Living the Christian
life in this culture is becoming increasingly difficult. Let me say that not everything in this culture
is evil, but there is evil in this country and in the world for that matter. It
is becoming more and more important for Christians to understand and embrace
what is “good” , as defined by the Creator and made clear in His Word. Our culture, and the world, is offering an
alternative truth – one that is contrary to God’s revealed truth. The prophet Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 5:20)
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and
light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
You see this is no a
new problem. The first stepping stone on
the path that leads away from Truth is “People have the right to choose how
they live.” God gave us a free will. We
were born with a sin nature. That is our
natural inclination. The world’s
alternative to the Holy Spirit are cultural norms, acceptance and laws. Behavior of the people in a society is constrained
by the pressures of those norms, what the culture says is acceptable and laws. Man’s laws adapt to the moral course that a
culture takes.
The second stepping
stone is “You do not have a right to say they are wrong.” Since the culture
says the first stepping stone is on the right path, there is no “true north”
anymore. The ship can sail in any
direction and it will be the right course.
No one has the right to say that a person’s choices are wrong. If they do, they will be condemned as
intolerant, wrong, and evil. Even if
that person is trying to rest the course of the ship to its God-intended
course.
That is where we
find ourselves today. Our culture calls
good (by God’s declaration) – evil and evil – good. Speak out and you are accused of judging. You suddenly are a “bad” person. The temptation – say nothing – go along to
get along. Trade off acknowledgement
that there is a Truth, that by definition of truth, does not change or waiver
in the face of cultural changes.
Listen – this world
is no longer your home. You feel like an
alien in the very country you were born in because you are! (Philippians
3:20-21) “ .. our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior
from there, the LORD Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will
be like his glorious body.” When you see
something that is bad – according to the Truth – that is declared good – to speak
out is not to judge but to give testimony to the truth. Don’t expect the culture to embrace you – on the
contrary you may very well face rejection.
Be careful about
wanting to be embraced and accepted by those who are lost. (2 Corinthians 6:14) “Do not be bound
together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and
lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
Let me leave you
with this …..
(1 John 1:5-10)
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light;
in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him
and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim
to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be
a liar and his word is not in us.”
Those who have (spiritual) ears, let them hear … those who have (spiritual) eyes, let them see
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