When I was in Junior High, I used to carry a Bible around school – not in support of it, but in order to debunk it. Yes, there was a time in my life when I delighted in debating others over the Bible and Christianity. I could normally run circles around the Christians on campus, and of course what else would be my chosen topic for my debate class but – The Errors of the Bible. When you think about it, it was all a bit crazy. My pursuit against the Lord and His Word was not a logical one even though I was convinced that it was. You see, if it were really the case that God did not exist, or that the Bible wasn’t worth the paper that it is printed on – then the logical response would have been to go on with my life and just ignore what wasn’t real in the first place. But rather than doing the logical thing, I rigorously did battle against the supposed “phantoms” of Christianity. Thus, my actions revealed something important. They revealed that deep in my heart I was in fact combating something – God and His revelation to mankind. What I was doing was suppressing what I knew to be true in my heart:
Romans 1:18: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…
Simply put, I was only doing what many people do – I was trying to burry my conscience in a pile of atheistic scepticism. It didn’t work of course, and by the grace of God I actually began reading the very book that I was openly criticizing. But it must be remembered that my earlier behavior had a root source which is described in Romans 1:18 as suppression. This word suppress comes from the Greek word katecho which means to hold fast or to keep in possession. In the context of Romans 1:18 it denotes this idea of withholding truth. It is similar to our own expressions where we would say that someone is withholding information/holding back or even keeping something under wraps. Spiritually speaking, this is what the natural man does no matter what kind of epistemology he presents – whether he claims to be an atheist, a religionist or an agnostic. These are mere dressings for his katechonton (suppression) of what he knows to be true in his heart, and it all amounts to blaspheme against the Lord.
I mention this in view of the brazen effort of some to debunk Christianity over at “blasphemychallenge.com.” I would challenge you to pray for these people. As they invest their own time and energy denouncing…”nothing,” it should be evident, by reason of Scripture and common sense, that they are just unveiling the reality of Romans 1:18 before the entire world.