This afternoon we will speak on a difficult subject. In fact it may be quite hard to speak on such a subject. I must admit that this is the second time in my life that I have spoken of this subject. What is the subject? It is what Hebrews 11:6 says: "He who comes forward to God must believe that He is." It is also what Psalms 14:1 says: "The fool has said in his heart,/There is no God." Actually, there is no need to speak about the subject of the existence of God. The Bible does not debate this subject; it assumes that man believes there is a God. There is no reason for man to say that there is no God. It is as though this matter is settled. Yet there are some in the world who consider themselves atheists. They say that there is no God, and they do not acknowledge the existence of a God who rules over everything. This philosophy appears to be quite fashionable and appealing to men. Those who hold such a philosophy appear to be more progressive than others in their mentality and more capable than others. Therefore, they dare to speak in this way. But before I point out their errors, I would like first to show you that there are different kinds of atheists. How many kinds of atheists are there? Some kinds are not worthy of our debate; they are not even worthy of our greetings. Others are more noble, and it is worthwhile to debate with them. There may be some among us who are atheists. I must tell you that it is only worthwhile to speak to certain kinds of atheists. Let me ask you, "What kind of atheist are you?" Although atheists do not admit that there are different kinds, we outsiders are more objective and can classify them according to their kind.
There is no need to speak with this kind of atheist or engage in any arguments with them. All we have to do is look at their conduct. Although many people will not admit that they are atheists, their conduct tells us that they are atheists. There is no need for them to say anything; in fact, they do not have the ground to say anything, because their immorality speaks louder and clearer than their words. They have become atheists because their conduct requires that they be atheists, not because they have ample reasons to support their views. Their immorality prevents them from admitting that there is a God in the universe. A robber would like to believe that there is no policeman, a bad student that there is no teacher, a difficult employee that there is no employer, and an evil person that there is no law. This does not mean that they really believe that these do not exist. It only means that their conduct forces them to say that these things do not exist. If a person says, "I do not believe in God; there is no such thing as God in my mind," you can hold his hand and ask him, "Friend, are you moral?" You do not need to say anything else; you only need to ask if he is moral. A man can believe that there is no God, but he cannot believe that there is no morality. Although I am not an old man, ninety-nine percent of all the atheists that I have met throughout the years have had doubtful moral character. I have never seen an atheist whose moral character is trustworthy. Some of you sitting here are older than I am. I do not know if you have met an atheist whose moral character is trustworthy. The atheists among our classmates, colleagues, and friends do not believe in God because they are very evil morally. I must tell you a fact: whenever God goes out of a man's life, immorality comes in.
In America there was a famous preacher by the name of Mr. R.A. Torrey. Once he was preaching in a place, and a college student came and said to him, "I used to believe that there is a God. But I do not believe anymore." When Mr. Torrey asked him for the reason, he said, "When I started college, I acquired more knowledge and did not want to believe in God anymore. After I read this book and that book, God was nowhere to be found." Mr. Torrey said, "No. Don't deceive me. I also graduated from college and have read many books. I have even received a doctorate degree. But I have not put God away through my studying. There must be some other reason. Otherwise, it would be impossible to put God away through your studying. Let me ask you a question. Since your denial of the existence of God, what has become of your moral character?" The student answered honestly, "I can only admit that I am not as morally good as I was before." Mr. Torrey then gave a wonderful answer: "There is no need for me to argue with you anymore, and there is no need for me to give you the reasons for God's existence. If you stop your evil works and if your moral character becomes more noble, God will immediately come back to you." This is a fact. Many people do not believe in God because they have thousands of sins which hinder them from believing, not because they have many reasons. They are forced to become atheists.