Christians face many problems that put their souls in peril.  No, I have not become cynical in my thinking, it is just the truth, and the fact is, it has always been the truth.  Christians faced many problems in the first century.  False teachers infiltrated the body of Christ and penetrated the walls of truth with their false doctrines.  Thus, the church was forced to deal with Judaism, human philosophies, and even the seeds of Gnosticism.  These things posed a danger to the children of God.

Furthermore, there were personality problems, moral problems, and the problem of uncommitted members.  So, there were problems in the church in times past, there are problems in the church now, and there will be problems in the church as long as this world stands.  The devil uses these things to decimate the souls of men, putting the souls of real Christians in real danger.  The more we are aware of the dangers we face, the better equipped we are to overcome them.

A danger of which we should all be aware is atheism.  Usually, when we think of the word atheism, we think of the doctrine that denies the existence of God, but the word also points to something else—being Godless.  The root meaning of the word atheism is, “the state of being without God,” or, in other words, “living as though God were not present.”

The danger of literally denying the existence of God is not very present in the lives of Christians, but there is a real threat of members living their lives as if God were not present.  Too many members of the Lord’s church show up on Sunday, for morning worship, but then live the rest of their lives as if there is no God.  This has been referred to as “practical atheism.”  Brethren who live like this still believe in God, that is, they continue to believe that He is real, but they live as if He is not.

We must always realize that God is present and live accordingly.  David once said, “I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalm 16:8).  He obviously acknowledged the presence of God every day.  That is precisely what we must do to avoid being plagued by the danger of practical atheism.

Jesus once promised to be with His disciples wherever they would go.

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As Christians, we must live our lives in view of this truth, realizing that the Lord is with us always, not just on the Lord’s Day.  The world is filled with people who attempt to worship God on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday, God is nowhere to be found, unless, of course, some kind of trouble creeps into their lives.  Worshipping one day a week and then ignoring Him the rest of the time is the definition of practical atheism, but that is what some of God’s people do.  The words of God, written by Isaiah, and quoted by Jesus, would apply to them.

Matthew 15:7-8 (ESV)
⁷  You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ⁸  “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

Are we living like the atheist, that is, as if God does not exist?  Let us all examine ourselves to make sure that we are not.  Let’s make sure that we are praying regularly, studying the Bible as often as we can, and acknowledging God every day by obeying His commandments.  In this way, we can avoid succumbing to the danger of practical atheism.       

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.