Agnosticism Is Not an Option

Agnostics claim there is a lack of evidence for the existence of God even as all creation continually proclaims His glory. Today, R.C. Sproul warns that ignorance will excuse no one’s unbelief on the day of judgment.

I was talking to somebody this week, and they were telling me, he said, “So and so, my friend, is not an atheist, he’s an agnostic.” I said, “An agnostic is the worst kind of atheist.” And he said, “What do you mean?” I said, “Well, theism means that you affirm the existence of God or gods. A-theism covers everything outside the category of theism. And the agnostic is outside the category of the theist because he will not affirm the existence of God and then blames God for it.” Says, “The reason I can’t affirm the existence of God is because I am aginōskō.” “I am without knowledge.” The Latin translation of [the Greek word] agnōsis or agnostic is “ignoramus.” “I am ignorant.”

Then the plea of the agnostic is this, “Oh God, if You just would’ve made Yourself known to me, if You just would’ve shown me a miracle, if You just would’ve given me sufficient data to make a rational judgment, I would’ve been Your most faithful supporter.” That despite every moment of that person’s existence, heaven is declaring the glory of God. And God is manifesting Himself plainly and clearly to His eternal power and deity before his very eyes and in the midst of his soul so that every human being that walks upon this earth knows, and knows with certainty, that God exists. The sin of man is not that we don’t know Him. It’s that we refuse to acknowledge Him, even though we do know Him.

And when Paul says in Romans that they will be without excuse, what excuse do you think they’ll be resting upon? The excuse of every self-proclaimed agnostic, “I didn’t know the gun was loaded. If I just would’ve known that You were there, I would’ve repented. I would’ve embraced the Savior. But I just missed it. Didn’t get it. Please forgive me for my ignorance.” Paul warns that ignorance is not going to be an excuse on the day of judgment. Because it’s not true. We are not ignorant. We are not without knowledge. We are not adgnōscō.