Rock or Sand
By Jim Huskins
McDowell County
Abraham Lincoln famously described the national bloodbath of his age as a struggle to determine the longevity of a nation “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” America carried the scars of that test as she regrouped and built a singular society based on the solid foundations of civil liberty, free enterprise, and Godly principle. Every human society is imperfect, but people from around the world flocked to the US because they wanted to live as Americans.
Sixteen decades later, the notions of liberty and equality are again under assault. Constitutional freedoms, long considered the bedrock of our society, now seem more like sand castles as many express an eagerness to swap freedom for “safety.” A powerful economy that long tended to reward effort and wisdom has been sacrificed on the altar of greed and unholy alliance. Postmodern denial of the existence of “absolute truth” causes many to view Godliness as “antiquated” and a hindrance to “unity.” Our legal codes legitimize practices that God’s Word labels abomination.
These situations would have scarcely been thinkable a few decades ago. They might still be viewed with disdain if Americans were better students of our national identity. Those who know the history of our country can see our current state for what it is—terrifying!
Those who believe and attempt to follow the Bible now comprise the only segment within our culture who still hold to standards that were long-accepted gauges of public and personal morality. Groups who oppose powerful trends within any society are always subject to attack. Our Constitution once guarded the rights of free thought, free speech, and free association. These protections are mostly gone, and the vestiges of liberty which do remain no longer apply to people who claim to love and serve the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
Any who question this assessment should attempt to use some popular social media platform to promote Biblical teaching on morality, sexuality, or infanticide. Scriptural principles, which for most of our history expressed widely-held conviction, are seldom tolerated by Google’s minions. Even worse than the rejection of Godly standards by secular society is the now widespread rejection of those same standards by many who claim to be Christians.
Modern Christianity is a tale of whittling scripture down to size. As long as God’s people ground their lives in God’s Word, then God’s Church has the power to withstand satan’s agenda. When Biblical truth is compromised to maintain “harmony,” the Church ceases making “disciples of all nations” and becomes merely another outlet for pop psychology. Jesus resisted the devil by quoting Scripture, not by empaneling a focus group. God’s instructions for living, which King David called “a light to my feet and a lamp to my path” are almost universally ignored. A disturbing number of preachers and teachers claim that Christians are not even bound by the foundational teachings of the Ten Commandments. This is not surprising since most Christians long ago abandoned the Fourth Commandment.
God’s Word is unchanging. “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHVH your God that I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)” “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32)” Chapters 7 and 28 of Deuteronomy describe the blessings that God will bestow on those who follow His instructions. Those same chapters also detail the curses which fall on those who do not.
The net effect of compromising the Bible is sobering: Every mainline denomination is near collapse. In so-called “successful” congregations, Biblical truth often takes a back seat to professional entertainment. Children who grow up in Church seldom remain in the faith, especially if they attend college. Many Christians who describe themselves as Evangelicals support same-sex marriage, find nothing wrong with cohabitation, and/or deny Bible miracles. Some question the deity of Christ.
None of this would be possible if Christians knew and implemented the first five books of the Bible. They spell out what Jesus and the New Testament writers call “righteousness.” Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude quoted those books extensively. Jesus’ every action was guided by them. He stated emphatically that what is taught in them will be in full force as long as heaven and earth exist. Paul would be dismayed to learn that modern believers think he revoked them.
Our nation’s founders learned from the Bible that everyone is created equal. Through unimaginable sacrifice, and with little regard for personal safety, they established a nation built on freedom and equality. They warned that such a system is fragile. Great civilizations always crumble from within. This year’s celebration of Independence Day is poignant because powerful opponents freely walk among us. Many who have been nurtured by America now claim that civil liberty, free enterprise, and Godly principle are evil.
Many Christians are ashamed of what the Bible teaches, embarrassed by God’s call to holiness, afraid to be considered “intolerant” by secular society. They are like Jeshurun: “But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. (Deuteronomy 32:15)”
The Nation of Israel was protected by God as long as they followed His instructions. When they chose unrighteousness, He abandoned them to their enemies. God paid an unimaginable price for our freedom from sin, but the Bible does not teach that He is obligated to preserve that freedom when we refuse to live life on His terms.
Obedient Heart Fellowship believes that the entire Bible is both true and relevant. We accept salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, and we attempt to love and serve Him by keeping his commandments. See Revelation 14:12. lostranger@mindspring.com
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Jim & Beverly Huskins are members of Obedient Heart Fellowship in McDowell County. You can read more good Christian news from Jim HERE.
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