October 1, 2024
If there were no God, life would have no meaning at all. Nothing would matter. Man would have no reason to be moral or to exercise restraint in whatever he chose to do. And this describes most people in Western civilization today, unfortunately. The majority has dismissed the very idea of God’s existence. Therefore all reason for optimism and meaning are tossed out for most.
The man who refuses belief in God has only superficial things to motivate him. Knowing he will die, he tries to find happiness through wealth and things. He places no value on human life and is only concerned about himself ultimately. This lack of belief in God engenders selfishness, hatred of others, murder, and all forms of violence. Why should an unbeliever try to be good or considerate of other people? Famous biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins regards man as an electro-chemical machine controlled by mindless genes. Dawkins and all atheists are fools by God’s definition. The Bible says, “The fool has said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
King Solomon, the wisest of all men, went through a foolish period. His book, Ecclesiastes, expresses his darkest moments about the meaning of life when man is away from God. Solomon was the wisest of men but showed, in Ecclesiastes, that even the wisest man is a fool on occasion. Solomon tried philosophy, wisdom, materialism, wealth, pleasure, and living for the “now” in his search for satisfaction. He did not find it.
Solomon’s words express his feelings and thoughts. For example, in Ecclesiastes 1:18, he declares, “For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” This sounds almost atheistic, although Solomon was never actually an atheist. His byword was “vanity,” meaning futility. That shows he was, at the time, away from God, as most people are today. Even Christians can get out of God’s will and even think of themselves as atheists. But if they were ever truly Christian, they will inevitably return to God, for He always calls us back when we stray.
Solomon does offer some very wise advice among all his folly. He suggests, “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God. (Ecclesiastes 8:12-16).
I like best the ending two verses of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon tells us, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
So, what is the Christian’s conclusion to all this? Everything we value and so desire will pass away. We too will pass away. But the Word of the Lord will last forever. Jesus said, ”Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 8:35). The Christian view is that God created man to give Him glory. We are on earth in preparation for heaven. And I say, with Job, “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
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Ralph Fudge is the pastor of Big Ochlocknee Baptist Church in Coolidge, Ga., and has a Master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
