Some people think they can do without God.  They are wrong.  Their assumption is based on past performance, a form of normalcy bias in which historical trends are projected to continue into the future.  “I have gotten along fine without God thus far” they say, [a debatable proposition, but let that go] “and I see no reason to believe that I cannot keep doing so indefinitely.”  But if experience teaches us anything, it’s that conditions can be counted on to change, often without warning, often for the worse.  And when (not if) circumstances do deteriorate, godless self-sufficiency will be among the first casualties.

In any case, it cannot rightly be asserted that one is doing without God.  Is there such a thing as a God-free environment?  The answer is no.  For God to be omniscient (all-knowing), He would also have to be omnipresent (everywhere at once), all of the time.  If God is indeed everywhere, then no one anywhere is without the presence of God, and the belief that we can do without God has not been put to the test.

The sun casts its radiance equally upon those who acknowledge God, and those who do not.  The rain falls on those who insist that they are doing without God, as it does upon those who credit God for both the rainwater and the gravity that makes it fall.  What graces may be aggregated and amassed on the side of the ledger marked, ‘doing fine without God,’ we cannot at present, tally.  But if that sum could somehow be subtracted, it would reveal for the first time the utter dependency on God of the crowd that thinks it is getting by without His aid.

Every living human being needs oxygen.  We cannot do without it.  It so happens that our habitat is permeated with the stuff—invisible, odorless, tasteless.  We breathe this oxygen constantly without having to think about its presence, only its absence.  Would our need for oxygen change if we chose not to think about it?  Would oxygen cease to exist if we ignored or denied its reality?  Clearly not.

So, what is really being said by those who claim that they do not need God because they’re ‘doing fine without Him?’  The vast majority mean by this that they do not give God a thought as they go about their daily lives and perceive no immediate consequence of this choice.

For some, ‘doing without God’ may mean avoiding organized religion and all its trappings, such as attending a house of worship, subscribing to creeds or dogma and/or performing certain rites and rituals.  But rejecting religion is not the same thing as doing without God.  Chances are, the latter is simply a convenient lifestyle choice that preserves personal autonomy and the freedom of action to live life as one pleases, while making not the slightest move toward relationship with God.

What kinds of harm are associated with a God-free life?  At the top of the list is something called “sin,” an archery term meaning, ‘to miss or fall short of the target.’  Sin separates us from God, who is righteous and holy.  Sin also brings division between people, due to their competing desires, cravings, agendas and ambitions.

A God-free life emphasizes self-reliance, leading to hubris and a false sense of security.

Living God-free means free of the values and virtues espoused by God in both the natural and supernatural realms.  It is a forfeiture of the providence, provision, power and protection of God, as well as of His presence.

To live without God is to invite His judgment, inheriting all of the curses and none of the blessings at His command.

Life without God is empty, purposeless, and unfulfilling.  Where there should be freedom, peace, love and joy, there is bondage to sin and guilt, hostility, hate and misery.  It ends, predictably, in God’s wrath.

Think you’re doing fine without God?  God is speaking to you about your attitude: “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”  (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)

That’s right—Godless living results in both physical and spiritual death.  It deprives the Godless of God’s mercy and extinguishes forever all hope of forgiveness.

What is true of each of us as individuals is also true of humanity as a whole.  Unless God intervenes, ungodliness will lead to the utter devastation of our entire planet and the total annihilation of the human race.  That’s not my prediction, it’s the word of God, the solemn declaration of none other than Jesus Christ.  Speaking of the end times (the era in which we live), Jesus said:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”  Matthew (24:21-22)

We cannot save ourselves from death and hell.  For that, we need a champion.  We need a Savior.  God has provided one.  But we must repent of our sin, turn to God and believe in the birth, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who on the cross, paid the judgment against us that we could never satisfy.  Will you surrender your heart to Him today?  Will you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, accepting His free gift of salvation for those who trust in Him?  Hear God’s invitation to you, as He literally pleads with you to come to Him:

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die…?”  (Ezekiel 33:11)

Why indeed?

HOW TO BE SAVED:

• Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words, and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands).  This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
• Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
• Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can transform you from the inside out.
• Trust His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams, and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”  (Isaiah 59:2)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  (Romans 10:9-10)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)
• “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31) 
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)