A Related Message
When atheists put forth messages on signs or make such statements in classrooms, Christians must be armed with answers (1 Peter 3:15). As it pertains to, "Nobody died for our 'sins,'" a few questions to challenge them with are:
- Do you know for a certainty that nobody died for our sins? How?
- Do you not believe in the concept of sin? Do you believe in right and wrong, good and evil? How do you define these concepts? How can they exist in an impersonal, material world?
- If God does not exist, where do values originate?
For "Jesus Christ is a myth," the following questions are in order:
- Are you aware of the historical references to Jesus outside the Bible?
- How would you go about proving that Jesus is a myth?
- Are you aware of the evidence that exists for the factual Jesus dying, being buried, and being raised again?
It was not that long ago that the British Humanist Association placed the following message on British buses:
There's Probably No God.
Now stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life.
The first thing that comes to mind is: Are the fellows who put this before the public atheists or agnostics? If they were atheists, why does the assertion rather lamely say, "There's probably no God"? Why not openly declare: "There is no God!"? The second question would be: "How great are the odds?" Is there a 99% chance God does not exist, or is it only 52%? It might make a difference to many people, who would be willing to run with the greater percentage but a little reluctant to forfeit their future based on a slight edge.
But if we assume that God does not exist, then the second part of the statement is not logical; in fact, the opposite is true. Of course, what the sign implies is that no one needs to worry about a Day of Judgment in which God will reward people according to their works. Therefore, one can engage in whatever he wants (fornication, adultery, homosexuality, being lazy and irresponsible) without any fear of penalty. This possibility would be attractive to those who feel restricted by moral customs. Why not have a wife and a few lovers—or even two wives (if they would tolerate it)? And why not live off the government instead of working?
However, this philosophy only works within certain confines. It does not serve well with some of life's harsh realities. For example, the Orlando Sentinel reported that a 14-year-old girl was kidnapped and violated before she was rescued. But what about those who are not so fortunate and are forced into a life of prostitution? Should they stop worrying and enjoy life?
Elizabeth Smart was not so lucky. Kidnapped from her home at the age of 14, she was abused as much as three or four times a day before being found nine months later. Is it possible that she has no fears of anything this evil happening to her again? Not worrying only works if other people have a fairly decent level of morality. But if they do not believe in God and think they are smart enough to get away with their crimes, the rest of us ought to worry.
What about people who are murdered, who never receive justice or vindication in this world? About one-third of all murder cases in the Orlando area are never solved. If the same exists throughout the country, can we all quit worrying because God does not exist? The message on the bus only works in a perfect world—if everyone else is practicing, "Love your neighbor," but, whoops! we would need for people to believe in God and the Bible to make that work, wouldn't we?
How many scams are being operated at any one time to separate people from their money? We read of psychic frauds, Enron scandals, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, identity theft, and numerous other ways to rob people—not to mention home invasion. In light of all these threats, we are not to worry?
And while we are relaxing and not believing in God, what about those who believe in Allah? Should we not worry about those who may use airplanes to destroy two New York city landmarks? Should we just go out and run a marathon without fear that someone might detonate a bomb near the Finish Line? Yes, we ought to quit being worrisome and just take in the latest Batman movie at the mall. Going to school is probably safe, isn't it—just as much as going to work on a military base?
Sure, we should all just assume that God does not exist and that we are part of a universe that really cares about what happens to us, although molecules are not known for their benevolence and good will. The removal of God and the teachings of Jesus make all of these true situations possible. If God does not exist, we should all worry—exceedingly.
The premise of atheism also means that, when the body dies, a person's existence is gone. The child that is forever nine because a stray bullet killed him has no more life to live. How depressing is it to think that anyone could extinguish our lives, leaving us without one more hour of time! Killers and robbers get to have whatever they can get by with, and they have incentive to do whatever they wish—if this life is all there is and there is no retribution.
Christians
As the Apostle Paul wrote: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable" (1 Cor. 15:19). Why? The reason is not that we have given up earthly riches and fame, although if God does not exist, we did forfeit our only chance to have something valuable. (Of course, the Christian realizes that the spiritual benefits we have in Jesus are the true riches and that all earthly wealth eventually perishes.)
No, we are to be pitied because we had the greatest hope man ever was promised, but it was all a hoax if Jesus was not resurrected from the dead (and therefore God does not exist). We would receive no reward, which we eagerly anticipate. We would receive no vindication, which is a key concept in Revelation. Christians were tortured and killed because of their faith. Yet it was all an illusion without God to set things right.
But Jesus is raised from the dead! Peter proclaimed it on the Day of Pentecost after a miracle gathered the crowd together. And he showed them that what had occurred with the death, burial, and resurrection was a matter of fulfilled prophecy. Living faithfully and morally does entitle one to a reward, which shall be enjoyed forever. Guess what? There may not be signs posted in Heaven, but if there were, they might read.
God Does Exist and Reigns Here.
Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Eternity.
Whether the sign is posted or not, everyone there will know the truth of the declaration. The devil will not be there; sin will not be there; death will not be there. In Heaven no mixture of good and evil will exist, as it does on the earth. Here we live in a place where we shall choose our future dwelling place. Do we like the kingdom of God, or do we prefer the ways of Satan? Now is the time to decide. Shall it be Heaven where purity, righteousness, holiness, love, and kindness abound—or Hell, which is full of selfishness and corruption? Hmm. Is this a hard choice?
Life on earth cannot be, contrary to British buses, free from worry—unless we have become children of God through our faith and obedience (repentance and baptism, as preached by Peter on Pentecost in Acts 2:37-41). Then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's (Rom. 14:8). If we lose all of our earthly possessions, they were merely things anyway. Only Christians have peace (John 14:27) because we know that whatever horrible things might happen to us here, we have an eternal home that the ungodly have no share in.
Jesus taught that we should not worry about earthly needs. God knows about them and will take care of His own (Ps. 37:25). Even if we are persecuted for righteousness sake or put to death, evil men cannot separate us from the love of God (Matt. 10:27; Rom. 8:31-39). In fact, many Christians in the first century (and afterward) did lose their lives, but in so doing they won the crown of victory! Christians do not worry because God exists.