The further away one gets from the origin, the more distorted the original gets. We can see this on two primary fronts.
First of all, as a nation, established as a constitutionally limited republic, this is evident in the lack of knowledge of, and unwillingness to enforce and continue what the creators of that document (the constitution) said, meant, and intended.
Secondly, on the moral front. The sin of man has been consistent from the days of Adam, so don’t get me wrong that I’m suggesting that things are worse now than ever. Not the case. However, speaking about my lifetime (nearly 7 decades), this is the case. We have lost our will to fight the real enemy.
Again, the church falls prey to one of the enemy’s favorite weapons. The sleight of hand. While we spend our time fretting over the normalization of this or that “blatant” sin, a more heinous one is gaining epidemic proportions. While all things LGBTQ+ are in the headlines and we wring our hands over this, the sin that the enemy will promote to doom multitudes of people goes unnoticed. Unbelief.
Some say unbelief is the unpardonable sin (Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) that is mentioned in
Matthew 12:31. “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven”.
Once accepted as “gospel”, the Word of God is now viewed as no more than a book of fairy tales authored by a less intellectual people from the same ilk as those who believed that the earth was flat. Ironically, it is that Word of God that possesses the power to change the minds and hearts of those who ridicule it. But are we willing to set aside our own sinfulness that would have us lash out at these “infidels” in a way similar to the radical Muslim whom we might criticize. Obviously, we aren’t beheading those who would be hostile to our faith, but is our rhetoric any less loving and Christ-like?
Rosaria Butterfield suggested, “homosexuality (and one could add others sins to the list) is but a symptom” of unbelief. C.S. Lewis said that people have “chosen cunning over belief”. Clever sounding statements meant to make the things of God appear foolish are ubiquitous in our day. Online “atheist” sites regularly post memes that do just this. Some can be accurate in content. Comedians, talk show hosts, professors, and even some “preachers” rail against the teachings of Scripture. They might represent something that did occur, but in court terms, present it as a hostile witness, seeking to denigrate, by playing on the emotions of the ignorant. They did the same in Jesus day.
“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’” (Mark 14:58)
Though these were the actual words of Jesus, the difference was in the ears of the unbelievers. Those hostile to Jesus and His message, and from the mouth of the same, it was misrepresented to suggest that Jesus was a rabble-rouser, a trouble maker, a threat to the ruling authority. Those who knew Him, while they may not have known specifically that He was referring to His death and resurrection, heard His words from the perspective of knowing the Man.
Just as Jesus was silent in front of His accusers, God will remain silent in front of His, for a time. And just as Moses and Jeremiah pled with God, on behalf of the people of Israel, to be merciful and not destroy them, so should we be pleading with God on behalf of our people. At the same time we should, with both grace and truth, plead with our people to see the error of their ways. I Peter 3:14-16 is the calling and guide for all who name the name of Christ.
“AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”
Sadly, there are more who name the name of Christ today who are looking to arm themselves and resist the “evil doer” than are heeding the teachings of the Gospel. Russell More said in an article recently, “We don’t (shouldn’t) combat ignorant insults with better insults.”
Neither do (should) we defend Christ as Peter attempted to do in the garden, with a sword. There are three particular passages that every believer should read and study (and memorize if you are better at that than I am).
First of all, Isaiah 55:8. It says; “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
This verse should give us perspective and encourage the obvious questions, “What are His ways?” “What are His thoughts?”
God isn’t a Republican or a Democrat or even an American. So to try to implement His Gospel from any of these (as well as many other) positions will not accomplish His will. It will simply play into the hand of the real enemy.
The next passage is Romans 1:19-30. This passage is enlightening in a couple of ways regarding the state of man. First of all, we see that everyone knows that God exists. Whether it’s on a genetic level or some other way, God has “made it evident to them.” Secondly, that, though we call them “unbelievers” they should more accurately be called “suppressors”. Read it over several times and see how this could have been written with the present in mind (maybe it was).
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
Lastly, I Corinthians 1:18-31. This passage, also speaks to the difference between God, his thoughts and ways, and ours.
“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,
AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
When I read the Gospels, I get a sense about Jesus that He was “in the world, not of the world.” He has called us to be the same. I believe this goes much deeper than simply not participating in the specific, obvious sins of the world. Let us not fall prey to the ways of the enemy, one of which would be to suggest that we can win this battle using secular, worldly methods. In fact, this is not our battle to win. God will win the battle, it is our call to lay down our lives.
To be continued…..