Many societies, especially in the West, are getting used to the idea that Christianity is a thing of the past. The thought is, ‘Now we can breathe a big sigh of relief when those old puritanical, ecclesiastical things and all that decrepit morals are abandoned. Now we can continue to live our lives the way we want to. ‘ Sounds great, the way to make real progress, but have you considered where this leads?
• STORY
What many people tend to overlook is the close parallels with our current situation and those of the past. For example, we just have to look back in the history of how various men and movements from Nero in ancient Rome, to the time of the French Revolution in the late 18th century and Adolph Hitler in Germany in the 40s, and you see that When people reject biblical moral absolutes and indulge in self-adulation and ugly destructive control of their societies, peace, truth, morality, and compassion take wings. And if you think those examples are too extreme, take a look at European and American society today and the rise in violence, suicide, alcoholism, hopelessness, family breakdown, and much more.
It even goes back to the well-documented history of ancient Israel. There we find that after periods of peace and joyful adoration of the Lord their God who had rescued them from dark oppression, people begin to fall into lax ways and, in doing so, a serious moral decline occurs, with a whole series of bad news. consequences. . You can say, ‘well, so what if people had enough of strict, righteous religion because of them taking the road to individual freedom?’
• HARVEST
That answer overlooks that there are always consequences in lifestyles, and that the path to so-called individual freedom is a dark slope toward loss of hope. Am I being negative, spoiling the vibrant optimism of youth? No way; Consider carefully how the Bible makes it clear that the principle of reaping and sowing applies to moral and personal matters as well as agricultural ones. And if you doubt the truth of this, reflect on what is happening in the Western world today. Reject the high values and teachings of Christianity and the good news of the judgment-bearing death of Christ so that we can be reconciled to God and see that void quickly fill with lewd entertainment, lifestyles that blend with secular humanism, and atheistic socialism. .
There you can see the evidence clearly enough on the rapid rise in broken homes, domestic violence, mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse, street violence, knife assaults, the wide availability of on-demand abortions, child sexual exploitation, and people vulnerable living in fear, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I contend that all of these lifestyles and behaviors are the bitter harvest that we reap when significant numbers of people in our societies turn away from the true and living God and the truths and values that once flowed from a clear Christian influence on the older culture. wide of the West. Yes, they all sinned. We have all missed the mark of God’s requirement, and we are all equally doomed, in dire need of God’s personal forgiveness.
• HUMANS
But if we stray from the biblical truth of our special created origins and instead believe that life began hundreds of millions of years ago, when our early evolutionary ancestors emerged from the primeval slime, you will reap futility and meaninglessness. And if you think it’s just a partially developed molecular phenomenon with a large brain, you’re likely treating yourself and others as if that’s all you are. Once the biblical truth, revealed by God about special creation and the wonder of our high human worth and dignity is denied, you shouldn’t be surprised if others treat it as a junk state with no real value or meaning.
This is inescapable: our worldview controls what we think and what we think controls the way we live. And if you prefer a post-Christian ethos, you will soon discover that you have lost the old and genuine freedom, and the values and respect for the unborn, the weak and the elderly that the Christian consensus gave. And it is your place where you will find that the state will increasingly legislate to control your behavior.
• HE
Now, in many of our Western countries, the state determines what is acceptable behavior in much more intrusive ways than in the past, and it will find that instead of being a valued member of society, it is simply a part of the crowd. , a nullity, like an ant in an anthill, that exists only for the greatest economic good of the whole.
In this spirit, you will have lost a high vision of our humanity and a true moral conscience in which we are all directly responsible before God.
So, with this call to remember, let us step back and admit our great need to be reconciled to God through personal faith in Christ, who once died in the place of moral rebels like us and who rose to be the Savior and Lord of all who turn to him. Only with large numbers of people turning to Christ will we see the marks of a truly transformed, enlightened and compassionate society return.