Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Pure Word of God in a Deceptive World (Psalm 12) | Charles Simeon

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The Pure Word of God in a Deceptive World (Psalm 12) | Charles Simeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking, exploring timeless truths and
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applying them to the modern world.
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And now, a special deep dive. Welcome to the Deep Dive.
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Really glad you could join us. Think of this as you pulling up
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a chair with us. We've got this stack of sources
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here, notes, excerpts, all based on Charles Simeon's thoughts on
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Psalm 12. Specifically, we're zeroing in
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on one, well, challenging verse. Yes, And our goal here is just
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to dive into these materials together, to pull out the key
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ideas, maybe some surprising connections, things you really
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need to grasp to, you know, feel well informed about this topic,
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perhaps see it fresh. And this deep dive is
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specifically built around the material you shared with us,
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Simeon, looking at Psalm 12, verse four.
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He gets right into human nature, doesn't he?
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With that very blunt question it poses, Who is Lord over us?
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It just sort of hangs there, that question.
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It does. And the sources we're looking
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at, they use it as a starting point really to talk about
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something. Simeon wrestled with this idea
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of atheism of the heart. And it's not just, you know,
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someone flat out saying I don't believe in God.
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These sources suggest it's much more subtle than that.
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More common, even practical. That's right.
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It's about how people actually live.
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A kind of fundamental, practical turning away from God.
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OK, so our mission then, in this dive is to unpack Simeon's
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thinking using these sources to understand what this secret
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atheism looks like day-to-day, how it manifests itself, and why
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these sources argue so strongly that it's, well, extremely
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foolish. Precisely.
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We'll look at where this practical disregard pops up in
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life. And then we'll get to the heart
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of it. The answer of the sources give
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to that big question from the Psalm.
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OK, let's get into this idea, this atheism of the heart.
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Let's do it. So the sources start by stating
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something that, well, seems pretty hard to deny if you just
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look around. They use this phrase The world
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lieth in wickedness, presented almost as a given.
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Yeah, it doesn't take much looking to see things that are
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wrong, harmful, wicked. True, but right away the sources
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challenge how we usually measure that wickedness.
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Normally we think of heinous acts, right?
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Or we point to gross sinners. You know, the criminals, the
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corrupt, the violence, the. Stuff that makes the news.
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Big obvious sins. Exactly.
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The public, undeniable evils. But the sources say, wait a
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second, While those things are part of the wickedness, what we
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should really be paying attention to, what's more
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fundamental about the state of the world and the human
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condition is something deeper. It's the alienation of heart
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from God. And what's really significant
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here, according to these notes, is that this alienation isn't
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just found in those gross sinners.
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It's something you can see even in quote, the more moral and
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decent part of mankind. Wow, OK, That really shifts
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things. It's not just about the bad
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actions, but the Interstate, the the heart's direction.
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That's a much wider net. It is, and the sources link this
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directly to what they call a spirit of independence.
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A spirit of independence? How does that connect to this
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alienation? Well, the sources describe this
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spirit is something that pervades all ranks and orders of
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men. It's like a default setting,
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almost a universal tendency in what the source is called the
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unregenerate heart. OK, and this spirit shows itself
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when people try to be their own bosses, basically to decide
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their own way. It leads them, the source says,
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to set a standard of their own to which to conform their lives.
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They decide what's right, what matters, what rules they'll
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follow, all from their own viewpoint.
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So they draw their own line, say this is my life, my rules.
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Just so and when anything comes along, the challenges that
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self-made standard, especially God's authority or commands.
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The sources say people basically live out that question from
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Psalm 12 who is Lord over us. It might not be shouted
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defiance. It can be be just a quiet
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internal assumption. I'm in church here.
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It's a practical dismissal of any authority higher than their
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own will. And this spirit, this setting
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your own standard that leads straight into secret atheism,
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atheism of the heart. Yes, the sources are pretty
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careful here. They explain what Simeon meant.
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It's not necessarily someone thinking it through and
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declaring there is no supreme being.
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The source actually suggests that view might be relatively
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rare as a firm conviction. Oh, interesting.
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Because, you know, many people, even without specific teaching,
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have some sense of a higher power.
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But this secret atheism, this atheism of the heart, it's
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different. It's defined as a practical
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disregard for God. Practical disregard.
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OK, so they might not say God doesn't exist, they might even
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claim to believe. But how they live day-to-day,
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Their choices, their assumptions, It's as if he
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doesn't exist, or isn't relevant, or doesn't have
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authority in their actual lives. Precisely, the sources stated
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plainly, this practical disregard abounds in every
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place. It's everywhere.
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People might not verbally deny God, but quote in their hearts
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they so far disbelieve it that they act without any reference
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to it and live practically, at least as atheists in the world.
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A functional atheism. That's a good way to put it.
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Their actions show an operating system where God isn't really a
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factor they account for. That difference between
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intellectual ascent and practical living feels really
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key here. It's not just a head problem,
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but a heart and will problem. And the sources don't stay
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abstract, do they? They list specific ways this
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shows up. They do 4 specific observable
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ways this atheism of the heart comes out.
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These are the concrete areas where you see this practical
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disregard in action. Right, looking at these should
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make it clearer. What's the first one?
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The first manifestation is a denial of God's inspection.
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His inspection like his watching, yes.
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The sources call this a deep seated sentiment in the
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unregenerate heart. It's that inner feeling, like
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quiet assumption that God does not observe or mark one's
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actions. He's not paying attention, or
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maybe he can't see everything, or perhaps he just doesn't care
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enough to notice. So the idea is you can kind of
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fly under the radar, live as though God isn't constantly, you
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know, present and aware. That's the practical result.
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The sources quote other scriptures applied universally
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here, showing how this feels internally.
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The heart basically says things like God hath forgotten, he
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hideth his face, he will never see it or another version He had
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said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
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Meaning God won't hold you accountable later.
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Exactly the things you do, think or say, especially in private.
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The assumptions God either doesn't see them or won't bring
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them up again. That internal belief, or maybe
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unbelief is huge. If you really think God isn't
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watching or won't ask questions later, that changes how you
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might act, doesn't it? Completely.
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And the sources point to the direct result of this inner
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disbelief. They argue it's this feeling
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that allows people to give such a latitude as they do to sin.
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Makes sense? I mean, think about it.
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If you were totally convinced God saw every single thought,
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every hidden action, and was taking notes, would you sin
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with, as the source says, so little fear, especially when no
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human eyes are on you? The sources imply it's the
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absence of that sense of divine awareness that lets sin run
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rampant. And you mentioned being hidden
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from human eyes. The sources note that for people
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operating this way, often just being hid from the eyes of men
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is enough. Their main worry is earthly
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reputation or avoiding human consequences.
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That's it. The practical concern only goes
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as far as what people can see. The underlying erroneous idea,
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maybe not even conscious, is that God is somehow unobservant
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of his creatures ways. As if God cannot judge through
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the dark cloud, like darkness could hide things from them.
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So practically speaking, they disbelieve God is everywhere and
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knows everything. Even if they could define those
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terms theologically, they live as if God has blind spots or is
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just distant. Right as the sources repeat,
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even without saying God isn't everywhere, their actions are
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without any reference to it. They function as if God is blind
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to what happens behind closed doors or even inside their own
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heads. That's the first face of this
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heart Atheism denying God's inspection.
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What's the second manifestation? This one sounds closely tied to
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that defiant question in the Psalm, a denial of God's
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ordering. It is very much so.
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This part of practical atheism involves rejecting God's
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commands. It's asserting your own
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authority over your life and actions, the sources say.
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People in this state essentially cast God's words behind them.
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His instructions become irrelevant, unwanted.
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Like tossing out his instruction manual.
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Pretty much. That defiance is captured right
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in the words of the Psalm, which the source quotes as the feeling
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of the unregenerate heart. They say with our tongue, will
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we prevail? Our lips are our own.
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Who is Lord over us? It's not just about speech.
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It shows a belief that your abilities, your very self, are
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totally yours to use as you please, free from any divine
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rules or commands. My thoughts, my words, my
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actions, they're mine. Nobody tells me what to do.
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The source is called this a daring impiety, strong words.
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They use strong language because they see it as a direct
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challenge to God's rightful authority, the sources say.
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It's painful to see. They point out the irony.
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People will reject it with scorn if you talk about God's
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commands, his word. But they'll often listen to and
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obey human commands, laws, bosses, social pressure.
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So human authority gets a pass, or at least gets navigated, but
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God's authority is just dismissed.
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Often, yes, the sources spell out the specific stubborn
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attitude they say is held in heart at least, if not in Word
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also. As for the word that thou has
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spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken
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unto thee, but we will certainly do whatsoever thing go with
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forth out of our own mouth. Wow, that's a clear statement of
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self will, my way or the highway.
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It's a firm decision to follow your own desires, your own path,
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no matter what God has said. My will is law for me.
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That attitude sounds incredibly bold.
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The sources even bring up Pharaoh as an example.
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I do remember Pharaoh when Moses told him God said let Israel go.
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His response? Who is the Lord?
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That I should obey his voice? I know not the Lord, neither
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will I obey his voice. Now, the sources admit Pharaoh
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might have been hardened beyond the generality of men, but they
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argue his answer, that basic questioning of God's authority
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over him is still that of the generality amongst ourselves.
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That underlying feeling of who is God, that I should listen to
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him is common, even if people don't say it as bluntly as
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Pharaoh did. It's living as if your own will
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is the highest authority. Yeah, that's a sobering
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comparison. That defiant spirit might be
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more common than we like to think.
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OK, let's look at the third manifestation, denying God's
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supply. How does this fit the pattern?
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This focuses on where people turn when they have needs, when
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they lack something, or when they want security.
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The sources observed that instead of looking to God,
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people typically look to himself or to the world to supply them.
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So when you need something, money, help, comfort, whatever
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the first instinct is self-reliance or relying on
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worldly things, other people. That's the idea.
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Your own efforts, your job, your connections, the government,
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your savings, those are the go to resources.
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And the reason given in the source for this tendency is that
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people lack the idea that God is observant of them, or will
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humble himself so low as to regard them.
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They don't really believe God sees their specific need or that
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the infinite God would bother with their personal everyday
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problems. That seems to be the thought
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process described. Because they don't truly hold
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that conviction in their heart. They don't turn to him for help.
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And the sources actually call this tendency itself a denial of
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God. Yes they do.
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It's not just seen as a bad strategy for getting needs met.
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The source considers the very disposition of looking only to
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self or the world, as in itself a denial of God's character and
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his role as provider. The source points to the book of
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Job for an example. Job talks about the foolishness
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of making gold your hope or your confidence.
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The sources connect this directly, saying that putting
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your ultimate trust in wealth is the same as having denied the
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God that is above. Where you put your trust reveals
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your functional God. That really broadens the idea of
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denying God, doesn't it? It's not just words, but the
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fundamental direction of your trust when you feel needy or
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insecure. Absolutely.
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It's a practical reliance that functions as if God isn't the
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real source of provision or security, even if you'd say you
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believe he exists. OK.
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And the last one, the 4th manifestation.
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The 4th is denying that God will call you to account.
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This looks towards the future, towards judgement for actions
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taken. The sources describe an inner
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belief that past actions, especially secret ones or things
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done long ago, are all forgotten by God, that the person shall
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never hear of it anymore. Like there's a statute of
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limitations on sin or God just forgets.
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That's the practical outcome of believing this.
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The inner thought process, according to the sources, is
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something like the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God
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of Jacob. Regarded.
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This isn't just about God not seeing it now that was .1, but
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about him not bringing it up later for accountability.
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The idea that God won't judge past deeds.
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And the sources quote the Psalms again directly challenging this
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idea. They do.
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The psalmist confronts people thinking this way, calling them
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brutish and fools. He uses simple logic.
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He that planted the ear, shall he not hear?
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He that formed the eye, shall he not see right?
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If God made ears and eyes. How foolish to think he can't
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perceive no and remember everything the argument is from
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the greater to the lesser. The lie whose words to job are
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also brought in here, right? Yes, Elihu addresses a similar
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error, telling Job although thou sayest, thou shalt not see him
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yet, judgment is before him. The sources use this to
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highlight the stark contrast, the foolish, self deceiving
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notion that God won't hold us accountable versus the absolute
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reality they assert judgement is before him and accounting is
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coming. OK, let's quickly recap those 4.
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Denying God's inspection, He doesn't see what I do,
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especially in secret. Denying God's ordering, He can't
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tell me what to do. I'm my own boss.
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Denying God's supply, He won't provide.
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I have to rely on myself or the world.
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And denying God's calling to account.
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He won't judge my past. It's forgotten.
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Exactly. Those are the main ways,
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according to Simeon via these sources, that this practical,
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functional disbelief, this living without any reference to
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God, shows up even in people who might look moral on the outside,
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functionally operating as if they are atheists in the world.
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That pins a really detailed, maybe even uncomfortable picture
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of the human heart's default state as these sources see it.
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Now after laying this out, the sources shift to explain why
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this practical disregard, this heart Atheism is called foolish
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in the extreme. Yes, they really hammer this
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point. They don't hold back, using
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words like madness and calling people who live this way
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infatuated, like they're acting without thinking clearly, maybe
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even caught up in a delusion. So what are the main reasons
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these sources give for calling this practical atheism so
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utterly foolish? They provide two big, undeniable
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reasons. First, this denial will not
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alter the state of things. Meaning denying reality doesn't
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change reality. Precisely.
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The sources are very clear. You're denying God's active
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role, His involvement, or even just practically ignoring His
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existence. It does not stop Him from
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existing or acting. He continues to be who He is, do
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what He does in despite of us, regardless of what we think,
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believe or do. So wishing God away or living
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like he's not there doesn't make him vanish or stop his plans.
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Not one bit. The sources make a simple
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observation. Humans cannot reverse the order
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of created things. We can't undo the physical
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universe God made. So how much less, they argue,
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can we affect the Creator Himself?
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He's not influenced by our opinions or a practical neglect.
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He will sit on His throne notwithstanding us.
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Our practical atheism has zero effect on his reality.
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And the sources get specific about what aspects of his
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reality our denial can't change. They do.
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Even if we live like he doesn't inspect, order, supply or judge,
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the sources insist he will still mark our conduct and recorded in
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the book of his remembrance and call us into judgement for it.
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This is going to happen whether we acknowledge it now or not.
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Our disregard changes nothing about God's awareness or His
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plan for accountability. The sources really stressed that
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the foolishness isn't denying things that can alter nothing
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about God's reality. That's the core of the folly.
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The denial doesn't change anything outside of us, but it
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does change the person doing the denying.
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It only serves to deceive our own souls.
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It's an act of deep self delusion, believing something
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false that doesn't impact the reality you're denying, but has
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a catastrophic impact on your own understanding and your
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future. They use a striking analogy,
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don't they, comparing it to a kind of madness.
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Yes, a very vivid one. They compare the spiritual
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denial to denying basic observable physical laws.
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Imagine someone denying gravity exists, or denying that fire
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burns, and then acting on that denial.
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Maybe jumping off a Cliff assuming they'll float, or
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sticking their hand in a fire, assuming it won't hurt.
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Anyone would see that as complete madness, no question.
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Absolutely, and the sources argue that continuing in sin,
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living with this practical disregard for God's oversight
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and future judgement, assuming he doesn't notice or won't act,
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it's not a whit more infatuated than those physical examples.
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It's spiritual madness of the same kind.
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And the outcome is just as certain as falling or getting
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burned. Yes, just like denying gravity
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or fire leads to guaranteed physical harm, denying God's
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judgement and acting on that denial by keep sinning only rush
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on to our perdition. It's presented as a sure path to
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spiritual ruin, A self caused disaster born from self
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deception. That analogy really makes the
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point sharply. What's the second reason the
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sources give for this being foolish?
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The second reason is that this denial will not alter the issue
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of things. If the first reason was about
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the present reality. God is real and active anyway.
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This one is about the final outcome.
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The end result? The consequences?
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Exactly, the sources say. Look, you can declaim on the
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injustice of God and consigning men to everlasting misery.
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You can argue against hell, deny it exists, but the sources
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maintain doing so make 0 difference to the actual
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outcome. They stated plainly about the
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eternal state of the wicked. It shall surely be the abode of
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the wicked, whether we will believe it or not.
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So arguing about the verdict doesn't change the sentence.
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Denying where the road leads doesn't stop you getting there
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if you stay on it. Not at all.
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The sources are completely clear on this.
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Individuals shall surely be called to judgement, and they
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specify the basis. By our works we shall be judged.
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They add that God's sentence will be according to truth,
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perfectly, just, perfectly accurate, and we shall neither
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be able to elude nor withstand it.
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No hiding, no escaping, no power to resist God's judgement.
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There's just no getting away from that final reality,
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according to these sources. None.
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In fact, the sources make a chilling point.
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Our current unbelief, this in theistical denial of God's
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future judgement, is only to ensure that very doom which now
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we presume to question. Wait, say that again.
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The denial ensures the doom. Yes.
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The denial isn't a shield. It actually locks you under the
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past toward it. By refusing to face the reality
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of judgement in hell, you guarantee you'll experience what
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you're denying. Wow, that's a heavy thought.
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The denial isn't just useless, it actively works against your
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own ultimate safety. It leads you straight to the
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place you claim isn't real or shouldn't be.
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That's the argument. Ultimately, the sources say,
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people shall find that there's a Lord over us and that we can
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neither elude nor withstand his power.
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This truth, there's a sovereign Lord whose authority is absolute
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and inescapable, will be learned.
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It's not theoretical. It's a reality that everyone
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will eventually face. And the sources offer two very
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different ways the truth can be learned.
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They do, admitting the truth now, facing up to God's
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inspection, His ordering, His supply, His accountability while
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there's still time, allows a person, sources say, to avert
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the misery with which we are threatened and secure the
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happiness which is offered to us.
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Acknowledging the truth now opens the door to escape the bad
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outcome and gain the good one. But the alternative?
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Persisting in an atheistical denial, continuing in this
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practical disregard in self deception, well then, nothing
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remains for us but to learn from experience what we will not
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learn from reason or the word of God.
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The choice presented in the sources is stark.
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Learn the truth about God's lordship and your accountability
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now from His Word, from reason. Or learn it later the hard way
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by experiencing the judgement you denied.
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Yes, learn it the easy way now or the unimaginably hard way
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later. The sources don't offer 1/3
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option where you just successfully ignore reality
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forever through denial. OK, so we've unpacked this idea
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of atheism of the heart, practical disregard for God.
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We've looked at the four ways it shows up.
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We've seen why the sources call it extremely foolish.
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It changes nothing about God, but guarantees a bad outcome for
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the denier. Now let's get to the conclusion
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in the sources where that original question from the Psalm
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who is Lord over us, gets a direct answer.
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Yes, it's answered with complete clarity, no ambiguity.
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And what is that specific answer given in this material?
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The straightforward, singular answer presented is the Lord
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Jesus Christ is. Just stated like that the Lord
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Jesus Christ and the sources don't just drop that name, they
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explain why. Why do they argue that Jesus
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Christ specifically is Lord over us?
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What gives him that authority? They lay out several grounds for
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His absolute lordship over everyone.
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First, they state, He has sworn that unto Him every knee shall
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bow, and every tongue confess. That points to a future
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certainty guaranteed by His own oath, where everyone everywhere
21:30
will acknowledge His supreme authority, willingly or
21:33
unwillingly. So it's going to happen, it's
21:36
just a matter of when. Exactly rooted in his own
21:38
declaration, they also state clearly who He is by nature.
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He is God and none else. That establishes his inherent
21:45
divine authority. As the one true God, He
21:48
naturally has ultimate sovereignty over everything.
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And remember that defiant attitude from Psalm 12.
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With our tongue will we prevail, thinking you can resist God?
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Sources address that head on in light of Christ Lordship, they
21:58
say, whatever you may imagine, you can never prevail against
22:02
Him. His authority is total, His
22:04
strength irresistible. No human defiance can ultimately
22:07
beat or block His sovereign rule.
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And what about that other sentiment?
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Our lips? Our own.
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The sources tackle that too. They argue that nothing you
22:14
possess, including your ability to speak your lips, is your own.
22:19
It's all the work of his hands, and He has a right to every
22:23
power that you possess. Because he's the creator.
22:25
Yes, as creator of everything, including us and all our
22:29
abilities, Christ has a fundamental right of ownership
22:32
and authority over all He's made.
22:35
You don't ultimately own yourself or your talents.
22:37
They belong to Him. And then the sources add another
22:41
layer of right beyond just creation.
22:43
They do. They talk about a double right
22:45
Christ has over people. This comes not only from
22:47
creating you, but because He has bought you with a price.
22:50
And that price is names. Very explicitly, the sources
22:53
call it the inestimable price of his own blood, referring to his
22:57
sacrifice, his death, his work of redemption.
22:59
For those he redeems, he gains another specific powerful right
23:03
over them, having purchased them at infinite cost.
23:05
So a right over everyone as creator and then a special
23:09
redemptive right over those he bought.
23:10
A double claim to Lordship. That's it.
23:12
A double right establishing his absolute claim.
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And because of this, the sources say, people are bound by every
23:19
tie that can be conceived to glorify Him with your bodies and
23:23
with your spirits, which are His.
23:25
Every part of you belongs to him.
23:27
Body, spirit, mind, will, emotions all his by creation and
23:31
by this costly redemption. That's the necessary implication
23:35
of His Lordship. So after making this strong case
23:37
for Christ's total lordship and His rights, the source is
23:40
finished with a very clear, direct call.
23:42
Yes, the call flows logically from everything said.
23:45
Now submit yourselves unto him. Acknowledge His rightful place.
23:49
Yield your will, your life, your future to Him as your true Lord.
23:52
And the sources seem to make everything hinge on how you
23:54
respond to that call. They draw a very sharp binary
23:57
contrast. If you reject this Lord, refuse
24:00
to submit to Christ's authority, the outcome is absolute.
24:04
None can save you. No other rescuer exists from the
24:07
folly and ruin of hard atheism. But on the flip side, if you
24:10
give yourselves up to Him, yield to Him as Lord, the result is
24:14
just as absolute and far more comforting.
24:17
None can harm you. That offers a real sense of
24:19
security, doesn't it, in a shaky world.
24:22
It does. The sources wrapped this point
24:24
up by saying, if you take Christ as your Lord, really submit to
24:28
Him, You gain a position where you can very safely ask, Whom
24:31
have I to fear? Other fears fade when you're
24:34
under His protection and authority.
24:36
So let's bring this back to you, the listener.
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What does understanding this atheism of the heart that Simeon
24:42
describes and the sources clear answer about Christ's lordship?
24:47
What does that mean for you personally?
24:49
What gives you a framework drawn from these sources for
24:52
understanding the the natural default setting of the human
24:56
heart, that spirit of independence, that practical
24:58
disregard for God that the sources say is so widespread
25:01
even among seemingly good people?
25:03
It helps make sense of why God might seem ignored or unwanted
25:07
in the world, maybe even in parts of your own thinking, if
25:09
you're not consciously yielding to Christ.
25:11
And it points squarely at the absolute necessity and the
25:14
specific nature of real submission to Christ as these
25:17
sources present it. It's not just agreeing with an
25:21
idea. It's acknowledging His total
25:23
right over you, a right based on creation, and even more
25:26
significantly, on the incredible price of His redemption.
25:30
And finally, based on these sources, it leaves you with that
25:33
unavoidable choice we talked about.
25:35
Will you drift along, maybe without realizing it, in a state
25:38
of practical disregard for God, denying things that won't change
25:41
anyway? Or will you submit to the one
25:43
who truly is undeniably and rightfully Lord over you, the
25:47
Lord Jesus Christ? OK, this has been quite a deep
25:50
dive into these notes and thoughts from Simeon on Psalm
25:53
12.4. We've looked at atheism of the
25:55
heart, not just saying God doesn't exist, but practically
25:57
ignoring him day-to-day, denying his inspection, his ordering,
26:00
his supply, his accountability. And we heard why the sources
26:03
call this mindset utterly foolish.
26:05
It changes nothing about God's reality or the final reckoning.
26:09
But it deceives you and sadly guarantees the very outcome you
26:12
deny. And finally we got that decisive
26:14
answer to Who is Lord over us? The sources state.
26:18
Clearly the Lord Jesus Christ is Lord with every right over us
26:23
through creation and His redeeming work, His blood shed
26:26
for us. The sources layout that stark
26:29
contrast one last time. You can learn the inescapable
26:33
truth of God's lordship and your accountability now from His
26:36
Word, from reason. Or if you keep denying it, you
26:40
will learn it later from the hard final experience of
26:43
judgement. Which way will you choose to
26:45
learn this truth? That's definitely something to
26:47
think carefully about. Thank you for joining us for
26:49
this deep dive into these significant sources.
26:51
It was good to discuss it. And thank you, listener for
26:53
tuning in. We hope this deep dive has been
26:55
valuable for you.