Atheists Affirm the Superiority of Christianity
I recently read an atheist cartoon—yes, there are such things. It was mocking the worship of an “invisible, inscrutable, and vindictive deity.”
Rather than be offended, I actually thought, “Hmm, an atheist affirms the superiority of Christianity!”
I’m sure the atheist would be put off, to say the least, by my interpretation.
And I’m sure many Christians are wondering what in the world I’m getting at.
Consider this. As a Christian, I think there are religions that worship an invisible, inscrutable, and vindictive deity. However, that’s not the God I worship in Christ.
From Invisible to Incarnate
Now, I’m sure that by “invisible,” the typical atheist is mocking all theists as believers in a myth—something or someone that is unseen because he does not exist.
From a Christian perspective, our God is “invisible” if by that one means “spiritual” and “immaterial.” However, as Francis Schaeffer said decades ago, “He is there and He is not silent.” For the Christian, “invisible” does not mean non-existent or inactive.
In Isaiah 46, Isaiah exposes those who do indeed worship a non-existent being. So, ironically, the atheist and Isaiah find some common ground!
But there’s more, so much more. Our invisible God is our incarnate God in Christ. As John reminds us:
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The very Creator of all things visible and invisible not only became visible in the incarnation of Christ, He dwelt among us—pitched His tent, made His abode—with us. Immanuel—God with us!
Yes, there are many religions. However, there is only one God and only one way to God—through Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
So, I find myself agreeing with the atheist on this one—no one should worship a God who is inactive and invisible—who is not here and who is silent.
Christianity is superior to all “faiths” because Christians believe in Christ—God visible, God in the flesh, God incarnate—active and engaged.
From Inscrutable to Immanent
Again, I’m sure that by “inscrutable,” the typical atheist is mocking all theists as believers in a false deity whose ways cannot be defended. The atheist looks at life with “eyeballs only” (without spiritual eyes, without eyes of faith) and sees the suffering and senselessness of so much on planet earth that they conclude there is no defense for a god.
In some ways, Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, is a kindred spirit to the atheist. Stay with me here while I explain. When looking at life “under the sun,” from a temporal, non-faith perspective, all does seem meaningless, soap bubbles, dust in the wind.
Imagine that, the atheist has found common ground with Isaiah and with Solomon!
However, when looking at life “under the Son,” from an eternal, Christ-centered, faith perspective, life has meaning.
But, let’s slow down. God is “inscrutable” if by that we mean the theological term that His ways are past finding out.
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34).
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8).
God’s inscrutability falls under the broad theological category of “transcendence.” God is above us, greater than us, infinite, beyond full human understanding because of His eternal, immeasurable, unbounded nature.
However, Christians do not worship a God who is only transcendent. Christians worship a God who is also immanent. He is near us. He has condescended to us—to take our form and to take our sin. That’s the message of Philippians 2:5-8.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, making the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
John says it like this in John 1:18.
“No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”
Christ “exegetes” the Father. Christ explains and reveals God.
Indeed, God is not silent. Nor is He inscrutable if by that we mean that we are unable to enter into a loving relationship with Him through Christ. God is a revealer. The author of Hebrews says it like this:
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:1-3).
So, for a second time, I find myself agreeing with the atheist on this one—no one should worship a God who is only transcendent. No one should worship a God who does not reveal Himself with clarity.
Christianity is superior to all “faiths” because Christians believe in Christ—the Word, the Logos, who communicates, reveals, makes know, and explains God personally.
From Vindictive to Holy Love
It’s quite clear that by “vindictive” the atheist is mocking all theists as believers in a cruel being who capriciously sends undeserving beings to eternal damnation.
And for a third time I find myself agreeing with the atheist. I would not and do not worship a vindictive god.
Christ reveals God to be a God of holy love. You almost need to read that as one word, or at least a hyphenated word: holy-love. God is Holy, the Bible tells us (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:16). God is love, the Bible tells us (1 John 4:8, 16).
Christ, who in His incarnation embodies the imminence of God, also reveals the holy-love of God. God’s holiness and love meet at the beams of the cross.
In a verse that likely even the atheist could quote, John tells us:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
No, the God revealed in Christ is not “vindictive.” He does not cruelly and capricious send underserving beings to eternal damnation. Instead, He sends His Son to earth to live and die so that no one ever has to die apart from God. He who did not deserve God’s wrath voluntarily took the last full measure of God’s wrath upon Himself. The Christ who is the final revelation of God in Hebrews 1 is also the one who has provided purification for our sins (Hebrews 1:3).
Vindictive?
No.
Gracious?
Yes!
Amazing grace?
Yes!
So, for a third time, I find myself agreeing with the atheist on this one—no one should worship a God who is vindictive.
Christianity is superior to all “faiths” because Christians believe in Christ who, though He had no sin, became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). We worship the God of holy-love who does not wink at sin as if He were an unjust judge, but instead, defeats sin by the death and resurrection of His Son.
Christianity is Far Superior Because Christ Is Infinitely Superior
I agree with the atheist. No one should worship a god who is “invisible, inscrutable, and vindictive.”
Christianity is far superior to all faiths because Christians believe in the Trinitarian God revealed in Christ as the incarnate, immanent God of holy-love.
At the recent atheist “Reason Rally” in D.C., there were T-shirts spouting the words, “So Many Religions, They Can’t All Be Right, But They Could All Be Wrong” (my paraphrase from my memory of a video I watched of the event).
I would have to word it differently, and I’m thankful for an atheist cartoon helping me with this. “So Many Religions, They Can’t All Be Right, But One Is—In Christ.”
That’s “reason-redeemed by faith.” It is unreasonable to worship an “invisible, inscrutable, and vindictive deity.” It is eternally reasonable to worship the incarnate, immanent God of holy-love revealed in Christ.
Christ is the pivot point. Christ is the pivot Person. Any reasonable conversation about God must pivot on the person of Christ. You cannot reasonably assess and evaluate faith and worship apart from the life and claims of Christ.
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How does Christ factor into your reasonable assessment of faith and worship?
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