Psalm 53 (52):2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Let us venture into the company of those who lead sinful lives, and observe the actions of the brazen, immoral, and corrupt individuals, a considerable throng. Day after day, they indulge in their sins, and as these practices become habitual, they lose all sense of shame. This multitude exists such that the body of Christ amongst them scarcely dares to challenge actions that it does not engage in, believing it a significant achievement to maintain its innocence by abstaining from what has now become normalized, either too afraid to accuse or, were it to call out such behavior, becoming overwhelmed by the swift outcries and mutual reproaches of those entangled in vice than by the voices of the virtuous. These are the individuals who secretly believe, ‘There is no God.’ Such individuals I contest. Where does this contradiction stem from? They believe their deeds are acceptable to God. Thus, they assert, as some claim, that an irrational person has declared in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Mankind continues to possess faith in God's existence, even as they strive to satisfy Him through their actions. However, if you, possessing wisdom, comprehend what the foolish man has declared in his heart—‘There is no God’—if you take heed, reflect, and scrutinize, the one who considers evil deeds pleasing to God does not regard Himself as God. For if God exists, He is just; and if He is just, He finds injustice displeasing and evil abominable. When you assume that iniquity is pleasing to Him, you effectively deny God. For if God is the One who is displeased by iniquity, and yet it does not occur to you that He is indeed that One, then when you assert in your heart, ‘God condones my wickedness,’ you are stating only that there is no God. Let us also reflect on the perspective represented by Christ Himself, our Lord, and our Head. For when He came to earth in the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7), those who crucified Him claimed, ‘He is not God.’ Because He was truly the Son of God, He was indeed God. Yet what did the vile and depraved proclaim? He is not God; let us put Him to death, for He is not God. In the Book of Wisdom, we hear the very voices of these individuals. For following the passage that states: The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God,’ it further explains: ‘They have become corrupt, and their deeds are abominable’ (Psalm 52:2). Listen, to these corrupt souls. They judged themselves with misguided understanding, proclaiming that folly begins with a false belief, which then leads to corrupt actions, ultimately culminating in the most egregious sins—these are the stages. Yet what did they inaccurately assert? 'Our existence is futile and tiresome' (Wisdom 2:1). From this wicked mindset arises the statement made by the Apostle: ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’ (1 Corinthians 15:32). In the initial passage, the indulgence is described more vaguely: let us adorn ourselves with roses before they fade; across every locale let us leave marks of our joy (Wisdom 2:8-9). What follows this more ambiguous depiction of pleasure? ‘Let us slay the poor righteous man’ (Wisdom 2:10), hence they say, ‘He is not God.’ They seemed merely to utter the gentle phrase, ‘Let us crown ourselves with roses before they wither.’ What could be more tender, more delicate? Would you anticipate from such softness the crucifixion, the sword? Do not be astonished; even the roots of blackberries appear soft; if touched, one will not be pricked, yet what is born from them does cause pain. So have these individuals become corrupt and abominable in their iniquities. They proclaim, ‘If He is the Son of God, let Him descend from the cross’ (Matthew 27:40). Behold, they openly declare, ‘He is not God.’

As individuals tainted the virtuous seeds of truth implanted within them regarding God and surrendered to the worship of degrading idols, they split impiety into complete godlessness and polytheism, descending into various forms of evil due to their vile actions. Those foolish individuals, having banished reverence from their hearts, rejected all virtue along with it, deceiving themselves into believing that there is no divine guidance overseeing existence, thus acting without restraint. St. Gregory of Nyssa remarks that the fool speaks in his heart, believing there is no God governing all things. Engaging in such corrupt thoughts leads to true defilement and ruin, as the essence of one’s being cannot be separated from the acknowledgment of existence itself.

How can anyone exist without recognizing the essence of being? The true God must naturally exist, as evidenced by Moses’ vision of the Divine. Therefore, anyone who dismisses God's existence harms their own being, relinquishing what is essential. Thus, the belief that there is no God or Provider is a root cause of our defilement in sin; a corrupt life turns us vile and adversarial to God. This underscores the need for a healer to restore our purity and draw those who have become loathsome back to Him. The observations of Isychius affirm that it is the fool, as indicated by Isaiah who said, “A fool speaks folly, and his heart contemplates wickedness” (Isaiah 32:6).

This reveals that when individuals commit wrongful and absurd acts, they fail to recognize the patience of God towards us. Instead of expressing gratitude and glorifying His goodness, they lapse into foolishness, convinced that God does not witness human actions, believing that everything occurs arbitrarily and without purpose. Didymus insightfully observes that those who harbor ill thoughts about God invite further evil; having forsaken piety within their souls, they simultaneously cast off all virtue that rightly follows piety as its sovereign.