"It does no good to heal
people's physical bodies, just to send them back to the depraved lives
that are leading them to destruction." D. Martyn Lloyd Jones
It is often eye opening how the world
views sin. Just the other night, my wife and I were watching a TV show. Now,
before I write anything else, let me specify that Hollywood is not known for
its support of traditional, biblical-based morality. So the fact that they
portray depraved, sin-soaked lives and activities should not come as a surprise
to anyone. But it just seems that those who are the ones most in the
public eye are constantly trying to outdo each other in their rush to
embrace anything and everything that rejects God and His dictums. If some
sort of new-fangled sin begins to peek its head in the public consciousness,
you can bet that it was likely first promoted by the media.
Getting back to the particular TV
program, this specific episode dealt with a couple of its protagonists planning
their wedding. What, you may ask, is wrong with that? Nothing, except that the
couple had already been cohabitating for quite some time and, to top it all
off, the woman had just found out she was pregnant. Unfortunately, this is
quite common in our day. There are studies that reveal that an amazing
percentage of babies born today are conceived or born outside of wedlock.
The number of children who grow up with one parent or the other missing,
usually the father, is astounding! But the thing that catches your attention is
the fact that the other characters in the show were obsequious and effusive in
their praise for the soon-to-be parents. Instead of frowning at the fact that
here were two individuals engaging in blatant sin, they were elated at the
prospect of another child being conceived without the benefit of married
parents (although the couple was eventually to be married).
Adam and Eve could not have foreseen
the suffering and destruction that their act of disobedience would unleash on
the world. People today do not have that excuse. The effects of such behavior are
evident for all to see, if only they have the eyes to see it. According to the
US Census Bureau, 24 million children in America, that is 1 out of every 3,
live without a father in their home. These children are more likely to be
involved in crime, drop out of school, go to prison and perpetuate other
destructive behaviors—such as becoming pregnant out of wedlock themselves—that contribute
to their problems in the first place. Yet, as the smoker who continues to puff
away outside the hospital while dying of lung cancer, people continue to engage
in such conduct at an alarming rate.
Anyone with a modicum of common
sense is made to wonder at why anyone would choose such self-destructive
behavior. But when we remember the words of the apostle "...whom the god
of this world has blinded their eyes lest they see the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ..." (2 Corinthians 4:2-4), then we can begin to
understand where all this comes from. If the Jews of John chapter 6 asked
for a sign from Jesus a day after He fed 5,000 of them with two fish and five
loaves, it is not hard to understand why today's individuals would continue to
race to destruction with their eyes wide open.
But as always, the answer to these
and all other human ills, is the gospel. It is not programs or moralism or any
other effort that man insists on using to attempt to solve the crisis. It is
only through the gospel that man can overcome evil. Since we are dead in our
sins (Ephesians 2:1), we are incapable of doing what we need to do in and of
ourselves. The social justice warriors who insist that we must involve
ourselves in every program out there, fail to understand that the problem is
not what they can see with the physical eye. It is what goes unperceived: the
depravity that leads to such behavior. Unless that depravity is addressed,
nothing will produce positive results. The problem will continue to grow worse
and worse. "Repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Without that,
nothing else will make any difference.
On the money!
ReplyDeleteGood article, Mike. (It's worth noting, though, that none of it would make much sense if people aren't free to make any choices for themselves. If that were true, this would be kind of like what I heard happened recently to an actor: the character he played in a movie made a really bad decision, and many fans were berating the actor on social media for his character's actions!)
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