WE HAVE just witnessed a heinous crime, the death of six persons by fire set by wicked hands. In my 80-odd years on earth I have never seen our country more corrupt than it is today.
For many years, especially since 1992, I have been warning my fellow countrymen that we are on skid-row. No one heeded my voice, I was lambasted by clergymen, politicians and social commentators as an alarmist.
What are Christians who try to be reformists called? alarmists, fanatics, faddists and so on. Corruption and ultimately the destruction of a country do not come suddenly but by slow degrees. Not only was I issuing a warning but I remember the late Sir William Douglas saying during a speech that unless action is taken now to stem the tide of lawlessness and corruption, the way back is going to be by climbing the Alps. Where there is no vision, the people perish, say the Scriptures.
Some, after reading about the days of slavery, the Dark Ages and so forth, will be tempted to say that this age is nice compared to other days. Yes, it is nice but we must not stop there. We must add some other words to the word nice. It is nice but it is nasty. The minds of men are occupied with impurity and evil.
This day is nice but it is neutral. This is the time of compromise. Men are afraid to stand up for what they believe to be right. The average man can be bought out of his convictions. He prefers everybody to like him instead of having enemies because of his position for the Saviour.
This day is nice but nonchalant – indifferent about spiritual things and salvation. This age is not nice and I can prove it is not nice by two or three statements. First, present world conditions prove that it is not a nice age. Second, the menace of the Great World Church. Ecumenical Movement is forming before our very eyes. Third, the Church has woefully fallen beneath its duty, not only in regard to its complicity with the social crimes of each generation, but in regard to its cowardly silence towards them; especially when they flaunt themselves in high places.
Satan is the same personality as he was in the Garden of Eden. He is still loose, raging and deceiving, the same liar, the same destroyer of souls. He is still walking around as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan has not changed. He is still fighting against God.
His programme is two-fold: He seeks the damnation of sinners and the deception of Christians.
We have the same sin today as drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Same sin today that defeated, divided and scattered Israel. The same sin today that dominated the lives of Ahab and Jezebel. Same sin today which destroys families and breed criminals.
When children are brought up in the midst of sinful atmospheres, it is most likely that they will follow the same path when they become men and women.
Sin is prevalent today because so many clergymen do not preach against the awfulness of sin. They are afraid to call sin by its rightful name. What kind of a country would ours be if preachers would condemn sin – the sins of indifference, jealousy, covetousness, political, religious, social and corporate corruption.
What is our attitude towards sin? We must hate sin. We must hate sin that can take the finest young man and drag him into the gutter. We must hate sin that can take the finest and purest girl and make her but a dirty shell. We must hate sin which can come into a fine, beautiful home and bring it to the rocks of divorce.
We must hate sin that can take young men and turn them into robbers and killers. Sin has not changed, it is the same damnable, abominable transgression, as in the beginning.
We need the same standards that were enunciated on Mount Sinai – the Ten Commandments. Luther was right when he stated that the duty of the Church is to preach the Law. Where there is no Law there is no sin. The Ten Commandments are a transcript of God’s character and the rule for our conduct on earth.
Get ready for some sermons which I shall be bringing to you in the highways and hedges, the Lord willing, which shall be very educational and revealing.
• Elder Gordon Matthews is a social commentator.