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ND even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:28-32)
Shortly after my consecration as bishop, a good and loyal member of our Church – a person in authority – called me aside and gave this suggestion: Bishop, we all aware that the abortion of infants is a sin, and homosexuality is an abomination before the Lord, however, could you just leave off on commenting on those sins in order to allow the Church to grow? I was a bit flabbergasted by such a comment, but answered in this way, My friend, I know the preaching against sin is an offense to the sinner, but that is the point of the Gospel. I realize the great ministers of the past such as Spurgeon and Henry did not mention such sins, but the reason is simple – they could not believe that such sins would become government-sanctioned sins in any future date, and, they believed, the mention of such sins were unutterable in polite company. They were not the sins of the day which they have become in our time. I still believe God has called His ministers forth to not only proclaim the Good News of the Gospel, but also the consequences of rejecting God and His Moral Law.
The great depravity and grief of the sinner, or of nations that embrace sin, is not brought on by God but rather by the fact that God does not impose His care and protection over those who reject Him. He leaves them to their own devices, which results in the quagmire of confusion and misery that overwhelms any man or society that is left to his own devices. America became a great and formidable nation because they trusted in God and His Word from the moment of her founding as a nation among the nations of the world. But in our day, America has broken away from her moorings in God and have embraced sins that are still unmentionable among Christian men and women.
Not long after the Islamic terrorists attack on the World Trade Center, Anne Graham was interviewed by Jane Clayson on national TV. In an attempt to begin the interview by putting Mrs. Graham off balance, Jane asked: Anne, How could God let something like this happen? (Referring to the 11 September 2001, Attack) When Mrs. Graham gave the following answer, it was the interviewer who was placed off balance. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that God has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?
That is what happens when a sinner, or a nation, turns away from God. They are given over to a reprobate mind. Collectively, the citizens of a free country are responsible for the public policies and programs instituted by their government. It is the citizen who shares in the guilt and reprobation that results from an open rebellion to the laws of God. There are reprobate sinners, and there are reprobate nations.
We may not all personally practice the sins mentioned in Romans 1:28-32, but in remaining silent, we are taking pleasure in those who commit them. It becomes a national guilt and reprobation as well as a personal one.
Allowing our children to be exposed to the unimaginably wicked practices being promulgated upon them in public education and popular media is a disgrace to our supposed faith. To stand idly by and do or say nothing is a grave sin and places us in the company of those who perform such disgraceful acts.
God gives those over to a reprobate mind who become numb to sin and abysmal wickedness. They have ignored sin and its consequences to the point that it is no longer of notice to them. In olden days, one means of stopping serious bleeding from an open wound was to sear the wound with a hot iron. The bleeding would stop, but the resulting scar would have no feeling due to the absence of nerve endings in the wound. The same is true of sin. When we allow sin to magnify itself in our midst, we become dull and unfeeling to its egregious and harmful nature: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. (1 Timothy 1-2)
Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is now high time that we stand up for Christian values, or slink down to the yoke of unbearable tyranny.
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