“So Long and Thanks For All The Guilt”

I can't remember who it is but there is, or at least was an atheist blogger who had that comment as part of his header. 

Guilt! 

That pesky feeling that reminds us that we've done wrong. If only we could get rid of that feeling we could convince ourselves that we're good people. Atheists have actually perfected that practice. They actually believe they are good people, certainly better than others.

But is that a good thing to do? To purposely delude yourself about a crucial piece of information regarding yourself? Should atheists lie to themselves just to support a world-view that has zero scientific support?

One of the reasons that Christians are so universally hated by atheists is that we keep harping on our sinful nature. We can't help it. The Spirit of Creator God resides within us and “when He comes, He will convict the world of sin and of the judgement to come.”

Jesus' Spirit takes all the shine off our high opinion of ourselves. He forces us to face reality - And that's a good thing. For it is only when we see clearly the alarming nature of who we are, a nature that sustains hypocrisy, deceit, anger, bigotry, coveting, and lust; an innate nature that is acutely dangerous to life on this planet, only when we can see this clearly can we appreciate what Jesus has done for us.

For it is Jesus who came to rescue us from ourselves.

It is lying to ourselves that causes us to reject this offer of salvation.

It is lying to ourselves that causes us to choose an eternity in Hell.

A Clash Of Worlds

Perhaps you've noticed. We live in a very, very angry world. Hatred seethes just below the surface. Look through atheist blogs and you'll detect an anger at Creator God that borders on pathological. As one atheist wrote, “If Jesus came back, I'd kill Him again.”

Take a look at Dr. Luke's second letter to his friend Theopholous, in the Bible's book of Acts of the Holy Spirit. Go to chapter two verses 23, 24 and you'll find a clash of worlds.

What Dr. Luke is writing about is when human rage killed Jesus the first time. Sin, our sin, reacts violently whenever it's exposed. Witness the reaction of Whateverman to a simple post on forgiveness. The resentment that is triggered in secular man at the mere suggestion of needing forgiveness is profound. And so, out of rage at being convicted of sin, we nailed Jesus to the cross. In an attempt to satiate our anger we crucified the only perfect human to ever walk the face of the earth. Anger found it's main focus – God.

Interestingly, God's anger was also present. God's wrath, that is constantly being poured out on that which destroys us, was also poured out that day, on Himself. Knowing that we would be utterly destroyed if He was to fulfil His righteous anger on the sin, sin that we invited into the world, Creator God, in the form of His Son took upon Himself the consequences of our sin.

Jesus took God's anger upon Himself so that we could experience God's unlimited love.

What kind of a person would reject that kind of love?