I used to wonder why the Bible said that a wicked and (spiritually) adulterous generation seeks after a sign (Matthew 16:4). I would think, what's wrong with just wanting a little something to go on? Eventually, I learned that God is referring to those people who, even if they get a sign, will just go right back to rejecting God as soon as they think they have an excuse to.
When the rich man in Luke 28:25-32 went to hell and asked Abraham if he could go back to warn his brothers of the reality of hell, he was told no. He was told that his brothers knew the word of Moses and the prophets (the scriptures), and if they were rejecting the scriptures just as he had in his lifetime, they would not be convinced of God's existence, even if they saw someone raised from the dead. Though they might have been moved in some way for a little while, eventually, they would have again started looking for any excuse to still not believe in God.
Why? Because that's what their hope was the whole time. Whether we admit it or not, our hopes steer our logic. We see and change everything through the lens of our hopes. If we hope God exists - if we hope to see our loved ones again, if we hope that children murdered by rapists will get a second chance to have the life they were robbed of, if we hope that evil people like rapists and murderers did NOT get away with it and opened their eyes in hell, if we hope that ALL evil, in fact, will be dealt with and reconciled one day - we will see everything through the lens of hoping God exists. If we secretly hope he does NOT exist, it will secretly excite us when we think we have proof that he really doesn't exist, no matter what kind of signs, or facts, or proof we may get.
Faith isn't a matter of signs, facts, or proof, and for 2 main reasons.
(1) There's no way we can have all of the facts and proof. There's no way we could ever understand and weigh all of the ways of God. Not even the smartest of us could know everything there is to know about God. But what we DO have, even the dimmest of us, is our HOPES. Faith is a matter of hope:
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things not seen.
1st Peter 3:15
but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the HOPE that is in you with meekness and fear:
(2) No one will ever, EVER get any kind of sign or proof that is so profound that it leaves them no choice but to believe in God, whether they want to or not.
Romans 8:24
For we are saved by HOPE: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Notice that the verse above says that what a man sees he no longer hopes for. He would have no choice but to believe in God if he saw him. That is a brand of belief that God does not want. But, why not? Because if that brand of belief was accepted, Satan himself could get into heaven. So why doesn't God want Satan? Because Satan doesn't want God. But he HAS to believe in him. He's already seen him and seen that he IS God. In fact, Satan believes in God more than a lot of Christians do. The difference is the HOPE. Satan believes that Jesus rose from the dead because he has to. A Christian believes Jesus rose from the dead because he WANTS to.
This next part is very important:
The Bible makes a distinction between the mind and the heart - the mind being our knowledge and intelligence, and the heart being our hopes. God doesn't hinge our salvation on the quality of our minds, but the quality of our heart. Look what Satan hopes for in his heart:
Isaiah 14:12 - 14
12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
13. For thou hast said in thine HEART...
14. ...I will be like the Most High.
Satan hopes he can take God's place. Now compare that to the hope of the Christian:
Romans 10:9
that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Unlike Satan, the believer believes in God because he wants to, not because he HAS to. He's HOPING that there is a God so that he and the world can be saved, NOT because he wants to overthrow him or replace him.
Here are a few verses that don't speak so highly of man's heart (his hopes):
Proverbs 19:3
The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Here's one that applies to everyone:
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.
And here's one that addresses the atheist:
Psalm 14:1
The fool hath said in his HEART, There is no God.
The atheist HOPES there is no God. Why, though? Why does the atheist hope there is no God? The atheist will try to forge some false altruism here and say that he doesn't want to believe in a God that would make a world like the one we live in, or something similar, but that's not it. Like Proverbs 21:2 says above, man attempts to justify his ways, but he'll never fool God. God knows what's really in a person's heart. In fact, the Bible shows us what's at the root of an atheist's heart. The part in brackets added by me:
1st Corinthians 15:12 & 32
12. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
32. what advantageth it me [to preach about Christ], if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
In other words, if there is no life after death, if there is no God, eat, drink and party on. Do whatever you want. Live however you want. Enjoy sin. Even the most sordid and offensive of it. There will be no accountability. You die and that's it. For some reason, that resonates louder with certain people than seeing their loved ones again, giving innocent victims a second chance at a life in the life hereafter and making sure evil people who seemed to have gotten away with it all didn't actually get away with their evil after all.
I've heard some of the more renowned atheists (like Penn Gillette) say that when they embraced atheism they felt such a sense of "freedom." I've heard others say that after their world was shook by hearing the suggestion that God maybe didn't exist, that it felt "sooo gooood" to see an atheist win a debate against a Christian. Why? The same reason it made Penn Gillette feel "free." Free of what? Free from guilt? No. Free from accountability. Eat, drink and party on. You die tomorrow and there are no consequences if there is no God.
This is usually where the atheist starts asking such questions as to why God "made" us evil, why did God "make" us unbelievers, why is there evil and suffering in the world, and why would Christians hope that God - an all-powerful force - is behind such a system in the first place, etc. All of these questions can be answered sufficiently, but usually don't satisfy the atheist who's filtering out anything that convicts them and who makes sure God stays guilty until proven guilty.
But let's answer a few of them anyway.
Why did God make us evil? When an atheist asks this, I like to ask them to describe in detail the last time God made them do something evil. They realize they can't without first admitting that God exists, so they have to start off their answer with a conditional "If." IF God exists, he made us evil, they say. If God exists, I remind them, their argument is over from the get go. If God doesn't exist, however, they're in no better shape. If God doesn't exist, no one but man is responsible for man's evil; an evil they not only admitted to just moments before (so they can't run and hide behind relativity now), but deemed to be bad enough to disqualify God from any relevancy. However, upon being forced to admit that MAN is responsible for his own evil, where does that leave the relevancy of a man who keeps choosing the evil that he claims to hate so much, and then tries to blame his evil on a God he claims doesn't even exist?
Also, atheists unwittingly make a profound and self-defeating confession when they claim that God made them evil and that he is responsible for all of their choices to do evil. ANY conscious complaint, disapproval, or opposition to God at all is proof that someone is capable of thought and will that is independent and separate from God's thoughts and will (God doesn't oppose or disapprove of himself.) So, if you're capable of independent thought and will, you're capable of independent EVIL thoughts and will. God is not the one who makes atheists or anyone else commit evil. Man does that completely on his own.
Also, have you ever noticed that an atheist will take credit for every aspect of his life except his evil? Tell an atheist they should be thankful to God for their health and they'll tell you no, they ate right and exercised to get their health. They did it, not God. Tell them they should thank God for the intelligence they have and they'll tell you no, they studied and went to school for their intelligence. They did it, not God. Tell an atheist they should thank God for the wealth they have and they'll tell you no, they worked for their money. They did it, not God. But THEN bring up their evil, and they'll say, "Then why did God make me evil?" God did it, not them. I've noticed that atheists have this way of trying to make God exist half-way: enough to blame him for everything, but not enough to accept him. It'd almost be cute if it wasn't so tragic.
Next: Evil and suffering in the world (and why Christians would hope for a God who would make such a system in the first place:)
The reality of evil and suffering disproves the existence of God, atheists say. And Christians are just as evil as God to hope that there is an an all-powerful God behind this mess. I've YET to find an atheist who will actually stop for a moment let the following point sink in, though:
Evil and suffering are here ANYWAY.
It's here already, whether God exists or not. An atheist likes to think we were put here by evolution or aliens or dark matter or whatever, (all of which will from this point forward be referred to as "anything but God.") But the same exact evil and suffering is here, no matter WHAT put us here. There is no getting away from it. The evil of the world did not stop existing or decrease in any amount the moment someone out there quit believing in the God of the Bible. So, if the evil is here with or without God, it only makes sense to hope that there IS a God who hates evil and suffering, and promises to bring all of it, as well as all pain and sorrow, to an end. That's why we believe in God. That's why we HOPE in GOD.
It makes you wonder why the atheist is so excited and eager to find "proof" that anything but God put us here when the evil and suffering of the world is exactly the same. Have you ever noticed that? Why is it that under the notion of God's existence, the evil and suffering of the world is so glaring and insufferable to the atheist, but under the notion of us having been put here by anything but God, the atheist is suddenly happy and excited about finding out more about what put us here. Suddenly, life is great, everyone's "generally good," and the universe is so full of riches and mysterious wonders for us to find! Simple: There's no accountability under evolution, aliens, dark matter, etc. "Eat, drink, for tomorrow we die." Remember? The proof of evolution means we won't be held accountable for our indulgences, whatever degree of wickedness they may hold. If the evil is exactly the same under God as it is under anything but God, but the atheist is angry about the evil under God and not the same evil under anything but God, than it's simple logic that it's NOT evil that the atheist has a problem with. In fact, it's even algebraic logic (cancelling out like terms).
What's left over when you take the evil and suffering out of both columns is 'God' and 'Anything but God.' What's the difference between God and Anything but God? God is going to hold us all accountable. That sounds wonderful to the person who really DOES hate evil (including their own) and wants all evil gone. It sounds dreadful to someone who's secretly loving their evil and is just using the present evil of the world as an excuse to deny God. It's ~accountability~ that the atheist's heart fetters against God over. They don't have a problem with evil in general, just the evil that happens to them and maybe some loved ones. They're simply using the evil and suffering that exists as an excuse to hate God. Secretly, they want THEIR share of the evil, and they want it with no consequences. Evolution provides that, but God denies that.
To sum that up: Under the scenario that God exists, atheists complain about evil and suffering, but then turn around and use evolution (or whatever) as an excuse for that same evil and as a viable reason for suffering.
Just a couple more things, and I'm done:
Why is that atheists cite and acknowledge God's all-knowingness when they want to condemn him for making this creation when he knew what it would turn out like, but then turn right around and mysteriously forget about or ignore the SAME all-knowingness when asked if maybe he knew what he was doing or not? Are there things we don't know? Of course there are. Are there reasons for the temporary state of this creation that we can't understand? Again, of course. The Bible states clearly that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), and the whole creation groans and waits for the redemption and the renewal (Romans 8:22-23). Jesus asked in the garden of Gethsemane if there was any other way the whole plan could be carried out but there was not (Matthew 26:39-42). If I had to guess what the biggest reason for this creation in it's current fallen state is, it would be that man, angel, spirit and all of creation had to see why no one but God can be God, and anyone else trying to be God (such as Satan (Isaiah 14:12 -14), or man (Genesis 3:1-5) will cause nothing but disaster, as is obvious all around us. The atheist then asks why God couldn't just make us perfect from the get go. Well, that's coming. It's called the eternal state , when there will be no more evil, suffering, pain, or sorrow. Christians are happy about that, and atheists are angry about it. The atheist, again, is simply looking for any excuse to deny God.
Last question: Are we morally superior to God? Well, every atheist thinks so. But if an atheist really thinks he or she IS morally superior to God, then they don't get to say that God made them evil. :) Consider the predicament you're in if you try to eat your cake and have it too with that. Where are you getting your standard for evil from? Are you comparing it to some higher standard of good that you (obviously) are aware of? Did God not give you that awareness and realization of the need for good too? You have to admit that he did, if you're going to blame him for your morals. So, why don't you follow the good if you're aware of it and know that it's better? If you're going to try to say that God made you evil at first, but you gave yourself your own good morals over time, then why are you still complaining about being evil? Why can't you follow your own morals, especially if YOU came up with them and, no doubt, prescribe them to others on a daily basis? Also, if you try to say that God made you evil at birth but your own morals made you morally superior through the course of your life, then that means God would have known you'd turn out morally superior and you don't get to say he made you evil. If you try to switch your story and say that actually, he made you evil and you did NOT make yourself good over time, then you wouldn't even have a problem with being evil in the first place and you wouldn't be blaming God for it. Do you not see the predicament you're in, trying to blame your evil on God? It's a lazy cop-out.
Anyway, such sparring and jousting goes back and forth, back and forth, with no end. What it all comes down to is what a person hopes for.
A departing note: You may have noticed all of the disasters happening around the world in the last few months. Australia has been wiped out from continent wide fires, then hail storms, then floods. two thirds of Africa's crops have been destroyed by locust swarms bigger than any in recorded history. China and so many other countries have been crippled by the outbreak of a very contagious virus. Iran's militant despot, Solemenei, the one who was destroying Christian churches and killing anyone he discovered to be a Christian, has been killed. 40% of Europe is in revolt. People, this is unequivocal. This is unprecedented. People in lands that have either been ignorant of or deprived of the gospel are now getting saved in droves, more than ever before. I personally believe that God is now himself pushing closer the arrival of the 70th week, known by a lot of people, saved and unsaved, as the tribulation. It's been wrongly predicted and scoffed at so many times now, but I believe it's actually almost here now. I'm bringing this up, because if you've heard the gospel over and over and have read through a bazillion articles like this one and even ones that are much, much better, and are still searching through them only to find what you can prove wrong so you can go on not believing in God, you are going to be here for the 70th week, the worst time the world will ever experience. During that time, a masterfully deceitful man called the anti-Christ will show up and appear to have the answers for everything. Here's the important part: He will openly and boldly acknowledge and confirm God's existence to an unsaved world. That means YOU, atheist. But this man will not praise God. He will blaspheme and curse God. And the Bible clearly shows that a majority of the world will blaspheme God with this anti-Christ, proving that it was never a matter of a lack of proof, signs or facts, as to why they didn't believe in God. In their hearts, from the beginning, was a hatred for God. A hatred for accountability. If you're here when all of that gets here, atheist, remember this question: What's really in your heart? You'll have a chance to be saved, even in the 70th week. But it will be so much harder than it is now, by simply realizing how much smarter and how much more benevolent it is to believe in God. Now, you are saved by hope aka faith in God. In the 70th week, you will have already seen proof of God, so hope no longer cuts it. In the 70th week you are saved by faith and works (Matthew 25:34-40).
