Both
Psalm 14:1 and
Psalm 53:1 read,
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God". In this text, the Hebrew word is "nabal", which often refers to an impious person who has no perception of ethical or religious truth. The meaning of the text is not “unintelligent people do not believe in God.” Rather, the meaning of the text is “sinful people do not believe in God.” In other words, it's a wicked thing to deny God, and a denial of God is often accompanied by a wicked lifestyle. It's not intelligence, or a lack thereof, that leads a person to reject belief in God. It's a lack of righteousness that leads a person to reject belief in God. Many people do not object to the idea of a Creator, as long as that Creator minds His own business and leaves them alone. What people reject is the idea of a Creator who demands morality from His creation. Rather than struggle against a guilty conscience, some people reject the idea of God altogether.
Psalm 14:1 calls this type of person a “FOOL.” Psalm 14:1 says that denying God’s existence is commonly based on a desire to lead a wicked life. Belief in a divine Being is accompanied by a sense of accountability to that Being. So, to escape the condemnation of conscience, which itself was created by God, atheists simply deny the existence of God. They tell themselves, “There is no overseer of the world. There is no Judgment Day. I can live as I please.” The moral pull of the conscience is thus more easily ignored. A lack of evidence of God’s existence isn't the true reason atheists reject a belief in God. Their rejection is due to a desire to live free of the moral constraints God requires and to escape the guilt that accompanies the violation of those constraints. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them . . . so that people are without excuse. . . . Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. . . . Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts. . . . They exchanged the truth about God for a lie”
(Romans 1:18–25). Trying to convince oneself there is no God is unwise. The point of “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” is that it is an impious, sinful heart that will deny God. The atheist’s denial flies in the face of far too much evidence to the contrary, including his own conscience and the universe he lives in.
The word translated
"SCOFFER" in English means "one who mocks, ridicules, or scorns the belief of another." In Hebrew, the word translated
"SCOFFER" or
"MOCKER" means
"AMBASSADOR" So a scoffer is one who not only disagrees with an idea, but he also considers himself an ambassador for the opposing idea. He cannot rest until he has demonstrated the foolishness of any idea not his own. A scoffer voices his disagreement, ridicules all who stand against him, and actively recruits others to join his side. In the Bible, scoffers are those who choose to disbelieve God and His Word. They say in their hearts, "There is no God"
(Psalm 14:1), and make it their ambition to ridicule those who follow God.
Proverbs 3:34 says that God "scoffs at the scoffers, yet He gives grace to the afflicted." The Bible warns us not to entertain the company of those who actively ridicule our faith.
Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm". We can't totally escape the presence of scoffers. They were active in Jesus' day, and we continue to hear from them today. Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you".
Second Peter 3:3 warns us that "in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires"
(cf. Jude 1:18). We know from Scripture that scoffing will only increase as we near the time for Jesus' return. Yep, scoffers have always been and will always be present in the world. But there is coming a promised day when "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"
(Philippians 2:10–11). On that day there will no longer be any scoffers. They will at last accept the truth, and their scoffing will be forever silenced.:victory:
~ In HELL Everyone Is A Believer...It's Just Too Late...FOREVER ~
