One of the major themes of Dostoevsky’s The Brother’s
Karamazov is this: if there is no
God, then all things are permissible.
The idea is that if there is no overarching divine being, then there is no
all-encompassing accountability that applies to all people. This sentiment is also at the heart of Psalm
14.
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God,’” says the
psalm. The fool says there is no one to
see when he oppresses the poor. The fool
says there is no one who cares when he treats people unjustly. The fool says that there is no one to hold
him accountable for his actions. “There is no right.” “There is no wrong.” The fool may even go so far as to say there
is only power and the use of it. The
fool may say there is purpose, no meaning, and no reason; that the best
response to the madness of life is hedonism, or on the other extreme
nihilism.
If there is no God, then I become a god to myself and I
do what I please. That’s hedonism (or at
least a form of it). I fill myself with
whatever good thing I want to satisfy me.
You may be a source of pleasure for me, or you may just be a tool to be
used for my purposes. But if I am god,
that’s okay.
On the other hand, if I am god, and I look around the
world with compassion I can quickly come to see my own inadequacy for the task
at hand. It all becomes meaningless,
worthless, and frustration. I cannot
satisfy my personal desire for justice. I
cannot change the social structures that keep me from achieving my ultimate
self (whatever that is). I turn to
despair and say, “None of it matters.”
It’s all nothing and it all ends in nothingness. (That’s nihilism, or, at least, a form of it.)
Psalm 14 testifies that life which is lived separate from
God is flawed and broken. I like the
image that C.S. Lewis uses for sinfulness in Out of the Silent Planet. He
talks about being a bent person. We are no
longer straight with God, but we are crooked and bent by our choices and
actions, our minds are twisted and no longer conformed to God’s plan. The Psalm describes humanity this way, “They
have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who
does good, not even one.”
It is a sad state of affairs! No wonder the psalmist prays in v. 7, “Oh,
that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” Zion is symbolic of the home of God, and
David cries toward it, “LORD, save us from
this corrupt world!”
Perhaps that is a sentiment we echo. It is a very Christian idea. At the end of Revelation, Jesus says, “Surely
I am coming soon.” As God’s people we
respond, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)
As long as we live with the hope of Jesus’ second coming
in our hearts, we will see the corruption of the world and respond to it
appropriately. We will remember that we
are redeemed and, therefore, our lives have purpose and meaning. We are not our own. We were bought at the price of Jesus’ blood,
which cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Because of this we will not give in to hedonism or nihilism. Instead, in faith, we will turn to God in
prayer, trusting in His promises.
The fool will still say, “There is no God.” Many will live as if God does not exist. Yet we are His witnesses in this world,
declaring that God does exist, and His Law condemns us all. We are also His witnesses who declare the
Good News (the Gospel) that He so loved all people that He gave His one and
only Son to die for us, and He is our Savior.
Father, let my life
show that you are real as people see and hear how You saved me in Jesus. Amen.
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