"The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men."
Evil doers are everywhere. They walk about on the streets going about their business. They are in your homes, at your workplace, sitting on benches in your parks and serving you the very food that you eat. What's more is that they go unnoticed, even to themselves for the evil that they do is praised among mankind.
They take vengeance when vengeance belongs to the Lord. The have premarital sex when sex belongs to the covenant of marriage. The victimize their brethren in order to make financial gains in business. They overlook the needs of the poor in order to satisfy their own self-indulgence. Their hearts lust for violence as they seek to be entertained. Americans love all these things but they are vile in the eyes of the LORD.
And instead of being filled with grief, we are instead proud! We encourage practices which seem normal culturally but are in no way God fearing practices. And so the wicked walk about freely and unrepentant for they do not know what they do. They feel accepted when in reality they are condemned and if we as the Church live the same way, do we not encourage the same practices? Do we not condemn ourselves? But let God judge those outside the church and let your life shine to show men the error of their ways.
Showing posts with label evil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evil. Show all posts
Friday, June 24, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Romans 9:18-20
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”
Salvation is God's choice. There is no doubt about that. However, what people cannot accept is its corollary: condemnation is also God's choice.
One implication is the question asked in verse 19. Paul's answer isn't very comforting, even though it is deeply rooted in Old Testament Scripture (Isa 29:16, 45:9, Job 38-42). How on Earth is God justified to do this? Is He just a tyrant?
God is God. Whatever he does, he does out according to his good pleasure. What pleases God? Certainly not wickedness! He is good, holy, and righteous. He is a God who is for us that none may stand against us.
How do we know this? Because Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. The Scriptures are his divinely inspired self revelation because he is a God who wants to be known for who he is and who he is is perfect, pleasing, and good. Therefore, we have no need to question God's motives, nor is it our place. Who can understand why God does what he does? God is who He says He is and that is enough.
Salvation is God's choice. There is no doubt about that. However, what people cannot accept is its corollary: condemnation is also God's choice.
One implication is the question asked in verse 19. Paul's answer isn't very comforting, even though it is deeply rooted in Old Testament Scripture (Isa 29:16, 45:9, Job 38-42). How on Earth is God justified to do this? Is He just a tyrant?
God is God. Whatever he does, he does out according to his good pleasure. What pleases God? Certainly not wickedness! He is good, holy, and righteous. He is a God who is for us that none may stand against us.
How do we know this? Because Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. The Scriptures are his divinely inspired self revelation because he is a God who wants to be known for who he is and who he is is perfect, pleasing, and good. Therefore, we have no need to question God's motives, nor is it our place. Who can understand why God does what he does? God is who He says He is and that is enough.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Proverbs 21:2
"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart."
Does any man truly believe that what he does is evil? Surely if a man thought his actions were wicked he would not do them. Or perhaps he knows what he ought not to do, but finds some reason to justify his doing it and therein he does what he believes to be right? Truly no one does what is evil in their own eyes but only what they can justify.
It is no wonder then that we are not fit to judge each other, for each person only does "what is right for them" and what is "right for them" isn't always "right for you". Hitler told the German people that he wanted to create a supreme race. Not a bad idea on paper, but we didn't see death camps.
Maybe we would tell him today that he has a right to his beliefs and although we might disagree, we each must only do what we think is right, but that's how wars start: two groups working towards opposite ends each doing what they think is right.
A world of relative morality is chaos.
Only one sovereign over humanity can set order for us. God is the only one capable of judging us because he can see our hearts. We know God to be righteous fair in his dealings because of the Cross. We trust that he is just in order to be the one who justifies us.
Does any man truly believe that what he does is evil? Surely if a man thought his actions were wicked he would not do them. Or perhaps he knows what he ought not to do, but finds some reason to justify his doing it and therein he does what he believes to be right? Truly no one does what is evil in their own eyes but only what they can justify.
It is no wonder then that we are not fit to judge each other, for each person only does "what is right for them" and what is "right for them" isn't always "right for you". Hitler told the German people that he wanted to create a supreme race. Not a bad idea on paper, but we didn't see death camps.
Maybe we would tell him today that he has a right to his beliefs and although we might disagree, we each must only do what we think is right, but that's how wars start: two groups working towards opposite ends each doing what they think is right.
A world of relative morality is chaos.
Only one sovereign over humanity can set order for us. God is the only one capable of judging us because he can see our hearts. We know God to be righteous fair in his dealings because of the Cross. We trust that he is just in order to be the one who justifies us.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Job 32:8
"But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding."
Elihu is one of those heroes of the Bible you really don't hear much about. When no one else could show Job his error (and yet condemned him anyway), Elihu spoke wisdom according to the spirit given to him from God. Scripture says the Elihu was angry with Job for trying to justify himself instead of God. Instead of trusting in God's righteousness, Job questions God's very motives. Who can form a case against God? What accusations can they use? Truly if not for the lies of the Pharisees, Jesus would not have died for even Pilate found no fault with him.
Elihu is an inspiration to young people like me that we too can speak the Lord's wisdom. There is no wisdom that we could possess that doesn't come from God. Elihu speaks brilliantly concerning the Problem of Evil and the entire story is theodicy, that is a defense of God's good name in face of the problem of evil. However, some use this exact story to condemn God for what He did to Job and they make the same mistake. This is what can happen when you do not know the whole story.
If there is anything you should read in Job, it would be what Elihu has to say to Job. Had I more words to write I would write them for you, but alas the wisdom of the Bible surpasses the constraints of this blog. If you lack wisdom, you have no farther to look than the Word of God, the very breath of life that sustains us all.
Elihu is one of those heroes of the Bible you really don't hear much about. When no one else could show Job his error (and yet condemned him anyway), Elihu spoke wisdom according to the spirit given to him from God. Scripture says the Elihu was angry with Job for trying to justify himself instead of God. Instead of trusting in God's righteousness, Job questions God's very motives. Who can form a case against God? What accusations can they use? Truly if not for the lies of the Pharisees, Jesus would not have died for even Pilate found no fault with him.
Elihu is an inspiration to young people like me that we too can speak the Lord's wisdom. There is no wisdom that we could possess that doesn't come from God. Elihu speaks brilliantly concerning the Problem of Evil and the entire story is theodicy, that is a defense of God's good name in face of the problem of evil. However, some use this exact story to condemn God for what He did to Job and they make the same mistake. This is what can happen when you do not know the whole story.
If there is anything you should read in Job, it would be what Elihu has to say to Job. Had I more words to write I would write them for you, but alas the wisdom of the Bible surpasses the constraints of this blog. If you lack wisdom, you have no farther to look than the Word of God, the very breath of life that sustains us all.
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