, and places himself at the center of his existence. This exchange, man worshipping himself, making himself his own god, is the center of the human condition. “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” – Romans 1:25.

Gods Judgment

In return for mankind’s rejecting and suppressing the truth of God and exchanging it for a lie, God in an act of judgment, gives man over to the control of his sin. Three times in Romans chapter 1 it is recorded that “God gave them over”. Gave them over to what? To the control and domination of their sin. We read, after man exchanged the truth and the glory of God for the lie, “God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.” – Romans 1:24 “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.” – Romans 1:26. “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.” – Romans 1:28. “God gave them over”, God gave them over”, “God gave them over”. It is driven home three times. God gives man over to “the lusts of their hearts”, “degrading passions” and “a depraved mind.” Man does not want to acknowledge God, so He, in return gives man over to the control of his sin. This sin only hardens mans heart even more, which leads to more sin, which leads to mans heart being hardened even more, which leads to even more sin and on and on, until mans heart becomes totally depraved and callous, full of all sorts of evil.

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32.

Man is “being filled” with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed and evil. In the end, man will stand before his Creator and be judged for his sin and then sentenced to an eternal hell and separation from the God he has always rejected. It is an act of judgment for God to give someone over to the control of his sin, and it is an act of mercy and grace for Him to intervene in a person’s heart to convict them and chasten them for their sin, causing them to grieve over and be sensitive to their sin. “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” – Romans 9:18. This is why He warns, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” –Hebrews 4:7 and even as believers we are commanded to “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” – Proverbs 4:23. The heart is like a garden that needs to be continually tended to and cared for, kept soft. Sin has a very deceitful, hardening effect on our hearts which is why we are told to encourage one another, and why we are warned not to be “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” – Hebrews 3:13.
The pattern is: The eternal God creates the world and all it contains, including man in His image. He clearly reveals Himself to all of humanity. In response, all of humanity rejects and suppresses the truth. In judgment of mans rejection of Him, God gives man over to the control of his sin, causing man to become even more hardened. In the end man is judged for his sin and sentenced to an eternity of suffering away from the presence of the Lord.

Man was created by God and for His purposes, and to bring glory to Himself, but man in his stubborn rebellion, denies God. This is the cause of all the evil in our world. Mans idolatry. His separation from his Creator. His refusal to submit to his Creator, and therefore being judged by Him and being given over to the control of his sinful, hardened, callous, deceived heart. Idolatry is the root of all mans problems and is his greatest sin. All other sins flow out from and are a result of the sin of idolatry. Knowing this, is it any wonder the world is in the condition it is in? Should we expect it to be any different? That’s why any attempts by Christians to clean up our culture or to “change the world for Jesus” are a waste of time. Mankind is existing under the judgment of its Creator. Only the gospel can change a person. “For it(the gospel) is the power of God.” – Romans 1:16, I Corinthians 1:18. and only it has the power to transform a spiritually dead sinner into a God honoring child of God.

Universal Guilt

This is true of all of us, even the redeemed of God, before we were saved. We are all idolaters. We believers were also “as the rest.” (“Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”) – Ephesians 2:3. While it’s true that we, as well as most of the people on the earth never claimed to be atheists, we all do or did live our lives functioning as atheists. We won’t outright deny the existence of God. Much of humanity will acknowledge that there is a God and that He is the Creator. They may even have God in their thoughts from time to time, or very often, but they are still leading their lives on their own terms, living a lifestyle of stubborn self will apart from His Lordship. It was definitely true in my life before I came to know the Lord. I professed to know Him, but in reality, in my heart I didn't know Him. "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. " - Titus 1:16. I never denied His existence or the fact that He created everything. I always believed these things to be true. I was very conscious of Him and even had frequent thoughts of Him, but in my heart of hearts, I denied Him. The heart of man: the seat of mans affections, where his will, mind, thoughts, imagination, desires, loves and allegiances reside, is where God is denied. We do not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him or give Him the worship, praise and glory due Him. We don’t seek to live for Him. We live according to self will, living our lives as we see fit, deciding for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, following and conforming to the world’s spiritually dark system which leaves God out and is under the control and influence of the devil, the evil one ,who is called ”the god of this world.” - II Corinthians 4:4. We live in a world system described as the “cosmos”, that is under the influence of this evil one. We are all apart of and go along with this evil, anti-God world system that denies His rule and authority over His creation. There are no exceptions. We all start here. All of humanity is who is spoken of in Romans 1. The first three chapters of the book of Romans reveal the guilt of all humanity. “There is none who seeks for God.” – Romans 3:11. “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23 and we are “all under sin.” – Romans 3:9. The starting point of all humanity is to reject God and suppress the truth that’s been revealed to us. Only born again believers have passed from darkness to light and love the Lord and desire to obey and worship Him on His terms. This is why we as Gods children are commanded to no longer be apart of this evil world system that has allied itself against Him. “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” – I John 5:19. therefore, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” - I John 2:15. and “do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” – James 4:4.

Anyone who denies that this is the true condition of all man and the world we live in should carefully consider what Romans 1 states. “Even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks.” - Romans 1:21. Can we truthfully say that humanity is honoring God and is giving Him thanks?

Not Enough

Is this enough? Is this sufficient revelation in order for man to be saved? Some Christians falsely teach that yes, man can be saved by responding to the revelation given in creation and be saved, without faith in Christ! But scripture teaches otherwise. There is enough revelation in creation to condemn man, but not enough to save him. There is enough light given to make man “without excuse”, before the Lord, but in order for him to be saved, he needs more revelation, special revelation. He needs the revelation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from this, man will remain eternally lost, under the judgment of God. Paul speaks of this need for the revelation of Jesus Christ in Romans 10. He teaches that a man must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. He must believe in both the Person and the finished work of Christ on the cross. His death, His burial and His resurrection. Man must believe in Him in order to be saved. He must have faith in Someone. He cannot just observe the creation and gain enough truth to be saved. Belief in Christ is mandatory for one to be saved. For "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." – Romans 10:13 But Paul makes the point that in order for someone to be saved, they must first hear about the Person and work of Christ. Hearing the gospel of Christ is essential. Creation isn’t enough. He states: “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17. In order for someone to have faith in Christ, they must first hear about Christ. Therefore he states, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" – Romans 10:14-15. The point is this: in order for someone to be saved they must first hear about the cross of Christ. They then must believe what they heard about Christ. But in order for them to hear and believe, someone must first preach the gospel to them. Someone must be sent, or go and bring the gospel to them. Then they hear what is preached and can believe in and call upon the One who is preached to them, and are saved. The revelation of creation does not reveal the work of Christ on the cross.

So why do people claim to be atheists? Is it that they’ve studied the evidence and truly can’t find any solid proof for the existence of God? No. Whenever we are talking with someone who makes the claim that there is no God or there is not enough evidence to determine if there is a God, remember that in reality we are speaking with someone who is suppressing the truth that has been clearly revealed to him. There is a spiritual reality at work here. It’s really an indication of the person’s hardness of heart and ultimate hatred of the Lord and his unwillingness to give Him the worship and glory that is due to only Him. Only by the mercy and grace of God working in a person’s heart can a person ever be turned around. This is solely His work and is done for His glory and praise Thankfully, He does do this in some of us. “He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” – Romans 9:18. Praise Him for His mercy and compassion. All we can do for anybody is pray for their salvation and share the gospel with them. We can’t change their spiritually dead heart, only the gospel can. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16.