The Divine Diagnosis Of Practical Atheists Series

Introduction: The Question on Every Heart

We live in a world that often leaves us bewildered. We turn on the news and see conflict, corruption, and confusion. We look at our communities and sometimes see division and despair. We look into our own hearts and, if we are honest, we find a battle raging within. We see things that are not as they ought to be, and we ask, "Why? What has gone wrong with the world?"

Men and women have offered countless explanations. Philosophers blame faulty reasoning. Politicians blame flawed policies. Sociologists blame social structures. But what does God say? What is the view from Heaven?

Psalm 14 provides us with God's own perspective. It is a divine diagnosis of the human condition. It is stark, it is uncompromising, but it is ultimately hopeful. For in understanding the depth of the disease, we can finally appreciate the power of the cure.

I. The Fool's Proclamation (Verse 1)

The Psalm opens with one of the most famous and chilling lines in all of Scripture: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."

Now, we must be careful here. The "fool" in the Bible is not someone with a low IQ. The Hebrew word, nabal, does not describe intellectual deficiency, but rather moral perversity. This is not about a lack of brains, but a rebellion of the heart. This fool is not someone who cannot comprehend the arguments for God's existence; this is someone who chooses to live as if God does not matter.

Notice where he says it: "in his heart." This may not be a public, verbal declaration. This is the secret, guiding principle of his life. It is the operating system for his choices. He lives and acts and plans and schemes with the core assumption that there is no ultimate authority, no divine judge, no final accounting.

And look at the immediate result. The very next phrase is not a coincidence; it is a consequence. "They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." The Psalmist connects the dots for us. A godless philosophy inevitably leads to a corrupt lifestyle. If there is no God, then there is no ultimate standard of right and wrong. If there is no Creator who defines our purpose, then all that is left is our own appetite. Morality becomes a matter of personal preference or popular opinion. This is the foundational diagnosis of the human problem: a heart that has rejected its Creator.

II. The Divine Investigation (Verses 2-3)

Next, the perspective shifts dramatically. We move from the fool's heart to the throne of Heaven. "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God."

What a powerful image! The omniscient, all-seeing God, conducting a divine survey of all humanity. He is not looking for earthly success, or wealth, or power. He is looking for two things: understanding and seeking. He is looking for anyone whose heart is oriented towards Him, anyone who recognizes their need for Him and is actively searching for Him.

What is the result of this divine census? The verdict is given in verse 3, and it is devastating. It is absolute.

"They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

No one gets a passing grade. Every single person, left to their own devices, has "gone aside." We have all stepped off the path of righteousness. We have all become "filthy," a word that speaks of moral and spiritual decay, like milk that has soured. And just in case we missed the point, the Spirit repeats the verdict for emphasis: "there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

If this sounds familiar, it should. The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, quotes these very verses in Romans chapter 3 to build his airtight case for the universal sinfulness of all mankind—Jew and Gentile alike. This is a hard truth. It offends our pride. We like to think of ourselves as basically good people. But God's diagnosis from Heaven's medical bay is that the disease of sin is 100% pandemic. It has infected every human heart. "No, not one" is righteous on their own.

III. The Great Contrast (Verses 4-6)

After this universal diagnosis, the Psalm zooms in on a great conflict playing out on the earth. The "workers of iniquity" are contrasted with "my people."

Look at the arrogance of the wicked in verse 4: "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD." They devour God's people with the same casual, thoughtless ease as eating a meal. They oppress the righteous, they exploit the vulnerable, and they do it all without a second thought. Why? Because they "call not upon the LORD." They have cut themselves off from the source of all wisdom and compassion.