“Fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah”
From Bible Pictures with Brief Descriptions by Charles Foster, 1897
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
~ Ro 8:7
We are instructed numerous times in the NT to come out of the world, to be different and to not partake in the evils of this society. Lot’s wife never really got that message, it would seem. As the artist Charles Foster depicts above, she looked back upon the world she left. In short, she was not willing to change with her whole heart.
We are told in The Wall Street Journal article “Evangelical Leader Preaches Pullback From Politics, Culture Wars“:
Mr. Moore and other prominent Christian conservatives are blunt in conceding that their long quest to roll back the sexual revolution has failed. The fight, they say, sowed divisions within the movement and alienated young believers.
I can think of several reasons, to be perfectly honest. The article is pretty straight-forward about the fact that getting tied up politically with one party was a mistake. The distinction between being politically active and becoming political pawns got pretty muddied over time. That certainly is one issue. Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and voice of the convention, is well aware of this one.
“We are involved in the political process, but we must always be wary of being co-opted by it,” Mr. Moore said in an interview in his Washington office, a short walk from Congress. “Christianity thrives when it is clearest about what distinguishes it from the outside culture.”
And, isn’t that last part really the biggest part of the problem? I submit to you that Christianity in the view of many today, including professing believers, does not distinguish itself from the culture. In fact, over time, it has instead embraced it and allowed the culture to change it instead!
This is highlighted in a book by George Barna, the head of the Barna Research Group. Most who have read The Second Coming of the Church have not lost the sad message contained within that Christians “think and behave no differently from anyone else.”
People come up with all sorts of justifications to call themselves “Christian” while still actively participating in their sins. Worse, they often do not even try to hide it, as though there were nothing to even be ashamed of. People living together, actively voicing support for same-sex “marriage” and even in some cases claiming that a woman has a right to murder her unborn child.
There are many reasons young people are no longer attracted to the churches. However, I would argue one reason is because it is no longer relevant to them. However, I don’t mean “relevant” but rather relevant. It no longer serves a purpose, and in most cases it is jointly the fault of the parents and the churches alike. It has tried to be “relevant” but in the process it no longer offers an alternative. There is nothing to attract them that the world does not offer.
More to the point, though, Christ commanded people to repent. He did not say God would repent or change — no, the Bible is clear that we must change.
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
People try to twist this Scripture to mean everything and anything but what it clearly says. Jesus here had a grand opportunity to say, “You don’t have to do anything! I have already done it all for you! God has changed His mind about all those silly rules! Just believe and accept Me into your heart!”
However, He did not say that, did He? No, He has not changed. God the Father has not changed. It is up to us to change!
We need to remember that God is holy. He is set apart. We might be created in His image, but let’s not forget that He is not “altogether” like us (Ps 50:21; Isa 55:8-9). He has no reason to change, whereas we have every reason to change.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
~ Mal 3:6
Yet, is this the image of God that many professing Christians have?
Is this the image of God that you and I have?