BIBLICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE LOST PERSON

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

BIBLICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE LOST PERSON

Psalm 14:1;; NKJV

1 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

Psalm 36:1-4

1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not abhor evil.

Psalm 50:21B

You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And set them in order before your eyes.

There are many different ways unbelievers are described. They are always guilty in an unflattering way. They are always outside of the blessings God bestows on His elect. Even their prayers are an abomination. And they always have the unbearable weight of God’s wrath upon them. John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

The three Psalms mentioned above give different insights into the nature, activity, and thinking of unbelievers. The sinfulness of man is never benign. It is always actively opposed to God.

1: Psalm 14:1 A description of the speaker begins this pregnant statement. The one who speaks is a fool. His speech is a result of his nature, character, and activity. The description which follows reveals the character and cause of atheism. A corrupt person, with abominable activity, who cannot do good is here the subject. It is, from the standpoint of Scripture, unthinkable that an atheist can be a just, ethical, honorable person. “None do good, no, not one”

2. Psalm 36:1-4 The person before the believer here has three revealing characteristics which define him.

A. 36:1B He has no fear of God. There is nothing about him which brings respect for God’s law. He has no possibility of wisdom. Separation from God marks his words and deeds. His consuming interest is himself.

B. 36:3A He is revealed in his conversation. The absolute description given in the verse may not be true of every lost person. This depraved conversation may, because of education, culture, and gentle disposition, be largely absent. But close attention to the conversation of the lost person will find evidence of “no fear of God”, and the failure of wisdom.

C. 36:4C “He does not abhor evil” This person may be legalistic. He may be civilized. He may be very cultured. But his distaste for overt evil is personal and emotional. It does not derive from a hatred of sin based on it being a transgression of God’s law. As such it is an offense against God. This is at the heart of the believer’s hatred of sin.

The just Lord loves righteousness and hates iniquity. Hebrews 1:9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” He has put this in the heart of every saint.

3. Psalm 50:21B This is the fatal mistake of every unbeliever. Their understanding of God rises no higher than their selfish considerations. The creature is most prone to mistake himself for God. He thinks God’s righteousness is no different than the right and wrong he pursues. He thinks God must love him because he loves himself. He thinks God must approve of his charity, kindness, and overall civility because he delights in it and it is applauded by his companions.

His thoughts of God never rise to the level of God’s absolute Holiness. The justice of God deriving from the pure application of His law never enters the realm of his consideration. He is the atheist, practical if not doctrinal. He has no fear of God. God is no more dangerous to him than any other human speculation. His concerns are materialism, pleasure, and rule. He is motivated by and acts on these concerns.

If you are a believer you have an unchangeable belief in the person of God. You have been freed from the bonds of corruption. You are not a slave to sin. And the mind of Christ Jesus is yours. I Cor. 2:16. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. Truly our lines have fallen in pleasant places.