Christian Atheism. Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn t Exist. They Profess to Know God, But They Deny Him By Their Works

Transcription

1 Christian Atheism Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn t Exist Session 1 They Profess to Know God, But They Deny Him By Their Works Session 2 I Believe in God, But I Don t Really Know Him Session 3 I Believe in God, But I m Ashamed of My Past Session 4 I Believe in God, But I m Not Sure He Loves Me Session 5 I Believe in God, But I Hardly Ever Pray on My Own Session 6 I Believe in God, But I Don t Think He s Fair Session 7 I Believe in God, But I Refuse to Forgive Session 8 I Believe in God, But I Don t Think I Can Change Session 9 I Believe in God, But I m Filled With Worry Session 10 I Believe in God, But I Trust More in My Money Session 11 I Believe in God, But I Don t Share My Faith

2 Christian Atheism Session 1 They Profess to Know God, But They Deny Him By Their Works In Titus 1:10-16, the apostle Paul warned: For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Christian atheism is, admittedly, a strong term. When you hear it, what comes to your mind? In Titus 1:10, what does Paul mean by calling some: Insubordinate? Empty talkers? Deceivers? Paul agrees with the Cretan prophet in 1: How would you describe a modern-day: Liar? Evil beast? Lazy glutton? How can someone be guilty of professing to know God, but denying him by their works (1:16)? What does it mean to be: Detestable? Disobedient? Unfit for any good work?

3 Christian Atheism Session 2 I Believe in God, But I Don t Really Know Him A recent Gallup poll (6/3/11) reported that 92% of Americans believe in God. However, a quick glance at Scripture and our culture makes it plainly obvious that nowhere near 92% actually know God. In your own words, what s the difference between believing in God and knowing God? A consistent invitation rings throughout Scripture: But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut 4:29) You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13) Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matt 7:7-8) And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. (Acts 17:26-27) How would you summarize what God wants from those who have been created in his image? I believe in God. Isn t that enough? A lot of people don t even believe in him! How does James 2:19 address that question? (see also Matt 8:28-29 and Mark 1:21-24). Using 1 John 2:1-6, how can our day-to-day actions reveal a lack of intimate knowledge of God? A profound point repeatedly revealed in Scripture is that God is interested not only in our actions, but also in our hearts. Why is Matthew 7:21-23 a vital passage of Scripture for this topic of discussion? What does it mean, not only to know God, but to be known by God (Gal 4:8-10)? If I recognize that I don t really know God, where should I go from here?

4 Christian Atheism Session 3 I Believe in God, But I m Ashamed of My Past In what real-life ways can past shame hinder a healthy relationship with God in the present and a hopeful relationship with God in the future? How does unresolved shame come to serve as a personal prison from which many never escape? Take the time to carefully study Psalm 51, A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Was David ashamed? Of what? How did he deal with that shame? How did David avoid his shame becoming a personal prison from which he would never escape? Consider the vivid examples of Peter (Matt 26:69-75) and Judas (Matt 27:3-10). Both were full of shame and regret, but they handled those significant weights differently. What can we learn from their examples? The good news of Jesus Christ is on full display in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Why are these Godbreathed words so powerful and practical for modern disciples? What does Paul mean when he writes, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). If I m in a serious struggle with past shame, where should I go from here?

5 Christian Atheism Session 4 I Believe in God, But I m Not Sure He Loves Me Unfortunately, it s not uncommon to hear someone say something like, I don t believe in God, and I don t want to talk about religion. When gently pressed with the request, Tell me about the God you don t believe in, the person might be happy to oblige. He or she might say something to this effect: I don t believe in a God who s always angry, constantly waiting to catch people doing wrong so he can delightfully send them to hell. If you heard someone say something like that, how would you respond? In reality, belief in God doesn t automatically result in the belief the genuine conviction of heart that God loves us. Many struggle internally: How could God love someone as undeserving and sinful as me? Take a moment to meditate on several examples from the Old and New Testaments of people who struggled with how to view themselves in relation to God. Moses: Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Exo 3:11) Gideon: Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father s house. (Judg 6:15) David: But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you (1 Chron 29:14) Job: I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:5-6) Isaiah: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts! (Isa 6:5) Peter: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. (Luke 5:8) Paul: The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost (1 Tim 1:15). For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Cor 15:9). What can we learn from these examples? Where is the healthy highway of discipleship between the ditch of pride on one side and the ditch of complete worthlessness and despair on the other?

6 Christian Atheism Session 5 I Believe in God, But I Hardly Ever Pray On My Own Many believe in God, but they don t pray. They might claim to believe in prayer, but their actions say otherwise. Some rarely pray, and when they do, they don t expect anything to change. In your own words, what is prayer? Why do you think God even wants us to pray? What can we learn about the sort of prayer our heavenly Father is looking for from the words of his Son in Matthew 6:5-8? Take the time to think about the very straightforward honesty of Habakkuk (1:2-3) and Job (10:1). How can I find the healthy balance of reverence for the God of the universe on the one hand and honest communication of the burdens I m bearing on the other? In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul writes, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. What does he mean when he tells us to pray without ceasing? If prayer is such a good thing, why doesn t God seem to answer more prayers?

7 Christian Atheism Session 6 I Believe in God, But I Don t Think He s Fair People often say, Life isn t fair. That s unquestionably true. And when unexplained tragedies invade our lives, even those of us who believe in God may want to scream, God s not fair! If God is fair, then why do the unrighteous seem to prosper so often, even as the faithful are suffering? If God is fair, why doesn t he do something about all the injustices in the world? It seems reasonable then, to many, to conclude that either God isn t fair, or he s powerless. Either way, Christian Atheists live as though God doesn t exist. Since many Christian Atheists struggle with believing that God answers prayers, it s only logical to conclude that God isn t making a lot of difference in the world anyway. Take a moment to read Psalm 73. What can we learn from this ancient composition? Pain spills all over the pages of the Bible. Job s life is devastated as Satan takes full advantage of the latitude granted to him by God (1:6-22). God empowers John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus. And yet, when King Herod s stepdaughter, at the urging of her mother, Herodias, begged for John s head on a platter, John is beheaded (Matt 11:1-6; 14:1-12). As Jesus himself stands before Pontius Pilate, Pilate takes the coward s way out. He turns a legal proceeding into a popularity contest and allows the crowd to make what should have been his decision. The crowd chooses Barabbas. The guilty man is set free. The innocent man is condemned (Matt 27:1-26). Where was God when life wasn t fair? When we re hurting and confused, we need to remember some fundamental truths God has revealed about himself in his Word. What difference do these truths make? He is good and does good (Psa 119:68) He cares for each one of us (Exo 34:6; Matt 9:36; Heb 4:15) He comforts us in our pain (Isa 49:13; John 14:16; 2 Cor 1:3-4) He is present with us always (Psa 18:1-2; 40:16-17; 70:4-5) Sometimes he may intervene to prevent or ease our pain, or even to help us escape from it. But we may not always recognize his loving action when it happens (1 Cor 10:13) He is not a finite person (Isa 55:8-9) In a very real sense, he s not fair (Psalm 103:10-12) He can have a purpose in our pain (John 9:1-3; Eph 1:11)

8 Christian Atheism Session 7 I Believe in God, But I Refuse to Forgive As Christian Atheists, we (or those whom we love) might experience heartbreaking circumstances that lead us to feel justified in bitter hatred. But the Bible clearly illustrates the danger of this natural response. One verse in Hebrews is easy to miss. It s tucked between one verse about holiness and another about sexual purity. Hebrews 12:15 says, See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. In your own words, what is a root of bitterness? In what way do roots of bitterness cause trouble? How do many become defiled by roots of bitterness, and what does this have to do with obtaining the grace of God? When you pull a weed from the ground, if you don t get the roots, the weed will return. So it is with bitterness. Fortunately, Scripture shows us how to kill the root of bitterness. And unfortunately, Christian Atheists are often skilled at avoiding this spiritual medicine. According to Ephesians 4:31-32, the only way to eliminate the root of bitterness is forgiveness. How would you summarize the message of Ephesians 4:31-32 in your own words? What is Jesus telling us to do in Luke 6:28 and Matthew 5:43-44, and how can we possibly make it a reality in our lives? What important elements do passages like Colossians 3:13 and Luke 11:4 bring into this discussion?

9 Christian Atheism Session 8 I Believe in God, But I Don t Think I Can Change Many Christian Atheists live year after year under the illusion that we simply can t change. Once we ve forgiven ourselves for past mistakes, some surrender to present problems, never even hoping to overcome them. We may openly, even proudly believe in God, but we honestly don t believe he can change us. And it s not that we ve never tried to change. We have often. Perhaps we prayed and asked God for help, but nothing happened. Or we read a book, listened to a sermon, or accepted advice from a trusted friend, only to end up in the same place we started. Maybe we made a New Year s resolution, joined a support group, even visited a counselor, all hoping to change. But when we didn t succeed, we eventually surrendered our hopes for a different life. Even though I believe in God, I don t really think he can help. After all, this is how he made me. Take a moment to read and reflect on Paul s words in 2 Corinthians 10:1-6. Is there anything we can learn from this passage as it relates to our discussion? How do the very straightforward words of Romans 6:12-14 impact this discussion? In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh. What should we take away from this example that has been recorded for our instruction and encouragement?

10 Christian Atheism Session 9 I Believe in God, But I m Filled With Worry Christian Atheists can always find something to worry about. The economy is tight. Jobs are unstable. We know people who don t know how they re going to pay their bills. How are we going to do it all? The kids are growing up college and weddings inevitably loom ahead. And as if the basics weren t enough food, clothes, shoes, a roof over our heads in the times we live in, how do we keep our kids safe? We re supposed to trust God, but it s often hard to do. In what very practical ways is worry not your friend? In your own words, what is the Spirit of God prescribing in Philippians 4:4-7? In everyday terms, what does it mean to live by faith? Take the time to carefully read and reflect on Jesus words in Matthew 6: In what way is worry a control issue? If I m in a serious struggle with worry, where should I go from here?

11 Christian Atheism Session 10 I Believe in God, But I Trust More in My Money There s a great irony in the country where we live. Printed across the back of an American dollar bill are the words, In God We Trust. Yet for most of us, that motto is simply not true. We might say that we trust in God, but our actions show what s really going on. We Christian Atheists often give lip service to God, but in our everyday lives, we re tempted to trust, serve, and worship the very money on which that slogan is printed. We get the sense that Jesus words in Luke 12:34 leave us little room to hide. In practical, everyday terms, what do they mean? In what way does trusting in money sneak up on us as modern Americans? What is Paul communicating in 1 Timothy 6:10, and why is it vital that we hear and apply? What about the words of Jesus in Luke 16:13? Why are they spoken in such stark either/or terms? Why would Jesus say what he did in Matthew 19:23-24? Do those words still apply? If so, why? In the middle of this work week, how should the Spirit s words in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 shape our understanding and motivation? If I recognize that I m really struggling on this front, where should I go from here?

12 Christian Atheism Session 11 I Believe in God, But I Don t Share My Faith The word evangelism comes from the Greek word euangelizo, which means to proclaim or share the good news. Our modern word gospel comes from the Old English word godspel. In Old English, god with a long o meant good, and spell meant word. Clearly, sharing the gospel meant sharing the good word or good news of Christ. If that is the case, why are those who claim to be disciples of Christ sometimes hesitant witnesses of Christ? I believe in God, but I don t share my faith. Is this a manifestation of Christian Atheism? If so, in what way? Do Christian Atheists want to avoid hell? Do Christian Atheists want to go to heaven? How do Christian Atheists sometimes act as if heaven is a type of default destination? How does Matthew 7:13-14 come to bear on that mentality? In your own words, what is 1 Peter 3:15 communicating? What role should it play in our everyday lives of discipleship?