So far, I’ve been on time with Contradiction Tuesday, but late with Scripture Saturday.  Every single time.

This new job has really cut into my blogging time!

Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  After all, I need the money.  And, for the first time since I can remember, I actually like my job.

Now on to Scripture Saturday.

Many atheists argue that God is a moral monster.  They say that he has appalling standards compared to us humans.

Have you ever wondered why this is so?  Why do atheists think God is evil for punishing sinful people (like the Canaanites)?  Or why do they think he is a bumbling moron for allowing the Fall or creating Satan?

Simple.  Atheism isn’t just a rejection of the concept of a deity.  It is a decision with a serious moral dimension, and terrible consequences for the atheist — and I’m not referring to hell.  I’m referring only to earthly consequences, especially in the way one thinks as an atheist.  Let’s look at the Scriptures:

Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.  (Prv 28:5)

Are atheists evil?  Maybe some are.  Most aren’t by human standards.  But by divine standards, they are as messed up as the rest of us (Rom 3:23).  The bigger picture is the second clause — people who seek the Lord understand justice.

Without seeking God first, perfect and flawless justice will mean nothing.

The atheist can hem and haw all he wants about how he sought God and there was no God to be found.  Balderdash.  He fails to understand true justice because he is not seeking God.

Therefore, God’s actions against people like the Canaanites seem to the atheist inexplicable and mysterious; evil or disgusting.  The atheist isn’t seeking God when examining the Bible, he’s really just window shopping “the god of some other religion” and comparing its actions with what he already believes morality to look like.  He finds this god as coming up short, and therefore Christianity is yet another religion that fails to meet his criteria.

No wonder he doesn’t believe in God.

Instead, reverse all that.  Let God set the bar, since God is (after all) God.  Then measure yourself by his standard.

What’s happening, according to Scripture, is that since the atheist is not seeking God, he cannot understand justice.