By: Obed Pineda
Upon describing to the Ephesians the grim condition from whence they were redeemed by the Almighty, the apostle Paul reminds them “that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens of the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). A closer inspection of the inspired Scripture under consideration verifies that this is the only verse in all 31,173 verses of the Bible where the koine Greek word, atheos,will be found. It is not difficult to easily identify where in the passage this Greek term is found, since in our current society the transliterated word, “atheist,” is commonly used when referring to those who deny that there is a God. Yet, it is curious to discover that Paul is not using atheos to speak of a people who did not believe in God, but to speak of a people that did not belong to Him. The apostle continues to elaborate on what the condition of man is prior to being “made alive; who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1-3). It is incorrect to surmise that the Ephesians did not believe in the presence of a Divine being. Consider the fact that the beloved physician Luke recorded how prior to obeying the Gospel, “many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver” (Acts 19:19). It would make no sense if the same Ephesians who burned a rather large number of books about magic (that were in their possession to begin with) later claimed that they did not believe in the existence of Deity. Furthermore, let us recall that when a riot led by the greedy silversmith Demetrius erupted, the city clerk quelled the mob by proclaiming, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus” (Acts 19:35)? Thus, this begs the following question: Who is defined by the Holy Spirit as an atheos? Israel’s beloved Psalmist elucidates, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good” (Psalm 14:1, cf. Psalm 53:1). Holy Writ unveils through David’s inspired quill that those who avidly practice wickedness are the same who deny that God is present. In another Psalm, the Bible exposes that the impious, “utter speech, and speak insolent things; all the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. They break in pieces Your people, O LORD, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, ‘The LORD does not see, nor does the God of Jacob understand.’ Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise” (Psalm 94:4-8)? Irrefutably, these Psalms concur with the apostle Paul’s assessment that all who have not been quickened by the blood of the Lamb, are the same who walk in this world without God. Observe also that these “workers of iniquity” are also depicted as fools by God. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a fool as “one who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding.” This denotation coincides with the lexicographer’s interpretation of the Hebrew word nāḇāl as used by the inspired king in Psalm 14 & 53: “foolish, senseless, especially of the man who has no perception of ethical and religious claims, and with collateral idea of ignoble, disgraceful” (Strong’s, H5036). It is unquestionable that one who is lacking in good judgment, sense, or understanding is one who walks in an impoverished state of mind (cf. Ephesians 4:17-19). Through the pens of David and Paul, the Bible teaches that a heart dominated by sin is in actuality the true atheist. The poor mentality of the atheos is unveiled by the poor choices he makes. Koheleth verifies this regrettable reality when he expands as to how “one sinner destroys much good” (Ecclesiastes 9:18b). The Preacher begins his explanation by providing three illustrations of how dangerous it is to remain in an impoverished state of mind. First, he writes, “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor” (Ecclesiastes 10:1). Solomon first illumines the mighty impact one foolish action will have on a person’s character. Remember that in ancient times, a perfumer would seal his scented ointment in jars for years so that the fragrance would gain a potent sweet aroma. If flies were to be sealed with the scented oils, unbeknownst to the perfumer, when the time came to open the jar what would protrude from it would be the putrid smell of an ointment spoiled by dead flies, and years of work would be wasted due to one mishap. Verily, it can be said that the king himself may very well be speaking from experience since he will always be remembered as the man who squandered away the precious wisdom he received from heaven (cf. 1st Kings 11:1-13). Thus, the warning that Solomon is inspired to record is that indulging in folly will do extensive damage to everything one holds dear. Secondly, Koheleth warns, “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left” (Ecclesiastes 10:2). Once more, history aids us in grasping a better understanding of the inspired pericope by reminding us that in those days rulers would honor their subjects by seating them on the right of them (cf. Acts 7:55-56, Hebrews 12:1-2). Additionally, the left side was considered to be a place of inferiority and dishonor. Therefore, the king is instructing that wisdom is the better counselor than folly since “A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows” (Proverbs 18:6). The apostles Paul and Peter remind every Christian that when sin is the master of the heart, nothing fruitful ever comes from living a purposeless, hollow life (cf. Romans 6:20-23, 1st Peter 4:3-6). Finally, the third deterrent Solomon presents against habituating in an impoverished mind is, “Even when a fool walks along the way, he lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone that he is a fool” (Ecclesiastes 10:3). Solomon had already once made this same point earlier in his composition when he established “I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness” (Ecclesiastes 2:13). Foolishness, like sin, will expose a man through the results of the choices he makes. Nadab, Abihu, Ananias, and Sapphira remain in the annals of Biblical history as examples of an atheos because they foolishly believed that God could be mocked (cf. Leviticus 10:1-3, Acts 5:1-10). Therefore, Scripture makes it abundantly clear that any whose impoverished mind deceives them to believe that they can indulge in sin without just recompense, is the true atheist before God (cf. Proverbs 14:6-9).