of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13)
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Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13) |
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Societal Sins
1. Euthanasia.................killing off those who suffer Though all three above deal in death we will consider them as separate issues as they are executed on different classes of people in our society based on diverse situations. The first two are not directly addressed in the Bible, and there is no reason since their societal practice is derived or cultivated from the hardening of people's hearts through the proliferation of sin and lawlessness within their society (Matt. 24:12; 2Tim. 3:1-5). The third, however, was a divinely allowed punitive action (after the Deluge) for society to curb increased wickedness because of the sin nature already introduced into the human race by Adam (the federal head of humanity) through his transgression in the Garden (Gen. 6:5; 8:21; 9:6; cf Rom. 5:12).
Euthanasia The societal practice of euthanasia bolsters not only the imminent danger of self-serving convenience, but inequitable discrimination as well. If the people of a society become so callous toward their sick and elderly that they no longer sustain the inward compassion or desire to respectfully care for them, that society will become insidiously harmful in that the young and the healthy of it will actually come to view the "afflicted" [within it] as an "affliction" [upon it]; hence their inane justification to [eliminate it]. However the cliche, "What goes around comes around" rings inevitably true in this situation. Abortion Abortion on demand is the practice of a hedonistic society where personal pleasure is the prominent goal of its people, and anything that suppresses that goal must conveniently be removed. In this kind of society judgment is easily executed on the innocent for the sake of pleasure seeking actions of the irresponsible. Today we're actually told (and many believe) that the definition of "irresponsible sex" is "unprotected sex," i.e., not using a condom. But in truth, irresponsible sex is not the absence of a condom, but when performed simply for self-pleasure and the responsibility of any and all natural consequences is ignored or discarded by those participating. In other words, the responsibilty (or irresponsibility) begins even before the sexual act commences. What many in our society (with their valueless sexual ethics) are trying to do is divest humanity of its inherent responsibility with regards to sexual behavior. But this empty, self-serving perspective, with its so-called "sexual freedom," cuts deeply into the core of society and can cause tremendous amounts of damage to its people and structure. Think about it, can a society that kills off its own offspring (for convenience sake) really continue to maintain a pervasively loving and nurturing spirit toward its children in general? I think not! The disposition that calls for abortion on demand cannot divorce itself from the many forms of child abuse that eventully plagues the society that demands it. The society that adopts and legalizes abortion on demand subtly and instinctively depreciates the value of all children within it. In fact, today we are witnessing the aftermath of the long-term effects of planting into our own society this immoral (or amoral) destructive, child devaluating seed. From the lack of parental involvement in the lives of children to physical and mental abuse. Often today children take a back seat to the career goals of their parents and grow up with a sense of rejection and dejectedness, having to look outside the home for love, acceptance and purpose. And when all this fails some resort to violence, even toward the sterile institutions we put them into, resulting in children killing other children. Sex is enjoyable but the fact remains: SEX PRODUCES CHILDREN! Therefore God designed this activity to be shared by men and women who are committed (married), ready and selflessly willing to take on the nurturing responsibility of raising, all the way to adulthood, this new life that may result from their intimacy. It is not freedom at the end of this sexual revolution being promoted today. To the contrary, the slaughter of countless innocent children and immense physical pain, along with deep rooted psychological and emotional hang-ups is its culmination. Doesn't sound like freedom to me!
"Freedom is not being allowed to do what you want but having the power to do as you ought."With this said, however, I do not endorse militant "pro-lifers" who, through their cause, justify murder or destructive violence. "Two wrongs don't make a right." If abortion on demand is the law of the land and we cannot change that law, then we can work to change the hearts of people instead (which is the root problem in the first place). In a society that has gone as far as we have, changing the law may help a little, but much of the activity would go underground. There's too much money to be made and a change of law will not resolve the problem if there has not been a change of heart and mind within people themselves regarding sexual behavior and children as a whole.
Capital Punishment As for capital punishment, I have no problem with it for certain crimes against society. Especially since God allowed that form of retribution within human government after the flood. However, it only works efficiently when a society operates in Godly wisdom and Biblical absolutes. It is a forbidding sovereignty when exercised by a society that has rejected and forsaken the God of the Bible for the god of secular humanism wherein there is no infinite reference point from which to draw its absolutes. Man under the influence of secular humanism places himself as the center of the universe and does whatever he thinks is right in his own eyes. History itself testifies that the power of capital punishment in the hands corrupt leadership can be very dangerous indeed.
"This I Recall To Mind, Therefore I Have Hope" (Lam. 3:21) Of course the only true hope and permanent answer is regeneration by the Holy Spirit for all who will personally believe the good news regarding the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who went to the cross as God's sacrificial Substitute for our sins and rose bodily from the dead on the third day. He is the Light of this world! We look forward to the return of the glorified Son of God to this earth when He will set up His promised Kingdom. And when He will reign upon His glorious, Davidic throne from Jerusalem all corruption will cease, for peace and righteouness will be His rule on earth.
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Written by Gary Nystrom