The Atheist Christian
by Christopher Hendrix
One of the irrational beliefs of atheism is that the material world around us encompasses the total picture of reality. The things we touch, see, hear, taste, and smell are all that matter, and matter is the source of truth. This belief quickly breaks down when morality, emotions, and the sense of doin’ the right thing come into the discussion. Nonetheless, many atheists live like this to a certain extent. For example, they may celebrate Thanksgiving, but to whom do they give thanks? The butcher who slaughtered the turkey? The farmer who grew the turkey? The stardust and plasma that gave the turkey existence? Their denial of the One Triune God leads them to a false sense of thankfulness. Though, according to their worldview, thankfulness does not truly exist. You can't touch it!
Listen to Pastor Chris teach on 2 Corinthians 9:1-5
Regrettably, many Christians fall into the trap of being functionally atheistic in their lives. Our minds hold fast to the Word of God. We believe in the Trinity, the faith passed down through the centuries from the Apostles, and that salvation is through Christ alone. We seek to uphold and maintain good theology while practicing good biblical hermeneutics. We desire to live in truth and not fall to deception. But then, when it comes to applying these truths, our lives look like atheists. Our Christianity is theoretical and not practical.
There’s no greater proof of this than our use of money. Paul teaches quite a lengthy passage in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 on the Christian’s use of money. In 9:1–5, he reaches a point in which he commends the Corinthians for committing to give their money to help the church in Jerusalem. Their commitment even spurred the Macedonian church to commit and follow through with an amount beyond their means. They gave more than they could have to help the impoverished church across the sea. They missed a few meals so that a church miles from them could eat. The Corinthian's words that they would give inspired this!
However, the Corinthians have not followed through yet with their commitment. Paul recognizes some things have happened since their commitment, such as a rocky relationship between them for a season, but now that the smoke has cleared, it’s time for them to fulfill what they once promised. Ultimately, his concern isn’t necessarily that they fork over the cash, but that covetousness does not grab a hold of them. He wants them to give willingly and fight the pull of greed. Giving sounded good to them in an ideal way when they committed, but now Paul hints at some concern of close-fistedness taking hold of their hearts. They were at risk of becoming functionally atheistic. This danger of slipping into functional atheism is urgent and needs to be addressed.
As the last of the Ten Commandments, God’s Word clearly speaks of covetousness as sinful. A continuous theme in the heart of humanity throughout Scripture is greed and wanting more. Church history recounts story after story of Christendom being racked with covetousness. The Reformers and Puritans spilled much ink over this issue and preached against it often. This sin takes hold of the heart so easily. Why? Because the heart of covetousness is self-worship. When we hoard wealth or pursue it ambitiously, we are wrapping our identity and value in it. The more we have, the more power we have. The more we are in control. The more hedonistic we become. The more we act like God, placing ourselves at the center of our lives and desires.
Then, at this point, we’ve vacated the position of the Triune God. We’ve kicked him out of His role. Since that job position is open, we will step into it gladly. Thus, we have become the god of our world, worshipping ourselves and expecting everyone else to follow suit. We demand our offerings and expect more things to come our way. As they do, we continue to fill ourselves with pleasures and the things of the world. We may still ascribe to Christianity, but functionally we become like atheists. For instance, when we make decisions based solely on our own desires and ambitions without considering God's will, we are living functionally as atheists.
Of course, we can’t ever kick God out of anything. When we fall to self-idolatry and worship, we’re living in a false reality, just like atheists. They say the material world is true reality, but that mindset is false. How do we live like this? We live it in how we determine to spend the money God has given us and our attitude toward spending money. What's the first question when we receive our income, set our budget, or come into some cash? Do we ask how I can glorify God the most? How can I use this to proclaim the majesty of Christ? Or, do we ask, how can I have fun with this? Can I get a new toy? What new place can I go see?
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not called to be joyless ascetics who can’t enjoy life. We should go on vacations, go to a nice restaurant, buy homes, fill them, etc. But is the prevailing attitude in all these things a heart of thankfulness and worship? In these choices, do we seek to honor the Lord, thank Him for what He has given us, lead our families to contentment with the Lord’s provision, and laugh and feast on His glory? Or do we do these things like an atheist? One temptation for American Christians in Europe is to see as many places as possible within a 2 to 3-year time span. There’s an inward need to check the list on as many spots as possible. Why? To make us feel more accomplished in life? To brag? To compete with others? To bring contentment? To make us feel like we didn’t ‘waste’ our time? This is how atheists think. As Christians, we renew our minds, set realistic expectations that don’t take us away from worship on Sundays, and be content with what we can enjoy while giving thanks to God.
This leads to the biggest difference between Christians and atheists spending money. We seek to honor the Lord and worship Him with every cent. This means we will tithe to our local church. We will support missions and other believers preaching the Gospel in places of need. We will help other churches in need. We will help other poor believers freely with no expectation of return. When we prioritize these things in our budget, we apply doctrine to life. We are no longer functional atheists, but living out godliness. We are not atheist Christians, but we are true worshippers of the true God.