Delusional Living

"what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about 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 up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." - Romans 8:20-32

I heard a sermon this past Sunday where the preacher was explaining the meaning of delusion. "holding false beliefs or judgments about external reality that are held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, typically as a symptom of a mental condition" In other words - perception is reality. Whatever you think is real ... is true ... is your reality.  My thoughts went to Romans chapter 1 and then more to the culture I live in. Imagine living in a society where what is true is whatever you or the consensus deems to be true.  A world where there are no absolutes.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:6

There is an eternal reality that the world has turned a blind eye to. There are eternal consequences for humans that are not true for all other creatures on this planet.  When does this happen? The easy answer is the moment of conception. And that is the hard answer as well. It drives so many "what about" questions. I do not understand it all, but I know what the Bible says.  At some point we all face the challenge of accepting what the Bible says about something - even if it is beyond ability to reason through it - as truth - as reality. That will open happen if we are born again by faith and enlivened by the Spirit of God.

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" -  1 Corinthians 2:14

Don't expect the world to agree with Biblical truth. Their perception, their reality is superior in their minds to anything Christians might believe. In their eyes, we are the fools. We are blind guides. We are to be pitied. Does the depravity that is so rampant in the world alarming to you? It should be but only because it makes the light shine brighter. The darker the night, the brighter the light. Do not despair.  Truth will win out. Perhaps not in our lifetime, but the Day is coming. In the meantime, continue to put your hope in God. Be the Light!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone