September 7 - A Foolish Man 어리석은 자

September 7 - A Foolish Man

 

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’… - Psalms 53:1

 

 

Psalm 53:1-3 describes the folly of those who deny God's existence and explains God's view of the human race. Romans 3:10–23 affirms this view, and Ephesians 2:1–3 describes unsaved human beings as following the dictates of the Devil.

 
The term "fool" here does not necessarily mean a person is unintelligent. Rather, it means that this parㅅicular choice is irrational, unwise, or ridiculous. Jesus told a story about a rich farmer whose land produced abundant crops. He decided to build bigger barns to accommodate the bumper crops and told his soul to take life easy. "Relax, eat, drink, be merry," he said to his soul (Luke 12:19). He may have been a smart and capable farmer, but God called him a fool because he valued material possessions instead of God. God told him: "Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" (Luke 12:20).The fool rejects God because his life is corrupt and iniquity is abominable. The fool does not respect God's laws without the admission that God exists, so he leads a lawless life. His life is sinful and lacks any moral goodness. Worse, denying God's existence leads to the assumption that humanity can define right and wrong according to their preferences. That eventually leads to a "might makes right" approach that excuses atrocities. However, denying God is sure to worship a false god. Some fools worship themselves or a celebrity or wealth or fame. 

 

It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that atheism is its religion and ideology in modern society. ㅑn the East and West, there are various reasons why the existence of God is denied. It is not sinning that has caused people to not believe in God but rather in the rationalism based on the modern philosophy of enlightenment. Once scientific methodology starts to dictate truth, the rationality that regulates our existence will overpower and be applied to every aspect of human life. This will then cause us to deny the necessity of God’s revelation and deny the authority of the church that teaches us the truth. In this system, the self will become the only necessity.

 

Modern society is a generation that has replaced God's worship with man's worship. We are conquering superstition and discovering complex laws of nature through reason. We boast that Karl Marx solved the secret to human history through his economic theory, that Charles Darwin revealed the mystery of nature through the evolutionary theory, and that Sigmund Freud unlocked the secret to the human psyche with his theory on “physiological desires and subconscious.” We ask how God could exist in such a chaotic world. 

 

We must unlock the mystery of the universe with God's glory, power, and revelation. Once again, we have to pay careful attention to the Word of God humbly. The Scripture speaks to us who are foolish and speaks of the consequences of foolishness in Psalms 15 and 53. The foolish are the ones who cannot perceive ethical or spiritual issues. The Psalmist said, “Remember how fools mock you all day long” (Psalm 74:22). Since the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), the foolish reject the knowledge of God itself and deny Him. This is the attitude of the foolish. Abandonment of the knowledge of God and ritualistic religiosity open the door to all human depravity. 

 

 

Today’s Prayer: Pray that your church’s members will care for one another in love. Ask God to prompt them to love generosity with his treasure. 

Prayer Pointer: He who influences the heart of God rules the world. – Helmut Thielicke

Bible Reading: Proverbs 11-12; 1 Corinthians 15:33-58

 

 

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9월 7일 - 어리석은 자

 

“어리석은 자는 그 마음에 이르기를 하나님이 없다 하도다” - 시53:1

 

시편 53:1-3은 하나님의 존재를 부정하는 자들의 어리석음을 묘사하며 인간에 대한 하나님의 관점을 설명합니다. 로마서 3:10-23은 이러한 관점을 확증하고 있고, 에베소서 2:1-3에서는  구원받지 못하는 인간을 가리켜 마귀의 쫒고 있기 때문이라고 설명합니다. 

 

이 구절에서 "어리석은 자”라는 말은 사람이 지성 없다는 뜻이 아니고 어떤 선택이 비합리적 고 현명하지 못하다는 의미입니다. 예수님은 풍성한 수확을 거둔 부자 농부가 그는  더 많은 풍작을 위해 더 큰 곡간을 짓겠다고 하고 자기 영혼에게 "평안히 쉬고 먹고 마시고 즐거워하자”(눅 12:19)라고 말한다고 합니다. 그는 분명히 현명하고 유능한 농부일지 모르나 하나님 보다 물질의 소유를 더 소중히 여겼기 때문에 하나님은 그를 어리석은 자라고 하셨습니다. 하나님은 그에게 "어리석은 자여 오늘 밤에 네 영혼을 도로 찾으리니 그러면 네 준비한 것이 누구의 것이냐" (눅 12:20) 말씀하십니다.

 

어리석은 자는 하나님을 거부하기 때문에 그의 생명은 의미가 없고 그의 죄악은 가증한 것입니다. 하나님의 존재를 인정하지 않는 삶은 하나님의 법을 존중하지 않고 불법적인 어리석은 삶을 살게 됩니다. 어리석은 자의 삶에는 죄가 많고 도덕적인 선함이 없습니다. 어리석은 자가 악한 것은 하나님의 존재를 부정하고 개인의 취향에 따라 옳고 그름을 자유롭게 결정하는 것입니다. 결국 잔혹한 변명으로 그름을 옳다고 판단하게 됩니다. 하나님을 부정하는 자는 인간의 거짓된 우상인 어떤 유명인과 세상의 부와 명성을 숭배하게 됩니다.    

 

현대 사회에서 하나님의 존재를 부정하는 무신론은 그 자체가 하나의 종교이자 이데올로기라고 해도 과언이 아닙니다. 동양이든 서양이든 하나님의 존재를 부정하는 이유가 있습니다. 사람들로 하여금 하나님을 믿지 못하게 하는 것은 죄 자체가 아니라 현대 계몽 철학에 기초한 합리주의 때문입니다. 과학적 방법론이 진리를 무시하면 우리의 존재를 규제하는 합리성에 압도되어 합리주의가  삶의 모든 분야에 적용이 됩니다. 그리고 하나님의 계시의 필요성과 진리를 가르치는 교회의 권위를 부정하게 됩니다. 이 합리주의 시스템에서는 자아가 유일한 필수요소가 되는 것 입니다. 

 

현대 사회는 하나님을 예배하는 대신 인간의 이성과 지성을 숭배하며 인간의 이성을 통해 미신을 정복하고 복잡한 자연 법칙을 발견하고 있는 시대입니다. 칼 마르크스가 경제 이론을 통해 인류 역사의 비밀을 풀었다고 하고, 찰스 다윈이 진화론으로 자연의 신비를 밝혀냈다고 하며, 프로이트가 "생리적 욕망과 잠재의식"에 대한 이론으로 인간 정신의 비밀을 풀었다고 자랑하는 시대에 우리가 살고 있습니다. 사람들은 하나님께서 어떻게 이렇게 혼란스러운 세상에 존재할 수 있는가 라고 계속 묻고 있습니다.   

 

우리는 하나님의 영광과 능력과 계시를 통해서 우주의 신비를 풀어야 합니다. 다시 한번, 겸손하게 하나님의 말씀에 세심한 관심과 주의를 기울여야 합니다. 성경은 시편 15 편과 53 편에서 인간의 어리석음의 결과를 말합니다. 어리석은 사람은 윤리적 또는 영적 문제를  인식하지 못합니다. 시편 기자는 "우매한 자가 종일 비방하는 것을 기억하소서"(시 74:22) 라고 말합니다. 여호와를 경외하는 것이 지혜의 근본이기 때문에(잠 9:10), 어리석은 자는 하나님 알기를 거부하고 하나님을 부정합니다. 이것이 어리석은 자의 태도입니다. 하나님에 대한 지식과 의식적인 종교성을 버리는 것은 모든 인간의 타락의 문을 열어주는 것입니다. 

 

 

오늘의 기도: 교회 성도들이 사랑으로 서로 돌보도록 기도하고 하나님께서 그들의 마음을 움직여서 하나님의 보물을 가지고 관대하게 사랑을 베풀 수 있도록 기도하십시오. 

기도 지침: 하나님의 마음에 영향을 주는 사람이 세상을 다스린다. – 헬무트 티리케

성경 말씀 읽기: 잠언 11-12장; 고린도전서 15:33-58