Ingratitude
"I'm telling you that I don't know God. I've read the Bible, I've studied apologetics, I've gone to church. But I don't see any evidence that God exists." I felt stuck. The Bible says that God has made his existence evident to everyone. But my friend told me that he didn't see any evidence for God, and he seemed completely sincere.
In Romans, Paul says everyone knows God. But he told the Galatians, "But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods" (Galatians 4:8). So which is it? John Stott explains that in this passage, Paul is talking about "the limited knowledge of God’s power and glory which is available to everybody through general revelation." My friend wasn't lying to me. He didn't know God. Paul knows that God created everything, including us. So the evidence of his handiwork is everywhere. But instead of responding to the light that God has given us, we worship 'not gods' (idols). Instead of thanking God for giving us life and everything else, we feel entitled. We could follow the chain of evidence to worship God, but we refuse. If I was trying to diagnose why people don't know God, ingratitude wouldn't make the list. I would talk about the need for better apologetics, more miracles, healthier churches, or less suffering. But ingratitude is the first problem. If we can fall in love or look up at the stars at night without saying "thank you, God" then our hearts are already refusing to acknowledge God's power and goodness. Beyond hand-crafting every atom in the universe, what more could God do to convince us that he's real? Ingratitude is rooted in pride, and pride cannot bow down to God. "Thinking from first principles" is a trendy business concept. The idea is to question every assumption to find the bedrock truths behind a system. We rightly celebrate innovative business thinking. But we stop at making profit and forget to thank God for the ability to work at all. It's easiest to read this passage as being about "them": atheists, agnostics, or people who follow other religions. But do I thank God for everything in my life? If I did, I would be a very different person. I would live with an unquenchable enthusiasm to serve God and others. I am nowhere near where I ought to be. And neither were the Christians in Rome. Yet Paul could tell them, "I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you." I'm tempted to water down what Paul says so it doesn't sting. The way out isn't to deny the truth. It's to humbly thank God for who he is, and for Jesus, who died to save us.
Some of my friends think there's no evidence. What do you think of Paul saying they are "without excuse"?
How obvious is it to you that God exists? What makes it hard to believe?
Where do you resist thanking God?
At your next meal with a friend, say, "Before we pray, is there anything you want to thank God for today?" If they share something with you, add it to your prayer.