60 Seconds (19)

THERE IS A GENERATION

In his article, “The World’s Second Oldest Religion,” R. J. Rushdoony wrote, “Traditional Christian society as we have known it is on its death bed. Our society is not only secular in life-style and world view, but in thought and philosophy. As society, and for that matter the church, is shedding the garments of longstanding tradition, two alternatives are now open. One is to embrace and live under some form of humanism; the other is to come under the mandates of the Kingdom of God.”

In Proverbs 30:11 – 14, a generation is described. It is a class or kind of people who degenerate towards godlessness. Four descriptions are given:

1. A generation that curses its foundations and rejects Biblical authority. “There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother,” verse 11. “Curses” means “to despise, to bring into contempt.” “Father” means “the foundation that protects,” and “mother” speaks of “the bond of the family.” It is a generation that rejects basic Judeo-Christian values that have been the foundation of stability and protection. William Penn warned, “If we are not ruled by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants.”

2. A generation that is religious, but not born again. “There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness,” verse 12. To be “pure in its own eyes” is to develop one’s own personal idea of salvation and believe it to be true, even when it contradicts the Bible. However, the verse continues with “yet is not washed from its filthiness.” “Washed” means “cleansed,” and “filthiness” in the Hebrew means “to evacuate the bowels or to excrete.” This is a generation of people who have convinced themselves they are clean, but their hearts are as filthy as that which belongs in the sewer. “Christians” but not born-again.

3. A generation that becomes a god unto itself. “There is a generation – oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up,” verse 13. “Lofty eyes” and “eyes lifted up” are defined as man exalting himself and becoming his own standard of values, or lack thereof. Amos D. Millard wrote, “Humanism is a system of thought and action which holds that man is capable of self-fulfillment, peace on earth, and right ethical conduct without recourse to God. It is thus a religion which deifies man and dethrones God.”

4. A generation driven by a spirit of violence and devalues human life. “There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men,” verse 14. John Paul II said, “Abortion, the deliberate killing of a human being before birth, is never morally acceptable and must always be opposed.” During his reign as king, Manasseh sacrificed his own children to idols and ruthlessly killed people, illustrating that what we believe deep within us has a profound effect on our behavior. Abortion, the ruthless and merciless slaughter of the unborn, is not just another issue, but it is THE ISSUE, because how we value one individual life, determines our view of all of life!

Acts 2:40, “Save yourself from the perverse (crooked) generation.”

Dave Arnold, Pastor, Gulf Coast Worship Center, New Port Richey, Florida
www.davidarnoldonline.org

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©