Isaiah 5.20-21
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!”
Before continuing our study of Galatians, I want to share an observation. This past week I could not stop thinking about the Lord’s admonition to “stand firm,” and how it is mission-critical that we obey this directive. We are living in a time of moral confusion and social chaos. Activists are forcing changes in our society through political action and cultural pressure.
Painfully obvious to any clear-thinking citizen, many of the changes are not for the better. The standards of right and wrong are being turned on their head, and those who stand for common-sense morality are labeled “haters” and “bigots.”
It is fashionable for the establishment elite to turn against the “old faith” that once inspired and empowered American society. This is the message from secular leaders in academia, and secularists in the media, entertainment, and politics. The old morality has been abandoned, and the core truths of the Christian faith are ridiculed and rejected.
The result has been exactly what Isaiah speaks to in the passage above: evil is called good, and good is called evil. Look no further than the issue of abortion. Those who take a pro-life stance are denounced by secular media and politicians as “waging a war on women,” when in fact pro-life people are simply trying to protect the lives of the unborn (half of whom happen to be female).
Consider also the very low standards the entertainment industry uses for sexual content in music, movies, and videos. Any suggestion that higher standards should be applied is met with derision, especially if the suggestion comes from a Christian source. Indeed, secular entertainers and politicians are extremely vocal proponents of wide-ranging sexual freedom.
The revelations of sexual misconduct in entertainment and politics therefore should not come as a surprise. Years ago, both environments abandoned any connection to the moral standards of the Christian faith. In fact, entertainment and politics are dominated by people who openly mock Christians and the moral standards of the historic Christianity. They aggressively seek to marginalize God, if not eradicate him from their world altogether. Predictably, a culture of no God + low moral standards has promoted and permitted ugly behavior that exploits women and enables sexual predators. Nevertheless, it is conservatives whom the left accuses of waging a war on women.
The great need is for the people of God stand firm in the midst of the social and cultural chaos. We must set an example by consistently practicing the moral standards of God’s kingdom, and we must be courageous in promoting those standards. Whenever possible, we must create and contribute to organizational and team cultures that reflect God’s principles, thereby demonstrating the value and effectiveness of God’s design for how people should work together.
Os Guinness lays out the challenge. He writes that impacting our culture for the kingdom of God “requires a long obedience over several generations, which requires a steady engagement with wider society through the callings of all believers in all their lives, which requires strong, stable lives lived in common, which requires a vibrant worshiping, teaching and fellowshiping community, which requires a faith that is true to Jesus above all rival claimants such as personal lifestyle, political party, economic imperatives and entertainment fashions.”
Shallow, cliche-driven, feel-good faith won’t cut it. We need followers of Jesus who are directed by the truth of Scripture, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and equipped with essential skills to engage the world with the transforming truth of the presence of God’s kingdom.
The world is morally confused. We shouldn’t be.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
