"Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did."
2 Kings 17:41
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The inescapable truth is that human beings were created and hard-wired for worship. There are only two expressions of worship: it can either be the legitimate worship of our Creator God of Holy Trinity -or- idolatry. Legitimate worship reveals our identity and inherent value as determined by God the Father in Christ Jesus. Contrastingly, idolatry establishes false identities through corrupted values. All religion emerges as the synthetic gods of our collaborative design and construction and manifest as functional atheism.
The book of Romans states, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse." Therefore, contrary to popular belief, atheism is not merely disbelief in any god. A more accurate description of atheism is the intentional willful attempt to live without (a) the one true God (Theos). Atheism is the worship of one's autonomy, free will, and self as the byproduct of suppressing truth rather than embracing it.
Adam & Eve were the first functional atheists.
Adam & Eve didn't deny God Almighty's existence. They met with, walked with, and talked with Him. They knew God and even feared Him. Despite all this, they made the willful choice to suppress the truth by their wickedness. Adam willingly neglected his God-ordained function: to serve and watch over his life-mate (Gen 2:15). Meanwhile, as we read in Gen 3:1-6, Eve willingly engaged the crafty serpent in a debate regarding God's character and ultimately chose to eat the forbidden fruit.
Functional atheism isn't the outright denial of God's existence. Instead, it is the worship of autonomy, free will, and self through the suppression of truth by wickedness. Functional atheism has taken countless overt and covert forms ever since: Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Mormonism, New Age, Scientology, Human Secularism, Ontological Monism, and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism just to name a few. Functional atheists are, by definition, idolaters. They cherish, love, and prioritize something over Christ Jesus. They are those who, like the Israelites in 2 Kings 17:41, serve idols even while going through the motions of worshipping God Almighty.
A large number of Christians today operate as functional atheists.
Intellectuals tend to worship intellect.
Artists tend to worship art.
Scientists tend to worship science.
Philosophers and Seekers tend to worship ideas.
Celebrities tend to worship fame and popularity.
Feminists worship their gender.
Dictators worship power and control.
Pagans, Druids, and Wiccans worship nature.
Socialists, Capitalists, Communists, Conservatives, and Liberals all worship humanity.
Like Eve in Eden, whenever we desire anything but God Almighty, our Creator, as a source of identity, power, purpose, enlightenment, satisfaction, fulfillment, beauty, wisdom—life—we expose ourselves as functional atheists.
When God set Israel apart to serve as His mediators to the nations (Ex 19:6-7), the community responded, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken!” They didn't. Israel's adoption of the despicable practices of the surrounding cultures and rampant idolatry is documented throughout Hebrew Scripture. Despite God's supernatural provision (vision, commission, leading, guiding, food, water, revelation, signs, miracles, power, etc.), Israel chose to respond with perpetual grumbling, complaining, rebellion, and the worship of their perverse syncretism, dogmas, doctrines, traditions, and customs. The expression of their functional atheism reached its apex in the crucifixion of Jesus, their own prophesied and anticipated Messiah, humanity's exclusive Redeemer.
Throughout history, Christians, by and large, are no exception. Rather than making every effort to preserve unity through the bond of peace so that Christ's Body & Bride can flourish in doing the good works God prepared in advance for us to walk in as our new way of life, we are instead known for our splits, schisms, inquisitions, indulgences, hypocrisy, judgment, apathy, and conformity to the pattern of the world.
Functional atheism, the unrelenting lust for idolatry, manifests as the false gods of our abhorrent prayers, despicable lives, and depraved worship. Love degrades to lust, benevolence is reduced to materialism, peace shifts to tolerance, obedience gives in to opinion, freedoms become slavery, and ideals like justice, cooperation, charity, equality, diversity, and inclusion are subsequently warped, perverted, and mangled beyond all recognition.
"Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did."
Serving idols is as prevalent today as it was in the Old Testament. Our worship centers and sanctuaries are overflowing with people more concerned with brunch plans than the Gospel, people more interested in careers and hobbies than serving and watching over their families, and people more interested in their appearance and the latest gossip than in Christ's kingdom. Our kids are the primary casualties and byproducts of our functional atheism. They are slowly being devoured by AI (artificial identity) leading to gender dysphoria, disconnectedness, depression, and suicide.
Are we truly grieved by our brothers and sisters bound for perpetual torment? Many are seemingly content with their kids learning about Jesus rather than ever encountering Him. Are we truly leveraging everything for the ministry of the Gospel as if The LORD might return tomorrow? Are we building His kingdom here or establishing our own little comfortable religious communities?
The Son of Man is coming again soon. He's already exposed all of our functional atheism through the book of Revelation:
To the Church in Ephesus: "But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love."
King Jesus isn't impressed with anything we do apart from the leading and power of The Holy Spirit.
To the Church in Pergamum: "You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam... In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans."
When King Jesus isn't the goal, center, and fullness of everything, we leave the doors wide open for the garbage of the world to creep in. We call it "progressive," but God calls it sin.
To the Church in Thyatira: "You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess..."
As the trash of the world creeps in, it's only a matter of time before sexual immorality and the pattern of the world become the new normal. That's the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.
To the Church in Sardis: "You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead."
As the garbage and trash of the world take over, we attempt to convince ourselves that our programs, productions, activities, and sheer numbers will somehow offset our idolatry and impress Jesus. His response to us will be the same as it was to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:15.
And to the Church in Laodicea: "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth."
The crown jewel of functional atheism is lukewarm indifference. Idolatry unavoidably devolves into an insincere form of religious ceremony and empty ritual. Adherents surround themselves with leaders eager to scratch itching ears by saying exactly what the masses want to hear. That's 2 Timothy 4:3.
Are the leaders, elders, and overseers of your church truly men of God or are they functional atheists? Is your church a legitimate expression of His Body & Bride or is it an abomination? The keyword to listen for is "repent." It was the LORD's primary and overt message from the onset: From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Scripture exposes the absence of repentance as inviting God's judgment: Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed because they did not repent. Repentance is repeated in Revelation 2-3 for the churches that have converted to functional atheism: “Repent and do the works you did at first... listen to what the Spirit says to the churches... the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life... be zealous and repent... Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
It's not about what we believe—even the demons believe and shudder. It's not about our doctrinal statements, vision statements, mission statements, creeds, or confessions. It's about our functional response to what God has revealed as true. Adam & Eve were the first functional atheists. They knew God and met with Him in the Garden of Eden daily, yet they still chose to go their own way.
As the >SONG< says, YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY, but the Cross of Christ revealed another road is open to us besides the one that ends in fire, sulfur, and perpetual torment. Because in and through King Jesus the work of justification is finished, we can repent of all desire to find and experience life apart from God Almighty—by denying self, picking up our cross daily, and following The Son of Man as functional members of His Body & Bride (Eph 2:10; 4:11-16). The other choice is to remain functional atheists, nameless, faceless members of the multitude screaming down the wide path of destruction that terminates with unending guilt, shame, sorrows, pain, anguish, and suffering.
“The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the Good News!”
Blessings and love,
Kevin M. Kelley
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