Romans 1: The Reprobate Mind

Please take a gander over at Right Michigan.

Apparently, there was that spirit of antichrist in their last church service:

On Sunday morning, amidst worshiping congregants and following unifying prayers that our President-elect be granted wisdom as he prepares to lead our nation through difficult global, social and economic challenges, the Michigan left declared open war on peaceful church goers.

They did it with banners, chants, blasphemy, by storming the pulpit, by vandalizing the church facility, by potentially defiling the building with lewd, public, sex acts and by intentionally forcing physical confrontations with worshipers.

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Extremists Boast: Bash Back Lansing

Meanwhile, with the guards pre-occupied by the distraction, over a dozenqueers had put on their Sunday-best and infiltrated the church’scongregation.

A group stood up, declared themselves fags, and began screaming loudly.Upon hearing the loud interruption, other affinity groups went intoaction. A team that had been hiding under the pews in the closed-offbalcony dropped a banner and pulled back the curtains to reveal “IT’S OKAYTO BE GAY! BASH BACK!”.

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In the words of an atheist blogger: 'Know them by their deeds.'

Morale over Morality

Sometimes I receive an email from Military.com in my inbox and don’t often take the time to read it, but today’s article stood out like a sore thumb.

The article: Soldiers Say Porn Ban May Hurt Morale

Ever since I served in the U.S. Army in 1993, in Vilseck, Germany, it seems there has been talk about banning the sales of certain magazines from the shelves of military stores. Assumingly, the talks are still around, though now it appears, “U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., has introduced legislation that would close a loophole in the current law that allows the sale of some sexually explicit material on military bases by lowering the threshold required to deem material "sexually explicit."”

Get this: “A Department of Defense committee that reviews materials sold on bases ruled last year that magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse are not pornographic.”

What exactly is the definition of pornographic? “Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.”

Could someone please tell me the “primary purpose” of Playboy and Penthouse then, if not to cause/aid persons to/in fulfill/ing the lust of the flesh. We are to flee youthful lusts, not indulge in fornication!

Like all sin, first comes justification of self, “We all read 'em” then the lie one tells themselves to justify their actions “It's not all about the pictures, although 80 percent of it is,” to which I say [1] one cannot use the word “all” for not all military persons indulge themselves in pornographic amusement, and [2] if we take the “80 percent” out would one still purchase and read Playboy and Penthouse? I imagine not, for surely similar articles could be found in other magazines and internet searches, which do not have lustful photographs.

Is morale helped by pornography? How so? “Broun, a Marine veteran, told Newsweek recently that the magazines sold in military exchanges are partly responsible for a rise in sexual assaults in the military and other problems.” What about promiscuity, cheating, covetness, adultery, separation, and divorce? Are these part of the morale booster program of pornography, or simply side effects of those who take their morale too far?

Following this same idea of “Morale over Morality”, while reading this article, I noticed another entitled “Profanity Good for Morale” from last year. Some wish to believe, “that regular swearing at work can help boost team spirit among staff, allowing them to express better their feelings and develop social relationships.” Really? [Uniform Code of Military Justice] What about reading Scripture and praying together, discussing things of God concerning repentance, confession of sin, and salvation? Would this not do the same, and on a more positive note?

Morale, maybe, but surely will be short lived.

I do say - What a silly thing to believe we have Good Morale without Good Morality!

Good and Bad verses Righteous and Wicked

On another blog, the person asks the question, “What Makes People Good or Bad?”

My response to such a question, since the writer is not a Christian, was as follows:

As a Christian, I know you know that we would consider the sin nature of the person to be why one rebels from that which is good. But, as you said, this does not mean “good” people are always good nor does it mean “bad” people are always bad. It appears that some people are born with more desire to rebel compared to other people, for I see this in my own kids. There is also reason to believe if some children only receive attention (although negative attention) because they do something wrong, they will continue to do wrong things just to get any attention at all. Sometimes it seems it could be that people “stay bad” simple because they have been stereotyped as “bad”, everyone talks, acts, and treats them like they are bad, so they continue to act as people see them as. I believe everything plays a part, such as personality, upbringing, choices one makes, but the battle is truly inside the person, and although I think we may can help them in some ways, the ultimate choice is that they have to turn their backs on what is wrong and decide to do right simply because it is right. Sometimes we would like to turn our backs on them, other times we may want to shake sense into them, but ultimately all we can do is hope something inside of them changes. (As for a Christian, we hope for salvation.)

To expound a little more here, we should realize that what man sees as “good” persons and “bad” persons may not be in line with what God sees as righteous and wicked persons. Scripture gives great example to the total depravity of mankind, but at the same time shows that man can do both outwardly good and evil things.

Some important things to note concerning “good and evil” are that [1] although man now has knowledge of “good and evil” that does not mean we have the ability to do that which is good, for Christ said, “there is none good but one, that is, God”, [2] although man may perform outward “good” acts of kindness, charity, etc., “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” and “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it”, so where we may outwardly see an act as good, the inward look at the heart can be seen by God as selfish, prideful, and totally wicked.

Man is wicked because of his sin nature and desire to sin and rebel against God, yet a man can only be righteous by the repenting of his sin (to turn away from) and putting faith in the work of Jesus Christ and having His righteousness upon us. Even as Christians, we must battle the flesh and desires to sin, for God works within us to do that which is good and right.

So a lost person can be good and a saved person can be bad, but a lost person cannot be righteous nor is a saved person righteous by his own accord. Being good or bad does not determine heaven or hell for the person, faith or unbelief in the gospel of Jesus Christ, whereby one may repent of sin and put faith in the work of Christ for His righteousness, does.

Expect the Expected

Most have likely heard the phrase, “Expect the unexpected”, but I am asking you to Expect the Expected. You may think, “That makes no sense”, but please let me explain.

When a lost person sees a child of God, or one whom claims as such, they most often expect that person to be different. Some often expect one to be perfect, without sin. Usually this leaves the unregenerate with a bad taste in their mouth concerning Christianity and hence the throwing around the name, “Hypocrite”. Is it self-righteousness or misunderstanding, it may vary, but although they may admit that they are not without error, they find it easy when a saved person stumbles to say, “I expected more from you.” Although most seem ready to pounce upon the regenerate who sins, especially openly, there does remain those which are more familiar with the closet Christian (which neither act or speak as a Christian) whom they very much expect to be no different than themselves.

On the opposite end, I feel that we as Christians may all too often expect the unexpected from the lost unregenerate person. We know that they are lost without Christ, and we will gladly tell them (surely because of love and not pride). We may even use the “trump” card, “You’re going to hell!” That just doesn’t scare many people these days.

If we read our Bibles we will see what it says about a lost person. They are “dead in trespasses and sins” [Ephesians 2:1], blinded by “the god of this world” [2 Corinthians 4:4]; do not understand or seek after God [Romans 3:11]; can not receive or know the things of the Spirit of God [1 Corinthians 2:14]; and many other obstacles do hinder them from the Truth.

If this be the case, and surely there be no one which doubts the Word of God, then why as Christians do we expect the unexpected from the lost world? Why do we expect them to embrace Christianity and cast down “Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like” [Galatians 5:19-21]?

Have we all but gone mad to expect that which does move within us, indeed by the Holy Spirit, also dwells within the dead spirits of lost people? Are we all drunk with pride and high-mindedness that we can honestly claim salvation by grace through faith, yet place a yoke upon the wicked which command them to convert themselves without the Spirit of God? Is there any authority in the cry, “Obey thou God, whilst thou hate Him!”?

Dear friend, I ask that we as Christians Expect the Expected. Expect that which is born of the Spirit to act as the Spirit, and that which is born of flesh to act as the flesh. Pray and seek godly wisdom. Live in obedience to the Word of God and allow Him which is able to work through you to give desire to the wicked to come, and then my dear friend, it is then at that moment that God touches them and one can expect the unexpected – the wicked embracing that which they once hated.

Unregenerate Spiritual Worth

Today around the world we hear people call one another either a “good person” or a “bad person”, whether speaking about themselves or name calling another. When someone passes away a family member may be heard at the funeral saying, “He was a good man”, “She was a good wife”. When we turn on the television or radio we hear of the murderer, rapist, and child molester that they are “bad”, “evil”, and “satanic”. What separates one into a category of “good” and a category of “bad”? Even in the Christian world, it is said of even a lost person, “They are a good person”, so where does that leave us? Who then is good? Are you? Am I?

Both the Old Testament and New Testament state that man is not good. Scripture claims man [and woman] is “dead in sin” [Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13], “there is none that doeth good, no, not one” [Psalm 14:3, 53:3; Romans 3:12], and even Christ said “there is none good but one, that is, God” [Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19]. Surely there were people of God [elect] at the time Christ said these words, so why is it that we call someone good? Is it because we are scared to say the truth?

We are ungodly creatures than “worship and serve the creature more than the Creator”. If honest, we would have to admit that we serve self more than we serve God. Whether we say it or not, Christ did.

As a saved man, woman, or child we have been “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” [1 Peter 1:22], “quickened together with Christ” [Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13]; “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” [Ephesians 2:10].

As a saved man, Paul said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” [Romans 7:18-25].

Paul says, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” What Paul says in this chapter is very important. Above we have seen that man is not good, and here Paul says that our flesh serves the law of sin. With this said, where do we find the lost man, without Christ, still “dead in sin” without the “Spirit of truth”?

Paul said, in the flesh “dwelleth no good thing”. John said of the “Spirit of truth”, that the lost man “cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him” [John 14:17]. Paul also said, “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” [1 Corinthians 2:14]. John also said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” [John 4:24].

When we call someone good or bad, we are most likely thinking of their actions and not their hearts, with the flesh and not the spirit. The one problem that we run into is that, “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” [1 Samuel 16:7]. Man may outwardly do a “good deed” to fellow man, but can do no good thing in the eyes of God. This includes anything to merit salvation or “brownie points” with a Holy God.

For the saved person, “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” [Philippians 2:13], but for the lost person, they are blinded by the “god of this world” [2 Corinthians 4:4].

What then is the UNREGENERATE SPIRITUAL WORTH? -0-

It is impossible for a lost person to come to Christ from within themselves [Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27]. Man simply does not contain a single grain of spiritual goodness to cause them to realize their need of God.

Remember this the next time you see or hear of an unsaved man doing something “bad”. It is in their nature. The only difference between them and you, is not you, it is the grace of God that has granted unto you salvation from the bondage of sin and His working in you to bring forth good works unto the glory of God.

Expect sin [bad] from the lost because he is without God; expect righteousness [good] from the saved because he is indwelled by God. God is the difference, not the person.

Pray that God will open the ears of the lost to the gospel, their eyes to the truth!