WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN WHEN IT SAYS THAT 'THE FOOL HAD SAID IN HIS HEART, THEIR IS NO GOD' ?

Answer: Both Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 read, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Some take these verses to mean that atheists are stupid, i.e., lacking intelligence. However, that is not the only meaning of the Hebrew word translated “fool.” 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 is a wicked thing to deny God, and a denial of God is often accompanied by a wicked lifestyle. The verse goes on to list some other characteristics of the irreligious: “They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; / there is no one who does good.” Psalm 14 is a study on the universal depravity of mankind.

Many atheists are very intelligent. It is not intelligence, or a lack thereof, that leads a person to reject belief in God. It is 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. Several prominent atheists have admitted the truth of this. One famous atheist, when asked what he hopes to accomplish through atheism, declared that he wants “to drink as much alcohol and have sex with as many women as possible.” 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, some 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.

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 much evidence to the contrary, including his own conscience and the universe he lives in.

A lack of evidence of God’s existence is not 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).

WHY DOESN'T GOD GIVE THE FALLEN ANGELS A CHANCE TO REPENT?

Answer: The Bible does not specifically address the issue of fallen angels having an opportunity to repent, but we can gain some insight from what the Bible does say. First, Satan (Lucifer) was one of the highest angels, perhaps the highest (Ezekiel 28:14). Lucifer—and all the angels—were continually in God’s presence and had knowledge of the glory of God. Therefore, they had no excuse for rebelling against God and turning away from Him. They were not tempted. Lucifer and the other angels rebelling against God despite what they knew was the utmost evil.

Second, God did not provide a plan of redemption for the angels as He did for mankind. The fall of the human race necessitated an atoning sacrifice for sin, and God provided that sacrifice in Jesus Christ. In His grace, God redeemed the human race and brought glory to Himself.

No such sacrifice was planned for the angels. In addition, God referred to those angels who remain faithful to Him as His “elect angels” (1 Timothy 5:21). We know from the biblical doctrine of election that those whom God elects to salvation will be saved, and nothing can separate them from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Clearly, those angels who rebelled were not “elect angels” of God.

Finally, the Bible gives us no reason to believe that angels would repent even if God gave them the chance (1 Peter 5:8). The fallen angels seem completely devoted to opposing God and attacking God's people. The Bible says that the severity of God’s judgment varies according to how much knowledge a person possesses (Luke 12:48). The fallen angels, then, with the great knowledge they possessed, are greatly deserving of God’s wrath.

DOES satan HAVE TO GET GOD'S PERMISSION BEFORE he CAN ATTACK US?

Answer: There is no biblical proof that Satanalways needs God’s specific permission in order to act against Christians every time he wishes to attack them. We know that Satan needs permission at least sometimes. Job 1shows that Satan was not able to afflict Job without God’s permission. However, consider Satan’s argument before God: “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land” (Job 1:10). Satan is obviously familiar with who Job is and is aware of Job’s special protection and blessing by God. How could Satan have known of Job’s protection, unless he and/or his demonic minions had not already tried to work their will against Job? What Satan is really asking is for God to remove Job’s protection; of course, in asking that the protection be removed, Satan is essentially seeking permission to attack Job. Does Satan have to seek such permission every time he attacks us? The Bible does not say.

Another relevant passage is Luke 22:31–32. Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Clearly in this case Satan had asked God’s permission to test Peter and the other disciples. Jesus tells Peter that He has prayed specifically for him so that Peter’s faith would not fail and so that Peter can strengthen the other disciples when the test was over. The implication is that Peter and the rest would be sifted in whatever way Satan intended. So God allowed the harassing of His disciples, within limits, but He had a higher purpose in mind—the strengthening of them all.

In Job 38:11 God says that He limits the waves of the sea: “This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt.” In the same way, it seems that there are boundaries and rules that Satan must abide by. He can go so far but no farther. As the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), must he stop and ask God’s permission for every step? Or does he only need to ask special permission when he runs into an obstacle to his hatred? There is no real biblical proof either way. Job and Peter were hedged about by the Lord—Satan couldn’t get to them without the Lord’s first removing a measure of His protection. We know that God cares for all of His children, so it is reasonable to assume that God has a measure of protection surrounding each of us. And we know that, ultimately, God controls everything in the universe, including Satan. “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

WHY DID SATAN THINK he COULD DEFEAT GOD?

Answer: It is hard to imagine a being like Lucifer (Satan) believing he could even do battle with God, much less defeat Him. Even the most depraved mind should be able to see that a creature cannot possibly contend with the Creator. Yet Satan attempted to dethrone God and strives to this day to defy God's authority, thwart His plans, and harass His people. 

Perhaps part of the explanation is that pride has blinded Satan to reality. Two Old Testament passages (Isaiah 14:12-15 andEzekiel 28:11-19) discuss Satan's original position and the reasons for his loss of that position. They tell of an exalted angelic being, one of God's creatures, who became proud. He determined to take the throne of God for himself. But God removed him from his position. 

Satan's influence in worldly affairs is clearly revealed (John 12:31). Satan is extremely intelligent. Through his intelligence he deceived Adam and Eve and took over their rule of the world for himself (Genesis 1:26;3:1-7; 2 Corinthians 11:3). His cleverness enables him to carry out his deceptive work almost at will, although his power is subject to God's restrictions (Job 1:12; Luke 4:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). He does have certain victories—although within the boundaries God has set for him—and perhaps these victories allow him to continue the illusion that he can have victory over God Himself.

The reins of God on Satan's activities are illustrated by Satan's request to God for permission to afflict Job (Job 1:7-12). Satan is permitted to afflict God's people (Luke 13:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; Hebrews 2:14), but he is never permitted to win an ultimate victory over them (John 14:30-31; 16:33). A part of Satan's continuing ambition to replace God is his passionate yearning to have others worship him (Matthew 4:8-9;Revelation 13:4, 12). Satan is "the wicked one" (Matthew 13:19, 38), while God is "the Holy One" (Isaiah 1:4).

Satan's nature is malicious. His efforts in opposing God, His people, and His truth are tireless (Job 1:7; 2:2; Matthew 13:28). He is always opposed to man's best interests (1 Chronicles 21:1; Zechariah 3:1-2). Through his role in introducing sin into the human family (Genesis 3), Satan has gained the power of death—a power which Christ has broken through His crucifixion and resurrection (Hebrews 2:14-15). Satan tempted Christ directly, trying to lead Him into compromise by promising Him worldly authority and power (Luke 4:5-8). 

Despite Satan’s self-delusion that he can defeat God, Satan is destined to fail. His final defeat is predicted in John 12:31, Revelation 12:9, and 20:10. The death of Christ on the cross is the basis for Satan's final defeat (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Peter 3:18, 22). That event was the grand climax to a sinless life during which Jesus triumphed over the enemy repeatedly (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). Satan probably rejoiced in the death of Christ, believing it to be a victory for him, but like all his victories, that one, too, was short-lived. When Jesus rose from the grave, Satan was once again defeated. The final victory will come when Jesus returns and Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:1-15). 

The death and resurrection of Christ provide the believer strength for victory over sin. We have assurance that "the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). But such personal victory depends on God's grace and power in our lives and our will to offer resistance to Satan's temptations (Ephesians 4:25-27; James 4:7;1 Peter 5:8-9). To help Christians win this battle against Satan, God has provided the power of Christ's blood (Revelation 12:11), the continuing prayer of Christ in heaven for believers (Hebrews 7:25), the leading of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16), and various weapons for spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10–18).

IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL?

Answer: What if Satan or one of his demons offered you a deal? He will give you anything your heart desires—wealth, power, beauty, great skill, etc.—in this life. In exchange, he owns your soul for all eternity.

The idea of making a deal with the devil was made popular by the classic legend of Faust, a scholar who made a bargain with a demon named Mephistopheles. Many similar stories have been told around the same theme. In some of the legends, the person tricks the devil in some way, escaping the contract and getting his soul back. In others, the devil wins with deception or a double-cross.

In any case, the idea of forfeiting one’s soulin a deal with the devil is much more cultural and literary than it is biblical. The Bible never records an account of a human being bargaining with Satan or demons.

The Bible does depict the devil as a deal-maker, however. It’s just that he is shown attempting to make deals with God Himself as opposed to mere mortals. In the book of Job, for instance, Satan proposes a kind of wager with God. If God would allow Satan to cause great suffering for Job, Satan argues, Job would surely curse God to His face (Job 1:9–11). God allows that to play out with surprising results.

Much later in human history, the devil attempts to make a deal with Jesus at the end of His forty days of fasting in the wilderness. After showing Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” (Matthew 4:9), Satan offers them all to Jesus if the Lord will bow down and worship him. Jesus sends Satan away with a rebuke from God’s Word (verse 10).

The Bible gives no support to the notion that people can make a deal with the devil, but some people have attempted to make such a bargain unilaterally, pledging themselves to Satan in hopes of receiving some special favors back from him. In a sense, that’s the nature of idolatry and genuine witchcraft as described in the Bible. When a pagan worshiper dedicated a sacrifice to his gods, he hoped for something in return—fruitful crops, victory in battle, etc. (see 2 Chronicles 28:23). When a sorcerer or witch practiced her craft, she hoped to gain special knowledge or power.

From the Bible’s perspective, making a deal with the devil would not make any sense for several reasons:

First, the Bible reveals Satan to be a liar. His greatest weapon is deception. From Eve’s conversation with the serpent (Genesis 3) to Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees as children of “the father of lies” (John 8:44), the devil is always shown taking what is true and twisting it to corrupt and destroy human beings. Anyone who would attempt a deal with such a being is a fool.

Second, while Satan may have some power as the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) to manipulate the circumstances of a person’s life, the Bible never shows that power as absolute—only God has absolute power. Also, the Bible always presents the devil’s power as bringing pain and destruction and corruption and death along with any fleeting success. The pleasures of sin endure only “for a season” (Hebrews 11:25, KJV), and any theoretical pact made with Satan would end in misery.

Finally, Satan cannot own human souls. All souls belong to the God who created them (Ezekiel 18:4). Hell is not Satan’s kingdom. In spite of a million jokes and stories to the contrary, Satan will not reign as master of hell, relishing his power over human souls; no, he will be sentenced to the lake of fire as a prisoner himself (Revelation 20:10).

The truth is far worse than the legend of Faust would imply. According to God’s Word, every human soul is already bound for hell. No deal with the devil has to be struck to ensure that fate. Because of our sin, our rebellion against God, we are “by nature deserving of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). We stand “condemned already” (John 3:18). Without some change of course, our souls will end up in hell without ever having to trade them away to Satan.

We don’t need a deal with the devil—we’re already on his side—we need a deal with God Himself. We need for Him to save our souls, to change our destination. The problem is that we have nothing to offer Him in trade. He needs nothing from us (Romans 11:33–36), and all our attempts to appease His wrath through religious observance are futile (Isaiah 1:11). But the good news—the gospel—is that God loves us and has offered us a unilateral “bargain” of His own. He will save our souls, giving us everything our hearts truly desire for eternity, in exchange for nothing but our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. In a great exchange, Jesus hasappeased God’s wrath for us, taking our sin and its penalty upon Himself (1 John 4:10; 1 Peter 2:24). In Christ, God will make us alive when we were dead. He will fill our futile lives on this side of eternity with meaningful work and joyful anticipation. See Ephesians 2:1–10 to read more about this pact that God offers.

DO I HAVE TO FORGIVE IN ORDER TO BE FORGIVEN?

Answer: Matthew 6 does not teach that our eternal destiny is based on our forgiving other people; however, it does teach that our relationship with God will be damaged if we refuse to pardon those who have offended us. The Bible is clear that God pardons sin by His grace based on Christ’s work on the cross alone, not on man’s actions. Our right standing before Him is established on one thing only—the finished work of Christ (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). The penalty for the sin that is rightly ours is paid by Christ, and we obtain it by grace through faith, not by any righteous deeds of our own (Ephesians 2:8-9). No one will be able to stand before God demanding that his sins be forgotten simply because he has forgiven others. Only when we are born again and given a new life through God’s Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ are our sins forgiven. Therefore, Jesus is not referring to God’s initial act of forgiveness (reconciliation) that we experienced when we first believed the Gospel.

What He is referring to is the day-to-day cleansing we obtain when we confess our sins in order to restore fellowship with our heavenly Father—the fellowship which is interrupted by the daily tarnishing of sin that affects us all. This is not the wholesale cleansing from sin that comes with salvation by grace through faith, but is more like the foot-washing Jesus describes in John 13:10. The “whole body is clean,” He told the disciples, but their feet were dirty from their walking in the world. Forgiveness in this sense is what God threatens to withhold from Christians who refuse to forgive others.

In Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching disciples how to pray and in doing so outlines how we are restored into intimacy with God whenever we have displeased Him. In fact, Jesus instructs us to build into our prayers a request for God to forgive us in the same way that we have forgiven others who have harmed us (Matthew 6:12). If there are those we have not forgiven when we ourselves pray for forgiveness, then practically speaking we are asking God not to restore a right relationship with us after we sin. To emphasize the importance of restoring broken relationships with our brothers and sisters, Jesus states that asking for God’s forgiveness for one’s own sins, all the while withholding forgiveness from someone else, is not only bizarre but hypocritical. We cannot possibly walk with God in true fellowship if we refuse to forgive others.

To be sure, an unforgiving spirit is a serious sin and should be confessed to God. If we have unforgiveness in our hearts against someone else, then we are acting in a way that is not pleasing to God, making our prayers and a proper living relationship with Him difficult. God will not hear our prayers unless we also show ourselves ready to grant forgiveness. If we are harder than iron in this regard, Christ’s exhortation ought to soften us.

A second biblically plausible interpretation of Matthew 6:14-15 is that it is saying anyone who refuses to forgive others is demonstrating that he has not truly received Christ's forgiveness himself. Any sin committed against us, no matter how terrible, is trivial in comparison to our sins against God. If God has forgiven us of so much, how could we refuse to forgive others of so "little"? Matthew 6:14-15, according to this view, proclaims that anyone who harbors unforgiveness against others has not truly experienced God's forgiveness. Both interpretations strongly deny that salvation is dependent on our forgiving others. Whether Matthew 6:14-15 is speaking of "relational forgiveness," or whether it is a declaration that unforgiveness is the mark of an unbeliever, the core truth is the same. We should forgive others because God, through Christ, has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). It is inconceivable that someone who has truly experienced God's forgiveness could refuse to grant forgiveness to others.