From Newsgroup: alt.bible
Spurgeon explains how atheists' statement that "there is no God" is not the result of an academic exercise where they consider the information to arrive at a conclusion, but it arises from their heart condition and desire to get rid of accountability before a holy God, so they can enjoy their sin. They actively suppress the knowledge of God by stating a proposition, and seeking to justify it.
Regarding how the atheist arrives at this position, the writers understand that the root of the reasoning is moral and volitional rather than an honest, purely intellectual deduction:
The seat of the reasoning is the heart, not the intellect.
Spurgeon emphasizes that the atheist speaks from his nature. He is a fool morally as well as mentally, in the heart as well as in the head. The denial of God is not the result of dispassionate logic; it is a corrupt starting point that unleashes a rapid, lawless trajectory. Francis Bacon similarly observes that Scripture says the fool says this "in his heart," and not that he has fully "thought in his heart." It is the product of the will and corrupt affections rather than clear perception.
The desire dictates the conclusion.
Bacon notes that because the existence of a holy, sovereign God opposes the sinner's lifestyle and desires, the fool sets himself to persuade his own judgment. He works to prove, affirm, and verify the non-existence of God to himself as an intellectual position to quiet his inner conviction. As the quote from the classical poet states, "Then came my mind to be of my opinion." The mind is conscripted into service to rationalize what the fallen heart already desires.
The underlying motive is the removal of moral restraint.
Spurgeon writes that "No God," rightly interpreted, means "no law, no order, no restraint to lust, no limit to passion." The practical aim of the reasoning is to abolish the divine standard so that the sinner may act abominably without terror of an ultimate reckoning. Daniel Cresswell adds that denying Elohim specifically targets God's moral governance and providence as Judge, seeking to remove divine oversight from human affairs.
It suppresses internal revelation.
Bacon explains that this rationalizing process is an uphill battle against the "sparkle of our creation light" which remains within man. Man naturally knows that there is a God, and his atheistic philosophy is an active, vain labor to extinguish that internal witness. Spurgeon compares this posture to a boy whistling in a churchyard to keep his courage uprCoa fabricated confidence built over an inherent, coward-like dread of divine judgment.
In summary, the atheist does not merely utter a passive wish that God did not exist; he actively asserts God's non-existence as a settled proposition. Yet that intellectual proposition is not a genuine product of reason, but a rationalization manufactured by a corrupt heart to justify sin, silence conscience, and cast off the moral restraint of a holy Judge.
Source
Spurgeon, C. H. The Treasury of David: Psalms 27-57. Marshall Brothers, pp. 438rCo39
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Good News rCa
Christ's death on a cross paid the debt we owe God for our sins (Colossians 2:14). The proof is God raised Him from the dead (Romans 1:4).
This means God can now remain right, while forgiving our sins (Romans 3:26) and delivering us from His coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10). It's a free gift for those who believe in Christ (Romans 6:23).
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