If we think that we can re-establish morality through civil law, let us not be blind to the facts about who we are as human beings, and let us, instead, be reminded, by “the recent tragedy“, that our nation, and even our world, is not under God blessing, but his curse.
First, remember that we are not good people, but sinners, and the law is only good for showing us how evil we are before God:
Romans 3
10 As it is written: ” There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 ” Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; ” The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 ” Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 ” Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 ” There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The heart of mankind is desperately wicked, and we receive, from God, what we deserve:
Jeremiah 17
9 ” The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
We became sinful because of Adams rebellion against God, and this is proven by the fact that everyone that lives must die, because the wages of sin is death:
Genesis 2
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”Romans 5
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned —Romans 6
23 For the wages of sin is death
Therefore, to be a decedent of Adam, is to be born in sin, separated from God, and to have a heart that is wicked from its youth:
Psalm 51
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.Genesis 8
21 “…the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth…”
Mankind is under God’s curse, of bondage to shameful sins, because its refuses to worship the true God, and it rejects his Son, Jesus Christ:
Exodus 20
3 ” You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 ” You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,Romans 1
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; fullof envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Mankind is also living under the judgment of God, which started in the Garden of Eden:
Genesis 3
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: ” Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”Also more judgments have come on mankind, throughout history, in the form of plagues:
Matthew 24
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many (the plague of tyrants and false Christs – Revelation 6:2).
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet (the plague of death by violence – Revelation 6:4).
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places (plagues of poverty and deaths of all kinds – Revelation 6:5-8).
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
This will continue, and grow worse, until Jesus Christ returns to establish his kingdom on earth (Revelation 6 & Matthew 24). Trying to change or control these plagues is to fight against God, who sent them. They are his judgments. Our only hope in this world is the good news of Jesus Christ, because it promises, those who believe in him, freedom from sin, to be saved from God’s judgment on this world, eternal life, and to reign with Christ forever when he returns. This is the hope of the world. It is not from this world. It is from Heaven. It is from God. It is unique. It is good in every way, and brings no sorrow.
God does not want us to become better people, because he knows that we cannot. Instead, he tells us to turn away from our sins and to place our trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we trust his promise to save us, who believe in him, then we will abide in him (study, meditate upon, and obey his teachings).
Isaiah 51
1 “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” – Romans 4
3 For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. – Revelation 21:4-6 & Matthew 5:3-10
4 ” Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. – Revelation 20:4-6
5 My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. – Revelation 20:7-15
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished. – Revelation 21:1-8
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