As preached by Timothy O'Day.
If you reject God, ...
1) You reject reality (1a).
2) You ruin creation (1b-3).
3) You are responsible before God (4-5).
4) You will miss out on redemption (5b-6).
Only Fools Embrace the Gospel
Psalm 53
December 15, 2024
Charles Dickens had no idea that one day there would be a family in Utah that would have as a Christmas tradition the viewing of a movie based on one of his most celebrated books, A Christmas Carol. If he could even fathom films, he would be even more surprised that we watch The Muppet Christmas Carol. After all, we do need to keep the kids engaged. I always find stories that focus on how people change compelling and engaging. If you do not know the story, then prepare for spoilers: the story centers on Ebenezer Scrooge, a selfish and greedy miser. He is cruel to his employees, hordes his wealth, and doesn’t even celebrate Christmas. On Christmas Eve he goes to bed but then is visited by three spirits, of Christmas past, present, and future. These spirits reveal to him the totality of his life, showing him his past regrets, the pain he presently inflicts on others, and the bleak future that awaits him. As this happens, he comes to realize the depth of his sin and this painful realization results in his transformation: he humbles himself, repents, and begins to live with generosity and love because he finally sees life for what it really is.
This kind of story is common in literature and movies because, like all great stories, it must be built on truth. The truth of the matter is that until we see the reality of our sin, we will not grasp the beauty and power of the gospel and the God of the gospel.
It is this same reality that undergirds Psalm 53. This psalm cries out to us to see the reality of sin so that we can embrace the beauty of God’s mercy and grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you are listening to this and you are not in Christ, then you need to hear what I am saying because only in knowing the depth of your sin will you find the pathway of seeing and savoring Christ.
But if you are in Christ, trusting in him alone for salvation, you also need to hear this message because you need to reflect on the heinousness of sin so that you do not feel tempted to embrace it or excuse it in others, but rather run from it to embrace Christ and call others to do the same.
Let me lay out four points from Psalm 53 that will help us see and savor Christ as we see the reality of sin.
First, if you reject God, you reject reality (1a)
This is how the psalm begins. David makes an observation about the wicked who reject God, saying, “The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'” What David is addressing is practical and formal atheism. Atheism is the belief that there is no God; what exists is the material world. You can be an atheist practically or formally. A formal atheist is one who claims that there is no God and argues that God does not exist. You can find many such people in the Western world today, but few elsewhere. It is a minority view. A practical atheist doesn’t claim that there is no God or gods, but they live as if there is none.
That’s why David categorizes the atheist as a fool. A fool is a person who acts without acknowledging or considering God. He lives in a delusion in which he does not consider his end or the depth of himself and the rest of creation.
So an atheist need not say out loud that there is no God. He merely needs to live his life built on the foundation of that errant belief, merely comforting himself in his heart by saying, “There is no God, therefore, no accountability.”
No Atheists, Only Fools
According to the Bible, there aren’t actually any atheists; there are only fools. If you think that is overly harsh, then you need to extra attention for the next few minutes, if not for the whole sermon. The reason the Bible calls this disposition of disbelieving in God foolishness is because it is a worldview built on pure delusion. We read in Psalm 19:1-3,
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.”
In other words, the existence of God is obvious through creation, not only of creation in general but of humanity in particular. To deny God is to deny the obvious.
If you think that atheism is a rational position, the only reason you think so is because you are so used to it. You are inundated with it by our delusional culture.
And do you need any proof that we live in a delusional culture? There are women who say they are men, but then also still desire to have babies. I hope this strikes you as an obvious delusion, but the only reason it seems obvious to you right now is because it is new. Atheism as a whole is an obvious delusion, but you might find it a reasonable position merely because it has been around longer.
But atheism is foolishness because it cannot support itself. To reject the existence of God is like a person looking at a roof and saying, “this is so secure and immovable, obviously it needs nothing else,” ignoring the fact that it rests on the walls and foundation of the house. To say, “I have meaning, love is real, life has purpose,” is to build on the foundation of the existence of God.
I heard a lecture from Francis Schaeffer years ago that gives us insight into why atheism is foolishness. He said, “You can say there is no meaning to life, but you cannot live like there is no meaning to life.” That means a person can intellectually deny the existence of purpose by denying the existence of God, but his actions and behavior will betray the fact that he believes life has meaning. In short, the concept of meaning and purpose are inherent in each one of us. It is, you could say, as if we were made for meaning—because we are!
This is not to say that those who claim to be atheists do not have real mental hurdles in the way of their belief—they do, and we should do our best to answer those questions. At one point in my life, I played the fool. I didn’t just say in my heart, “There is no God,” I said out loud to my friends and family, “There is no God.” And I will remain eternally grateful to those around me who had the courage and strength to say to me, “That is a foolish position.”.
Are You Playing the Fool? Do You Know One Who Is?
If you say in your heart or out loud, “There is no God,” then you need to know that you are playing the fool. Do you have questions? Bring them to the Bible and bring them to Christians. Think hard about life and do not accept the delusion that is sweeping across the West but is not sweeping across the world.
If you are in Christ by faith, then what should you do? Do not indulge in delusion. Saying to someone, “You’re a fool,” is probably not the way to go, but you should not affirm someone’s decision to embrace atheism. You should lament it just as we would lament any other foolish decision.
Second, if you reject God, you ruin creation (1b-3)
The result of foolishness, rejecting God, is sin and the ruin of the world. This is what the second half of verse 1, along with verses 2-3, are telling us. If you reject God, this is what will result: you become corrupted and practice abominations. You cannot do good. When God looks down on the earth, as it says in verse 2-3, looking for any who know him or understand him, he finds none seeking after him.
If you reject God, then you will only work ruin in this world. Put differently, your theology directs the way you live and what you do. The rejection of God leads to the ruin of the world.
The Evils of Atheism Are Easy to Spot
There are so many easy proofs of this reality. If you begin in Genesis, Adam and Eve’s rejection of God’s goodness led to the entrance of sin into creation and the ruin of the world.
If you consider the 20th century, let alone all of world history, it is easy to see how atheism ruins the world. Consider how the atheism of Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot resulted in the murder of thousands of people. Stalin’s great purge killed or sent to prison between 1 or 2 million people. He created a famine in Ukraine that resulted in the death of 3-7 million people. If you add up all of the dead from his acts, you reach the astounding number of 20-25 million people. Mao was no better, with the victims of his programs and purges reaching 45-70 million people. Pol Pot, by comparison, looks meager as his actions resulted in the death of 2-2.5 million.
All of these men implemented policies that were based on godless ideologies. Their theology wreaked havoc on God’s creation.
And in the United States, more than 63 million children have been killed through abortion as our country has, through foolishness, rejected to recognize the image of God in children and instead treat them as expendable items, their worth based on a parent’s desire.
All of this results from a rejection of God and a spiral into the consequence of such a rejection.
The Evils of Atheism Harder to Spot
But what about the atheist who looks good? He is civil and kind. He gives money to charity, he is a good father, husband, and worker. How can the Bible really say, as it does in verse 3, that of this category, “there is none who does good, not even one.”
Simply put, many of us have the wrong understanding of “good.” True good is not just about what we do but also why and for whom we do it. An atheist can do good on a human level—giving to the poor, sacrificing for others—but these acts are not good in the ultimate sense because they are not done in faith to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please him,” speaking of God. When God is not the center of our work and his glory is not the aim of our life, then none of our works are truly good.
Why are they not truly good? Let me lay out a couple of reasons.
First, the works aren’t really good because they miss the ultimate purpose of life: to glorify God. That’s what life is all about, so our works should point others to Christ, not away from him. If you reject God and do good, then you are holding yourself out as the logical object of praise. Even if you hold up your hands and say, “No, no, don’t thank me. I am just doing what a good person should do,” you are still the logical object of praise, pointing others to yourself as if you could satisfy instead of pointing them to Christ, the bread of life and the living water who alone will satisfy.
Second, sin is not just about actions. It is first and foremost an orientation of your heart. While all people remain capable of outward actions that we can call good, atheists are living in rebellion against God. Sin is not just about doing wrong things—it is primarily about rejecting God as God and placing yourself in this position of authority.
So while an atheist can act in a way that benefits others, they do not qualify as good in the ultimate sense. To sum that all up, good is not defined by the act in and of itself, but also by the purpose attached to it. Appearances can deceive.
A counterfeit diamond may look beautiful and valuable, but it lacks the true substance of a gem. It dazzles for a moment, but when the truth comes out about what it really is, it is discarded as a cheap knock off, not a real treasure.
Don’t Coddle the Broken
If you are rejecting God, your conscience is likely crying out against you and you feel the urge to do good. That is an effort to ease your conscience and justify yourself before God as not needing him. Be warned: the cheap applause of men cannot justify you. Awards for service will actually hover over your head to condemn you.
Church, the only hope the fool has is the gospel, so we must tell it to him. Don’t fall into the temptation to say, “That is a nice fake diamond you have there. I am glad it brings you comfort.” Call it fake! And then tell him that he can have the real thing when he bows the knee to Christ! Don’t coddle the broken. Take them to the great physician.
Third, if you reject God, you are responsible before God (4-5)
Verses 4-5 point out the key way that atheism is foolishness. It is foolish because it denies the reality that one will be held accountable before God and must take responsibility for his life. Look down at verse 4,
“Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?”
This verse is telling us that evil acts, which is living that flows from rejecting God’s existence and authority, reveal disbelief in two key areas. First, it is disbelief that God will avenge for acts of evil, especially those against his people. Second, calling upon God in faith is the only way to have life.
The atheist says “I will not be held accountable after my death” and “God cannot provide me with joy and life.” It is these beliefs, false as they are, that drive the atheist to do what he does.
By repeating these lies over and over again, the atheist finds a semblance of peace and joy in his life, but it isn’t real. Look at verse 5,
“There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror.”
This verse communicates the same reality that is captured in Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
You Can Sear Your Conscience, But You Cannot Silence It
Here is where all of this leads: you can sear your conscience, but you cannot ultimately silence it. You can deny judgment, but you cannot escape it. If you reject the Lord, you will still be held responsible for your life, and everyone knows this. If you deny the existence of God, you should have no reason to fear being caught as a sinner, yet everyone hides their sin and is afraid that someone will uncover it. This isn’t just a fear of man, for if God isn’t real and we are just stuff, why should we fear man? Nothing matters.
But nobody lives as if nothing matters. We all know that life does matter and one day we will be judged, that’s the reality laid out at the end of verse 5. The reason people are jumpy today about being caught in sin is because we all know that God will ultimately call everything to account. Look down at the end of verse 5,
“For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame for God has rejected them.”
This is saying that for all those who stand against God and, by extension, God’s people are really encamping against God for war. But they will be defeated by him on the day of judgment.
How Should You Respond?
If you are searing your conscience, denying the fact that God will hold you to an account and trying to comfort yourself by saying, “no one will ever know,” you need to stop. Searing your conscience will not solve your problems. Confessing your sins and throwing yourself on the mercy of God is the only hope you have. Don’t delude yourself into thinking that you will not be held accountable—you know you will because you fear you will. That fear is driving you to repentance, not hiding. The true fool continues in his foolishness, deluding himself. But if you see that you are a fool, you can finally embrace the gospel, which leads us to our last point.
Fourth, if you reject God, you will miss out on redemption (5b-6)
There is one hope for all men, the Messiah Jesus. If you are in Christ, he remains your only hope of salvation, not what you do. If you are playing the fool and denying the true God, then you only have one hope—turn to Jesus Christ in faith.
This is what we should take away as Psalm 53 ends. Look back at the second half of verse 5,
“For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.”
Who is the “you” in these verses? The options are God’s people, David, or the Messiah. And the answer is yes to all three. How does that work? First, the king of the people represents all the people, so for the king to triumph, the people triumph. As the wicked make war against God, they are really aiming at taking down his anointed king, David. But God will defend David, and he did. But as you read the Bible, David is held up as a type, a picture, of the Messiah that is to come and rescue all of God’s people. This is why we often speak of Jesus as the Lord’s Anointed, great David’s greater son. As Israel experienced real salvation from enemies as God delivered David, all of God’s people today will experience ultimate redemption and salvation as they trust in Jesus alone.
Verse 6 is a final prayer that ends this psalm,
“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.”
This prayer is a call that the ultimate King, the Messiah, would come from God’s people to deliver them from all that ails them, the chief among these our need to finally and fully deal with sin.
This prayer is answered in the birth of a child in Bethlehem, the city of David.
Only Fools Embrace the Gospel
Psalm 2:12 says of Jesus, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.” If you continue to say in your heart, “There is no God,” then you will face his wrath on the day of wrath. But if you see that you are a fool who has rejected reality, ruined creation, and will be held responsible before God, then you will take this warning seriously and live in what the rest of Psalm 2:12 says,
“Blessed are all who take refuge in him,”
including those who have realized they are playing the fool. As you do this, you can replace dread when there is no dread and sure judgment that is to come with peace in this life and eternal joy in the New Heavens and Earth. This is what Jesus comes to give and he offers it to all.
But before you will embrace it, you have to admit that you have played the fool. Will you do that? Or will you continue on in foolishness and delusion?
You have to know that you are a fool in order to embrace the gospel, but once you embrace the gospel by faith, you are no longer a fool.
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