Fearful of the One We Have Offended

One of the most alarming statements I have ever heard comes from the Apostle Paul.  He wrote to Timothy, "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.  God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth..." (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

This verse throws every man and woman at the mercy of God.  In unbelief, it seems that God is at our mercy.  He desires for us to love Him, but is waiting for us to use our faculties (esp., our knowledge) properly in order to make a willful consent in His direction.  The unbeliever will even take this scenario a bit further.  He says God has not given enough "clues" and therefore has no right to demand allegiance.

As I read and interact with modern atheism - and even historical atheism - I find the common rational to follow this line of thought:  The ultimate problem is not ours.  Our knowledge and reasoning processes are sufficient enough to ascend toward God, should He exist.  Our knowledge and reasoning processes have not yet done so, therefore, God does not exist.

Many atheists have understand the logical contradiction in the absolute negation above and have restated it.  They say something like, "I lack a belief that God exists because I have found no evidence to prove otherwise."

Paul's statement confronts this position with an earth-shattering proposition.  The problem is not with God, but with man.  In unbelief man's knowledge and reasoning abilities are highly flawed.  In unbelief, a person is unable to reason to God.  He, according to Paul, does not yet have knowledge of the truth.  It follows then that premises without truth lead to conclusions without truth.  In short, unbelievers don't have the ability to make theistic conclusions.

But there is more.  The Apostolic statement not only states a lack of ability, but also a lack of permission.  The knowledge of the truth is not a right, but a gift.  It is not something we have (after the fall), but something we need.  It is not something we can create, but something that must be granted by our Creator.  In short, unbelievers don't have the right to make theistic conclusions.

This is a fragile position.  The unbeliever is completely at the mercy of the One he has offended every day of his life.  Belief in God is the greatest pleasure humanity can be afforded.  In our sin, however, we don't have the ability to buy it.  Nor do we have permission to have it.  Bad boys don't deserve glorious gifts.

The Gospel doest not therefore call the unbeliever to reason his way to God; but to repent of his sins to God.  Should God grant such, he is then in a position to reason properly.  Given the knowledge of the truth the reason is liberated.  Once we have the Truth, we may then conclude the Truth that God is the Sovereign, gracious King with whom we all must reckon.  I will quote the great St. Augustine yet again, "We must believe in order to understand" not vise versa.