“The fool says in his heart, ‘There’s no God.’” (v. 1)

We are likely more familiar with Psalm 53 than we think. It’s just that we’re familiar with it in pieces.

Inspired by the Spirit, the Psalmist gives us that famously efficient rebuke of the atheist: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There’s no God.’” And we join him in the condemnation of such ignorant foolishness.

Then, we are given those verses that prove so foundational to our Gospel witness: “There is no one who does good, not even one” (v. 3). These are the very verses Paul alludes to in Romans 3, and they’re often the first stop on our explication of salvation.

So, yeah, we’re familiar with this one.

What we fail to do is actually put the ideas together.

The condemnation of the fool in v. 1 isn’t just decrying willful atheism. It’s revealing the state of our own hearts when we, as all people do, press on in willful sin. Every time we choose sin and self, we are tacitly denying the presence and the authority of Holy God. Sin, as it falsely asserts our own authority, makes fools of us all.

It’s worth putting this Psalm together, then, and turning around.

— Tyler