Those who don’t believe in a literal hell often say that it merely means the grave. But the word “grave” doesn’t fit into these verses, nor are they metaphoric.
June 3, 2021
“Foolishness” is an archaic word. “Stupid” is the modern equivalent, but its use is a little harsh in today’s word-sensitive society. Nowadays we don’t call people stupid, because we have no tolerance for intolerance.
We have come a long way since the days of condescension and bigotry. In fact, modern man has come a long way since the beginning of time, when we acted like animals toward each other. Modern man doesn’t really know when that “time” began, or even how we had our beginnings, but concerted efforts are being made to solve that dilemma. We spent $1.5 billion to build and put the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, and we spend another $230 million each year to keep it there to try and find our origins. Space may someday provide the answer. Meanwhile, the search keeps going to find our genesis…our humble human beginnings.
Genesis-less-ness
Our forefathers didn’t have that dilemma. They knew when and where we came from. They simply believed that God made us “in the beginning,” as the beginning of the book of beginnings (Genesis) so clearly states. The question then is, when did not believing the book of beginnings begin? Who was the genius who first decided that we didn’t believe Genesis, and why did anyone believe him?
“The Bible calls those who deny a Creator a fool (stupid). Only dim-witted folks would say that a painting didn’t have a painter, that a building didn’t have a builder, and that creation had no Creator.”
Genesis-less-ness has left modern society in the dilemma of creating even more questions. What is the purpose of our existence? Where is the missing link? And what did come first, the chicken or the egg? Again, our forefathers knew the answers. They believed that God made us for Himself, that there was no missing link—because every animal brought forth after its own kind—and that the first chicken came first and the first egg came second.
But enlightened mankind rejects Genesis and hasn’t the foggiest idea who laid what when. They don’t know where they came from, what they’re doing here, or where they are ultimately going. They do know that they are going to die, yet they don’t know what causes death, what happens after death, or what to do about it.
They don’t even know what makes a murderer murder. Experts have studied the profiles of multitudes of murderers so that we can better understand why they kill. With more than 600,000 who have committed murder (just in the U.S. since 1970) to study, they should have come up with a clear and common profile. But they haven’t. This is because they consider themselves too wise to believe the Book. It says the common denominator is that they have a human nature, and that nature is inherently evil.
The “Wise” Have Become Fools
The Bible also says that the wisdom of this world is “foolishness” (Greek moros; “stupidity”) with God. It also says that when men profess themselves to be wise, they become fools (stupid). I have seen this often, when atheists attempt to discredit those who believe the Bible by quoting history books that were written around the time of Christ. They blindly believe the historical recordings of men without a second thought.
“The epitome of human stupidity is so evident in the fact that God offers everlasting life to whoever wants it, and nobody seems to care.”
The Bible calls those who deny a Creator a fool (stupid). Only dim-witted folks would say that a painting didn’t have a painter, that a building didn’t have a builder, and that creation had no Creator. These same folks often have blind faith in the theory of evolution. They believe a theory as though it were fact, and they look down on people who have a trust in God. As Napoleon said, they believe anything “as long as it’s not in the Bible.” This is because it is a moral book. From Genesis to Revelation, it accuses us of sin.
However, the epitome of human stupidity is so evident in the fact that God offers everlasting life to whoever wants it, and nobody seems to care. It seems that our stupidity began its evolutionary process in the species at the very moment sin entered the human race. But its progress is stopped the moment God gives a sinner His Holy Spirit at the new birth. It is then that we receive a “sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Thank God for His intervening hand of grace, for without it we would still be sinking into the quicksand of this world’s insanity: “For we ourselves were also once foolish [stupid], disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).
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