Psalms 53:1

The Bible says in Psalms 53:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.” In order to be saved, you must believe in the Lord Jesus in your “heart.” The heart is the innermost being, and therefore, true belief goes deep inside of you. It is not superficial. It says in Romans 10:9, “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.”

Why would the Bible call an unbeliever a “fool?” An unbeliever has made a choice to reject God, but that choice will cause the unbeliever to spend eternity in hell, and so it is a very foolish decision to reject God. The decision to reject God also has ramifications for this life. It makes a person “corrupt” and the doer of “abominable iniquity.” That is because all goodness comes from God. If you reject God, you are also rejecting His goodness and who knows where you will end up morally and ethically. But we are all still sinners. According to our own deeds, believers are not any better than unbelievers: “there is none that doeth good.” Everyone is a sinner. That is why we need to be saved. Some sinners have already trusted in Jesus to be their Savior, and some sinners have not yet done so, but they still have an opportunity today.

The Bible says in Psalms 53:2-3, “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.[3] Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” No one would come to God if God Himself did not initiate the contact. Jesus said about Himself, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” If you believe in Jesus, it is only because Jesus first came to you and visited you and revealed Himself to you. Verse three describes very clearly the problem of the whole human race: the sin problem. “Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” As it says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Thankfully, the Lord has a solution to the great sin problem that we all have. The solution is Jesus’ death on the cross followed by the resurrection from the dead, as long as you repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior.

It says in Psalms 53:4, “Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.” The unbelievers are “workers of iniquity.” God is the source of all goodness, so if you do not believe in Jesus, you have cut yourself off from all goodness. Also, if you purposely reject God, you are rejecting good and choosing evil. The workers of iniquity have no knowledge. They do not know God. They do not know Jesus. They do not know the truth about themselves: that they are great sinners who need a Savior. And they do not know that their wicked deeds are creating for themselves a hotter hell that awaits them. Among their wicked deeds is their hatred for God’s people. Many of God’s people have suffered horribly at the hands of hateful unbelievers. It happened to Jesus, and the servant is not greater than his Lord. Concerning what some believers have suffered, it says in Hebrews 11:36-38, “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:[37] They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;[38] (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

The last phrase of Psalms 53:4 tells us why a wicked person is wicked. We have all sinned, and so why do some become wicked and some do not: “they have not called upon God.” In order to become united to God, you must call upon the name of Jesus. That is what it says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” To be saved you must call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and be honest about your own sins with the desire to be forgiven and to start following the Lord. If you do not want this, then you will fall farther into wickedness.

The Bible says in Psalms 53:5, “There were they in great fear, where no fear was; for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.” This is a verse about victory. Some unbelievers have great hatred for the followers of Jesus. We want to remember what Jesus told us: “love thine enemies.” We want to have compassion on their souls and to continue to pray for them. But there will be a final result to all the hatred. You cannot oppose God and the Savior, and expect to benefit from it in the end. In this life the unbelievers will have “great fear.” The faith and love of Christ cast out fear. Those who do not have that faith and love will be ruled and characterized by fear. Fear hath torment, and fear will lead to other sins. Fear will keep you from becoming everything that you could be. Look at the teachings that Christians have from the Bible to cast out fear: God loves you. If Jesus died for you, then He is going to do everything else for you that needs to be done. He will provide your needs. He will give you wisdom. He will guide you. He will protect you. He will fight your battles for you. He will heal you. He will open doors for you. He will arrange all things so that His will is done in your life. What is there to fear? Jesus told His disciples: “”Fear not.” We are supposed to fear God because He punishes sin, but we should not fear man nor anything in this life.

Unbelievers have a lot to fear: that is for certain. God is Judge. And God loves His children. Woe to those who harm His children. “God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee.” “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord: I will repay.” Unless they repent, unbelievers who harm God’s children will suffer horrendous torments in hell forever. It says at the end of verse five, “God hath despised them.”

King David looked forward to that day of judgment from God upon all the wicked ones of the earth who eat up the people of God as they eat bread. David wrote in Psalms 53:6, “O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.” This request will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus will return to the earth riding a great white horse. Jesus will come and destroy all the armies of the wicked at the Battle of Armageddon. And then Jesus will fulfill all the promises about the Messiah and will rule the earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem. God hath not forgotten His people that He foreknew. And God hath not forgotten His promises. “Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Of course, before the Second Coming will be the rapture and the Great Tribulation. And of course, the age in which we live is the age of grace. Our message now to the world is about the love of God through Christ. Turn to Jesus while there is time. He loves you, but He will also be your Judge if you do not allow Him to be your Savior.

___________________________________________________