Hi to my Forum Friends,
In the discussion titled "Atheists Have Proven God Does Not Exist. Right?" begun by B50, our atheist Friend, Puppy, asks GB, "Let me ask you this: Were you taught to believe in God before you discovered those reasons to believe? Because I think if you were already programmed to believe, then anything after that in support of the belief is just self-justification of that belief."
Puppy, without realizing it, you have stumbled upon a Biblical truth -- that all people are created with an inherent, inborn desire for God. Christians will describe this by saying that we are all born with a "hole in our hearts" that only God can fill. When we were born, we were a clean, pure slate -- nothing written on it; just a pure, innocent young life with inborn desires. One of those inborn desires is for food, another is for warmth and love, and, yet another is an inborn desire to know God.
As we grow, our environment, our society, will either nourish these desires -- or weaken and possibly destroy them.
God's Word tells us, in Romans 2:14-16, "For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel (the Gospel as taught by Paul in his missionary work, 1 Cor 15:1-8), God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus."
What does this mean? This is telling us that we are all born with a God-hole in our hearts -- and that Christian believers have allowed God, Jesus Christ, to come in and fill that God-hole. While the non-believer has covered that God-hole and is doing his best to keep God out. And, the avowed atheist has poured Satanic supplied cement in that God-hole, i.e., hardened his/her heart just as Pharaoh did in Egypt.
But, you may ask, what of the natives in the jungle of an isolated island who have never heard of God or Jesus Christ -- are they condemned to eternal hell because they have not heard the Gospel? No. They have "the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them."
An example: The book "Eternity In Their Hearts" written by Don Richardson and published by Regent Books, on page 74, relates the story of the Karen people of of Burma. In the late 1700s, a British diplomat visited Burma. When the Karen people from the mountains, who had never seen white men before, met him, they asked if he was the "white brother" who was to bring "the book." Their tribal stories from many, many generations back told of the "white brother" who would bring "the book" that tells of "Y'wa."
Where did this tribal belief originate? Surely not from their ancestors; for their ancestors had never seen white men -- so, how could they prophesy that "white brother" will come from "Y'wa"? Or, did God instill this in their hearts?
Let me give you two sources of thought on this subject.
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First, is from the footnotes for this Scripture passage found in my NASB Harper's Study Bible (Zondervan), which reads:
Romans 2:14-16: The law of God may be defined as the revealed will of God. It is found imperfectly in human conscience and perfectly in Scriptures. The moral law of God is summarized in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-27, Deuteronomy 5:6-21). The judicial and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were transitory and adapted to the needs of a particular people for a particular time. The moral law is of permanent significance for all peoples and has the greatest relevance for Christians as a guide to pleasing their heavenly Father. Even faith does not revoke this (moral) law.
Romans 2:15: Beginning with Adam and Eve, God gave man a conscience. In the Garden of Eden that conscience was uncorrupted. Subsequent to the fall, it was corrupted and depraved, but it was not totally erased. Conscience serves man as a witness to truth (Romans 2:15, Proverbs 20:27), but moral choice determines whether a man will obey what his conscience dictates (Joshua 24:15).
The conscience accuses men of sin (Genesis 42:21, 2 Samuel 24:10, Matthew 27:3-4), and its indictment will be confirmed in the last judgment when the books are opened. Every mouth will be stopped, and His judgment will be seen to be according to righteousness (Revelation 20:12-15).
The spiritual Christian (1 Corinthians 3:1) has a conscience cleansed of guilt by faith in the atoning merits of Jesus Christ; he maintains a clear conscience by a sincere purpose of self-surrender to God (Romans 6:13, 12:1-2) and immediate repentance and confession of any known sin (1 Corinthians 1:31). In this sense it is possible to have a conscience blameless and void of offense (Acts 24:16, Romans 9:1, 14:22). But conscience can only be perfected and delivered from its bondage only through a genuine faith and trust in the atoning work of Christ (Hebrews 9:14, 10:2ff).
Bill Gray note: For a description of the "spiritual Christian" see my earlier post titled "The Natural Man, The Carnal Man, And The Spiritual Man."
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The second is from the Blue Letter Bible web site. Pastor David Guzik, Director of Calvary Chapel Bible College, Germany, writes in his Study Guide for Romans 2: http://www.blueletterbible.org...mans&ar=Rom_2_14
a. Although not having the law, are a law to themselves: Paul explains why the Gentile can be condemned without the law. Their conscience (which is the work of the law written in their hearts) is enough to condemn - or, theoretically, enough to justify - them.
i. Written in their hearts: Many pagan authors of Paul’s day referred to the “unwritten law” within man. They thought of it as something that points us to the right way. Though it is not embodied in written laws, it is in many ways more important than written laws.
ii. A law to themselves does not mean that these “obedient Gentiles” made up their own law (as we use the expression “law unto himself”), but that they were obedient to conscience, the work of the law residing in themselves.
b. Their thoughts accusing or else excusing them: In theory, a man might be justified (excused) by obeying his conscience. Unfortunately, every man has violated his conscience (God’s internal revelation to man), just as every man has violated God’s written revelation.
i. While Paul says in Romans 2:14 that a Gentile, may, by nature do the things contained in the law; he is careful to not say that a Gentile could fulfill the requirements of the law by nature.
ii. Though God has His work within every man (resulting in conscience), man can corrupt that work, so that conscience varies from person to person, and our consciences can be damaged, and even restored in Christ.
c. Their conscience also bearing witness: People who have never heard God’s Word directly still have a moral compass that they are accountable to - the conscience.
i. “God is describing how He has constituted all men: there is a ‘work’ within them, making them morally conscious.” (Newell)
ii. “He is not saying that the law is written on their hearts, as people often say, but that the work of the law, what the law requires of people, is written there.” (Morris)
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So, Puppy, when you ask, "Were you taught (programmed) to believe in God before you discovered those reasons to believe?" -- the answer is NO, we were born with an inborn God-hole -- just the right size and shape for God to come into our hearts and be our personal Lord and Savior.
Like many of you, I resisted God, often attempting to cover my God-hole with partying, wine, women, and song -- all the delightful, desirable cement provided by a Satan controlled, secular world. Yes, I was having fun -- or, at least, thought I was having fun. Actually, I was on a self-destructive slippery slope right into the arms of Satan and an eternity void of the presence of God.
But, praise God, I met a God-filled man, Pastor Sam Lacanienta, who gently took me by the hand and helped me remove Satan's cement and free my God-hole so that the Holy Spirit could come in and take up residence. At the age of fifty, I stopped resisting God, opened the door of my heart, and invited Jesus Christ to come in, dine with me, and be my absolute Best Friend (Revelation 3:20).
And, praise God, my life has not been the same since!
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill