Category depravity

Apr 2 2013

DOMA, the Entropy of Marriage, and Revelation 22:11

Everything around us is in a state of flux.

The second law of thermodynamics tells us that everything evolves toward breakdown, equilibrium and entropy.

This physical fact is not unlike the moral decay or moral entropy we see in our modern society.

I have come to realize that the moral code of a godless society is subject to a moral and spiritual decay or a moral entropy as presented at the end of the Bible:

“Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.  Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.” Rev 22:11-12

In a couple of months there is an excellent chance that the Supreme Court will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  This act was passed with overwhelming support in the legislative and executive branches and a repeal will normalize gay marriage and will make state laws against gay marriage unconstitutional.

Approximately 60% of the American public now support the idea of gay marriage, contrary to biblical teaching.

Just like the law of entropy dictates order to disorder, so morality is going from bad to worse in our culture.

“Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy.”

The unrighteous are in a state of continuous moral breakdown according to this verse, while the righteous are heading in the opposite direction.

There must be a clear separation between them.  There is no middle ground because there is only one absolute moral standard: God’s Law.

The spiritual entropy will continue, as it must.

But righteousness will continue as well.

We are in the world but not of the world.

 

Mar 15 2013

The Adversary’s Message

Pablum From the Pit

Cootchie, cootchie, cootchie-coo,
God loves me and God loves you!
Smile sinner, don’t be sad;
God’s not angry; He’s not mad.
Even when you leave the path,
There’s no hell and there’s no wrath.
So don’t you fear, just do your best.
Judgment Day won’t be a test.
God sees your heart and that’s enough.
The Judgment Seat won’t be that tough.
For you can’t sin away His grace
Or take that smile from His face.
’Cause God is love and love is good:
He’ll treat you like you think He should!
Just trust me, sinner, to the end.
My name is Satan, I’m your friend.

poem by Dr Michael L. Brown, via Cornel Ilioi

2 Cor 11:14 “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

Mar 2 2013

Pro Life Victory in Arkansas

This week the pro-life movement in Arkansas gained a small but important victory in the battle against abortion.

Both houses of the legislature passed the “pain-capable unborn child protection act” or anti-abortion pain bill for any baby over 20 weeks gestation.  The bill argues that the fetus is capable of feeling pain and therefore suffers a horrific death at the hands of the abortionist.

Even though democratic governor Mike Bebee vetoed this life saving bill, both houses of the legislature came through with an override and the bill is now passed.

The constitutionality of the law will most likely be challenged by the ACLU, but for now the law stands.

Progress is slow and methodical, but the pro-life movement continues to grow especially among younger people, many of whom are Catholics and Evangelicals.  One could argue that is not a victory because it only limits abortion, and it does not ban it completely, and I agree that any abortion is an act of depravity and a grave sin.

But in the grand scheme of abortion legality which is here to stay for the foreseeable future, our time-tested course is to chip away at this behemoth from any and all angles.  These kind of pro life victories help invigorate those who persevere in this legal and spiritual battle.

The sanctity of life is held up by the testimony of the One who’s Spirit is called the Spirit of life (Romans 8).  Our actions and testimony must be in line with the One who is called the Spirit of life.

image credit

Feb 19 2013

There Is Nothing New in NBC’s Mocking of Jesus

What was NBC thinking?

What was Saturday Night Live (SNL) thinking when they mocked Jesus Christ in this skit (here) this past weekend? What possible reason could they have in doing this?

For the purpose of entertaining the masses, SNL/NBC is portraying Jesus as a revengeful post-resurrection Christ out on a murderous spree. There is gory, blasphemous killing and blood spilling everywhere to the delight and comic relief of the studio audience.  How low will NBC go to mock our Savior?

Dear Christians, this is nothing new.

NBC is merely borrowing an old Satanic technique showing that depravity and mockery are siblings.

Evangelist Luke tells us in chapter 22 how they mocked Jesus after His arrest:

63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?”

And Matthew details in chapter 27:

28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

NBC, enticed by Satan to obtain comedic value and ratings out of mocking Jesus, decided to go ahead and broadcast this clip for the world to see.  Unfortunately for them,  this clip will serve as eternal evidence on Judgement Day, evidence which will convict them before God.

Imagine if NBC/SNL did a skit linking Islam’s Mohammed to such images or to pedophilia.   They wouldn’t dare do such a thing because they fear for their lives.  They know that Christians respond differently from the followers of Mohammed, and that Christians do not respond violently to the mocking of their faith.

Should we be offended and protest against NBC?  No.  This is expected.  The work of Christ is based on mockery and death.  That is how he took our sins upon Himself, and apostle Paul teaches us that we must identify ourselves with the sufferings of Christ as we are united with Christ and hidden in Him.

Satan will continue to mock Jesus.

The world will do the same.

By doing this they will mock His followers as well, which will continue and intensify until His glorious return.

Feb 11 2013

“I Did Not Eat the Sprinkles”

The little 3-year-old Johnny is too cute when faced with the evidence of his actions.  Despite a face full of sprinkles he insists he did not eat any!  He does not budge, he does not blink, he does not flinch while lying. He believes it! 🙂

Delight in Truth will take this opportunity to demonstrate that sin is inherent to human nature from birth, and we are not immune from it even at an age before we can discern between right and wrong.

It is evidently clear that no parent in his or her right mind will instruct their toddler to lie.  Even those without Christ have a moral code which typically includes moral laws against lying; whether they follow those laws is a another matter.

This begs the question… if we do not teach our children to lie how do they learn to lie as early as age 2? Why do they exhibit unholy qualities such as shame, anger, jealousy, and revenge as early as 3 years old?

The answer is that these qualities do not have to be taught, they are inherent to our human nature. For this reason I disagree with many philosophers who along the centuries have taught either that humans are basically good, or humans are neutral, neither bad nor good.

Besides the evidence we see in children who are capable of cruelty and evil acts which have not been specifically taught to them, the Bible also holds that human nature is depraved in the worst possible way.

This depravity begins at birth as Psalm 51:5 tells us “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (NIV).  The LORD declares in Genesis 8:21 “every inclination of [man’s] heart is evil from childhood.” And specifically for lying, Psalm 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies”

And this continues into adulthood as Paul teaches in Romans 7:18 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

But I do not want to make a cute little video into a damper for your day… Lets end on a positive note!

Despite our sinfulness and depravity we have the opportunity to become righteous by faith in Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 2 :4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”  Amen!

Feb 4 2013

The Next Progressive Move: Normalizing Pedophilia

Delight in Truth friend and follower Gabe Bogdan draws our attention to the next item on the progressives’ agenda: the normalization of pedophilia as a sexual orientation.  The Los Angeles Times published a post titled “Many experts now view pedophilia as a sexual orientation,” and this is part of their attempt to exude sympathy toward sexual deviancy and one of the worst possible crimes one can imagine.

Let me be clear, this is not an isolated article or opinion.  This movement has gathered steam over the last decade and is closely linked to the gay agenda.  The American Psychiatric Association is the pocket of these progressives, and their meetings frequently address subjects like the stigmatization of the pedophile, the victimhood of the pedophile, the orientation and the needs of the pedophile, and other such subjects building the case for the normalization of pedophilic feelings.

The LA Times proceeds to publish this unholy statement meant to separate pedophilia and molestation:

“Not all pedophiles molest children. Nor are all child molesters pedophiles. Studies show that about half of all molesters are not sexually attracted to their victims. They often have personality disorders or violent streaks, and their victims are typically family members. By contrast, pedophiles tend to think of children as romantic partners…”

The editors at the left leaning, progressive LA Times allowed this statement in the article because they want to validate the point that pedophilia has a romantic basis.

It that not crazy?  Do they not have children of their own? How would they feel if pedophiles start eyeing their children… Hello?!  Satan’s progressive agenda has blinded them to the point of lack of logic.

Much like the homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism and transexuality have been accepted as orientations which come naturally to those who profess them, pedophilia is heading in that same direction among academicians. This is now a nefarious train with the inertia of the entire progressive movement behind it.

I predict we will hear arguments such as Jesus never spoke against pedophilic attraction in the Bible.  Or show me where in the Bible it says that it is a sin to have romantic feelings towards children.

I  predict that in 10-15 years romantic desires for children will be accepted as normal in many different levels of our society.  I simply do not want to imagine the possibility of a legal adult-child romantic relationship in the future.  I hope our society will never stoop that low.  I pray that the Holy Spirit and the Church which are still present in the world will restrain the impulse of depravity from reaching that point.

Our children need God’s protection and our protection from pedophiles, no matter what academicians and psychiatrists say about these twisted individuals.

Jan 29 2013

PRIDE is the Root Cause of Evil

Yesterday was a sad day in our community.  The murderous spirit of Cain visited one of my medical colleagues in the form of an elderly man who shot and killed the doctor inside his medical office.

The perpetrator is in custody and he will pay for his crime.

But why? Why do humans kill other humans? Why do we harbor hate, greed, lust, pride, jealousy, revenge, and so many evil emotions?  Why do we lash out, revile, and follow our instincts to commit violence and so many other sins?

I believe the Word of God gives us the best answer to these difficult questions in Genesis 3.

All the evil intentions of man’s heart come down to one sin: PRIDE.

Before the original sin of disobedience by Adam and Eve there was the sin of pride.  The fall of Lucifer was based on this sin, and he kindled the same evil emotion in Adam’s heart, which eventually led Adam to disobey and fall. Pride made Lucifer desire to be like God, and the serpent enticed Adam and Eve with the same prospect.  Pride was born when Adam wanted to share God’s attributes, and human beings have been sinful ever since.

Pride is a product that is at the center of the human SELF.

Pride leads to hate because the SELF cannot bear when someone else is better than the SELF, or someone is a threat to the SELF.

Pride leads to greed because the intense desire to accumulate wealth and power satisfy the SELF, which further amplify pride… and the vicious cycle continues.

Pride uses lust to fan the SELF.  We are establishing a common theme here.  The SELF will stop at nothing to make the SELF the center of the universe.

Pride generates jealousy because the SELF is threatened by someone else’s achievement.

Pride wants revenge.  “I’ll show him I am the best…” And revenge can lead to murder.

Pride causes violence.  The SELF must be satisfied at all cost, and violence against others is a justification of the prideful SELF.

Even the “temporarily insane” who murder others get to that point because pride has driven them to obsession, compulsion and lack of logic.

Whatever the motive for this murderous act, the root cause was pride.  The SELF needed to perform this act to meet a revengeful, hateful, jealous, obsessive or whatever desire…

Can you imagine a world without pride?

There is only one man who did not experience the sin of pride, nor any other sin.  He is Jesus Christ.  And everything He did was the polar opposite of the evil things I listed above.

He substituted meekness for pride.  Instead of hatred He loved.  Instead of committing violence or reviling he allowed Himself to be violated and mocked.  He undid greed by giving Himself away.  He did all this to save His children, to undo the damage that pride has done in their lives.

Without the introduction of PRIDE, this world would have continued to be a perfect world.  But one day I believe Jesus will make things perfect again.

Jan 16 2013

Euthanasia is not the Answer in Affliction

image

Deaf Belgian brothers Marc and Eddy Verbessem underwent doctor assisted suicide at age 45 after they were told they were going to be blind as a result of a progressive eye disease called glaucoma.

Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002 and the number of cases has risen every year since. In 2011, 1,133 were granted the right to die, of which 86 percent were at least 60 years old and 72 percent suffering from cancer.

What makes this case even more appalling to Christians who value the life that our Creator put in us, is that it was approved under the requirement of “unbearable pain.” The news that blindness would be the end-stage of their illness in the future was described as too much to bear.

The brothers enjoyed a cup of coffee together, and reportedly had a rich conversation right before they received the lethal injection. These are important details to note because they show that the brothers were not depressed, in fact they had fought to earn the right to die for much of the previous two years!

Where is the hope, the joy, the expectation of salvation that is associated with life? The one who came into this world to kill and destroy, the ancient serpent who initiated the fall of man has blinded them into believing that death is the answer. There is nothing more untrue than that.

The life we have been given is not our own, and born-again Christians understand this fundamental truth. Our life and even our bodies are not our own.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that “… your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own.” What right do we have to kill our body?

Even our life is not our own. Again Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:15 that “those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”

Romans 8 names the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of life.  And it is by the Holy Spirit that life is continually sustained:  “If it were [God’s] intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.” Job 34:14-15

These are just a few of the reasons why we believe that euthanasia is a sin against God.  He alone in His manifold wisdom and purpose can give and take life as He pleases.

These two brothers made a sane, calculated decision in their actions.

By taking their life into their own hands they made themselves the gods of their life, and they sacrificed their life unto themselves, like the Canaanites sacrificed their own to Molech.  This was their final deed… their final idolatrous act of self-worship.

We know that death by suicide or euthanasia is not the answer when difficulties arise in this fallen world.  Jesus is the ultimate solution because only He can restore hope in affliction and eternal life after our passing.

image: lifesitenews.com

Jan 12 2013

Less Americans Believe Alternative Life Styles are a Sin

In just 14 months there was 7 point drop in the percent of Americans who believe that homosexuality is a sin from 44% to 37%.

LifeWay Research conducted these studies, and their president commented that the country is rapidly shifting position on this issue, partly due to president Obama’s “evolving” view on gay marriage.

“There is little doubt that the President’s evolution on homosexuality probably impacted the evolution of cultural values.  This is a real and substantive shift, surprisingly large for a one-year time frame – though this was hardly a normal year on this issue’

These findings are revealed in the wake of pastor Louie Giglio’s withdrawal from the presidential inauguration prayer.  The White House has already announced that Giglio will be replaced by a pro-gay pastor as a means to not alienate anyone.

Christians believers who hold to the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible will now be a rapidly shrinking minority in the US.

I am writing this to warn the body of Christ of our status in modern society.  Even though the Constitution gives us the right to believe the Bible as it is written, without taking Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, and many other pages out, we will be labeled as bigots, anti-social retros, and obstacles to progress.

Will this lead to religious persecution?  I believe yes.  Especially if Congress working with this Administration takes up “hate-speech” legislation which will prevent preaching from church pulpits from the above mentioned Bible passages.

At this point I do not envision pastors being put in jail for preaching against homosexuality.  But there is a real possibility of other legal methods being used to curtail religious freedom and free speech if such legislation is used.  Canada has already experimented with “hate-speech” legislation, and pastors there have confessed they are being pressured to not expose anti-sin views from the pulpit.

The world is changing.  Views are evolving.  A constant and confusing flux of public opinion is inundating us everyday.

Despite this we must remain anchored in the Word of God.  Anchored in Truth.

Jan 2 2013

Femicide: A Rising Global Crisis

DSC_0452-300x199
photo by CindyDuCheney @whispersngiggles.com

The systematic killing of unborn baby girls via sex selective abortion is reaching unprecedented levels in China, India, and other Asian and Eastern European countries.  The ungodly practice of aborting a baby for the simple fact that she is a girl is one of the most abhorring things this planet has seen, and I wonder how long before God’s patience runs out and His wrath will be served for this evil.

The implementation of the One Child Policy in China in 1978, and the availability of ultrasound technology in the recent past in rural areas of Asia have led to the realization of a staggering statistic: 163 million unborn baby girls were aborted simply because it was inconvenient that they were female (1).

In countries such as China and India the male to female ratio is as least 120 men for every 100 women (2). Just to compare, the normal and healthy gender ratio at birth is approximately 106 boys to 100 girls (3). That WAS the ratio in China in 1979.   By 2020, the Chinese government estimates that there will be at least 30 million men of marriageable age that may be unable to find a spouse (4).

There are many reasons that sociologists and anthropologists will give for this wicked phenomenon, but frankly these are very secondary when you consider the murderous act itself.  How are we to consider cultural, religious and economic factors when the blood of these innocent lives is crying out to their Creator for justice?

You make think this is shocking and that it could never happen in the US?

The PRENDA Act introduced in Congress in 2012 would have made it a crime for anyone attempting to coerce or solicit a woman to abort based on the race or sex of her unborn child.  The people introducing the bill thought it would be a no-brain-er to pass and the vote was taken under a fast-track procedure called “suspension” which requires 2/3 of the House vote.  Guess what?! It failed!  Here in the US where half the people claim to be evangelicals! Look up here to see how your congress representative voted.

Not only do women have many things set against them in this world as adults, but now the fight for their life begins in the womb. A $12 ultrasound readily available in Asia makes this all possible.  It is in fact human evil and wickedness that makes this happen, and it is directly related to idolatry.

Religious beliefs often bolster the preference for male offspring.  Some Asian communities persist in the deep-seated belief that ancestors are worshiped in the afterlife through the male line (1).  Add to that the high importance of the family name, and the fact that boys become the family retirement account… and the idolatrous picture begins to take shape.  Everything in these mostly Hindu and Buddhist regions is geared toward self-improvement and self-worship, and it so happens that a baby girl will get in the way of it!

Experts on this phenomenon are currently predicting and in India sex selective abortion will get MUCH worse. We are only seeing the beginning stages.

How much worse than that 163 million girls already murdered?  How much more shedding of the innocent blood of unborn children?

The words of the wise man in Proverbs 6:17-18 reminds us that among the seven things that God finds abominable are

“…hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil…”

How long, God, before human wickedness reaches its full measure?

—————————————————————————————————————–

1. Christianity Today. Genocide in Shades of Pink. 28 December 2012
2. The Economist. The War on Baby Girls: Gendercide. 4 March 2010
3. United Nations Population Fund
4.  http://www.allgirlsallowed.org/category/topics/gendercide