What Christians Know About Non-Christians
Christians are called to share Christ with their unbelieving friends and acquaintances (2 Corinthians 5:20), but very often we feel inadequate when presenting or defending our faith. However, if we understand what the Bible tells us about those outside of Christ, it should bolster our courage and move us to speak because there are many things we know about the unbeliever, before we even start a conversation. We know that he is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14), but we also know his desperate condition outside of Christ. Romans Chapter One teaches three things the believer knows about the non-Christian’s condition.
You Know That the Unbeliever Knows God
The Christian apologist Cornelius Van Til said, “The apostle Paul speaks of the natural man as actually possessing the knowledge of God, and the greatness of his sin lies precisely in the fact that, according to Romans 1:21: ‘When they knew [lit. the] God, they glorified him not as God.’”
How is it that Paul can say that all people know God? He explains in the prior verse saying, “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). This calls to mind the words of the Psalmist who said:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. (Psalm 19:1-3)
This means there is no true philosophical atheist – someone who really believes there is no God – whatever he may profess. This is why Psalm 14:1 says, The fool has said in his heart there is no God. In the Bible, foolishness is not ignorance, a lack of knowledge. Rather, it is failure to apply what one does in fact know.
As a result of humanity’s inherent knowledge of God, he knows the voice of His Creator. It could be no other way. Imagine being the first creature to whom God spoke. How did Adam know it was God? Because he was made to know Him. The result of rejecting the knowledge of God is that “people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). All people know God!
But You Know That the Unbeliever Does Not Want to Know God
The truth that people know about God they suppress, they hold down: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness (Romans 1:18). Further down in the chapter we’re told that people do not “think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God” (Romans 1:28).
This is the reason we’re often told we shouldn’t talk about religion with others because “It’s a personal matter”. Never mind that a co-worker will come in on Monday and gladly share with you the intimate and/or gory details of his weekend. But when the subject turns to the God Who made him, well that’s off limits.
You Know the Unbeliever is a Fool
I know this sounds unkind, but it happens to be the language the Bible uses regarding the condition of the non-Christian. Remember that foolishness is failure to appropriate what one knows. The Bible says of humanity, Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:22). They became fools because they fail to apply what they naturally know about God.
This foolishness is perhaps best seen in the fact that people must assume God in order to deny Him. I have many times discussed spiritual matters with someone who says they do not believe in God. When I ask why, they offer some variation of, “I cannot believe in a God Who would allow the kind of suffering we see in our world.” But notice, that is not an argument against God’s existence, it’s a statement about His (supposed) character. The objector knows that God is sovereign over the affairs of His world, and he simply does not like the way God runs things!
Similarly, in a debate between Christian apologist Dr. Greg Bahnsen and atheist university professor Dr. Gordon Stein (see here), the following occurred during their cross examination:
Dr. Bahnsen Cross-Examines Dr. Stein …
Dr. Bahnsen: Do you believe there are laws of logic then?
Dr. Stein: Absolutely.
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they universal?
Dr. Stein: They are agreed upon by human beings. They aren’t laws that exist out in nature.
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they simply conventions then?
Dr. Stein: They are conventions but they are conventions that are self-verifying.
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they sociological laws or laws of thought?
Dr. Stein: They are laws of thought which are interpreted by men. And promulgated by men.
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they material in nature?
Dr. Stein: How could a law be material?
Dr. Bahnsen: That’s the question that I’m going to ask you.
Dr. Stein: I would say no.
Dr. Stein Cross-Examines Dr. Bahnsen …
Dr. Stein: Dr. Bahnsen would you call God material or immaterial?
Dr. Bahnsen: Immaterial.
Dr. Stein: What is something that’s immaterial?
Dr. Bahnsen: Something not extended in space.
Dr. Stein: Can you give me an example of anything other than God that’s immaterial?
Dr. Bahnsen: Laws of logic.
Ouch. Apart from God there is no justification for believing in the existence of the very laws of logic the non-Christian employs. You must assume God to deny Him.
Christians are called to share Christ with those in their sphere of influence. Be not afraid nor intimidated as you do, because you know the unbeliever better than he knows himself.
Ken Brown is the pastor of Community Bible Church in Trenton, MI. We republish his article by permission.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash