An Earth Corrupt Before God

There have been phases of human history when man's corruption has become notoriously offensive to God. How does He see mankind in our own time?

We can form some assessment of this by reference to the state of affairs before the Flood (Genesis 6) and in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), two outstanding examples of societies depraved by moral corruption. Of the former we read: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ... the earth was corrupt before God ... for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Gen. 6:5,11,12). A New Testament reference to Sodom and Gomorrah sums up the situation in those cities at the time of their destruction - they had "given themselves over to fornication, and gone after strange flesh" (Jude v.7). So in these illustrations, the unrestrained sexual permissiveness had a progressively corrupting effect.

In Romans 1 there is a clear analysis of how the process of corruption develops:

"Knowing God, they glorified Him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools... Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonoured anion~ themselves" (vv. 21-24).

First there is refusal to have God in their knowledge, leading to the repudiation of His Word. Any sense of accountability to God is eroded. His laws, statutes and standards are rejected. So restraints crumble, and sexual permissiveness comes to be accepted as the fashionable norm.

This process has developed apace in many countries over recent years. They formerly acknowledged a moral standard based on scriptural principles, and framed their laws accordingly. Having largely undermined faith in Scripture as God's word, Satan is subtly rotting the moral fibre of many of these nations. A dramatic decline in moral standards has followed. Claiming to have arrived at the "postChristian era" many people now disregard the constraints which were generally accepted in the past.

Sombre statistics underline the results of these permissive attitudes!

In England and Wales, the illegitimacy rate is now higher than at any time since records were kept.

Among women under 20, more than one third of all live births in 1977 were illegitimate - even though more than one in three pregnancies among this age group were terminated by abortion.

Last year (1980) in the United States more than a million teenagers became pregnant, and 38% had abortions.

These figures should be seen against the background of the wide availability of contraceptives, by which many avoid pregnancy although indulging in extra-marital sex.

During the eleven years 1966-78, 1,200,000 resident women of England, Wales and Scotland had ah orti6ns; about half of these operations were carried out on single women.

During one year (1979) in the United States there were 1,540,000 abortions (approx. one third were teenagers), a 100% increase on the number registered in 1973.

So millions of pregnancies are terminated by abortion each year; many to escape the results of extra-marital sex; many others from selfish motives, with scant respect for the life of the unborn child.

The scriptural standard in regard to sexual matters is clear - that all sexual intercourse outside marriage is forbidden by God and is sinful in His sight. As Paul, for example, wrote to the Thessalonians:

"Ye know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication . . . For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth His Holy Spirit unto you" (1 Thess. 4:2,3,7,8).

Christian example and influence will of course still have their restraining effect, despite widely accepted permissive trends. "Ye are the salt of the earth", said the Lord to His disciples, "but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted"? (Matt. 5:13) To maintain Christian standards is to help check the spread of corruption.

To a God of infinite holiness, the present moral decline must be grieving indeed! Despite it, He mercifully still offers forgiveness and salvation through the gospel.

unknown | Aug 1981
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