Where The Real Threat Lies

Why should Christians be concerned that atheists don't believe in God? I find it odd that we are more accepting of people who believe in the wrong thing than those who believes in nothing at all. Atheists are generally people who either have questions or haven't been convicted yet. They often are teachable and reachable because questions are evidence of an open mind. They are our mission.

They are far less dangerous than people who claim to know God but corrupt the church from within with idleness, false teaching and self serving agendas. They are the real threat.

I remember a sermon which described 4 types of people.

1. People who are saved and know they are saved.

• They have taken the time to study, grow and strive to be obedient. They understand the Word of God and work to spread the joy of the Lord and enhance the Faith. They are confident and comfortable knowing who they are and what they believe in. They are effective witnesses because they are credible witnesses.

2. People aren't saved and know they are not saved.

• They will be fine because they are aware of salvation and they will eventually have an event in their lives during which they will be introduced to God and will have an opportunity to be saved.

3. People who are saved but don't know that they are saved.

• The path to salvation is simple requiring only confession, faith and a commitment. The path has been complicated by false teachings, guilt and extra requirements imposed to mankind. There are people who after following the path to salvation fell away and don't know that God is kind and merciful and he has never forgotten them. Can you remember when people would stay away from the church simply because they came from the wrong family, social status or just couldn't afford to dress appropriately. 

4. People who aren't saved but think that they are saved.

• They are most difficult and self righteous. They have a commitment to their own opinion. They corrupt God's Word with tradition, habit and popular opinion. They came to Christ through false doctrines and continue to perpetuate them. They say the right words but show through their lives that the Word Of God is null in their lives.They know enough of the Bible to condemn others but don't follow enough of it to save themselves. They are so prevalent in the body of Christ that they disrupt the church from within. They have agendas against growth, forgiveness and justice. They are so committed to their own opinion that it would be difficult to convince them of their shortcomings even if they came from Jesus himself.

I have always been intrigued by people who get upset when a person challenges their religious beliefs. The need to be validated by others shows a lack of confidence. That lack of confidence manifests itself in a lack of credibility. If you don't believe in what you are saying, why should anyone else? I think that Christians have little to fear from the atheists outside the church. It has far more to fear from the threat within. To eliminate the threat, challenge doubt among the faithful and express confidence. If we acknowledge who we are and our shortcomings we will deal with the obvious issues that plague the church and help it be the shining beacon that it was commissioned to be.