Why Professing Christians Endorse Wickedness

Subject: Why Professing Christians Endorse Wickedness

Why Professing Christians Endorse Wickedness –

and its Implications for America and its People

Six million evangelicals voted for Barack Obama in 2012.

42% of Protestants voted for Barack Obama in 2012.

52% of Catholics voted for Barack Obama in 2012.

Exit polling statistics beg the question, Why do professing Christians endorse wickedness ?

Here is the revealing paradox . . .

A January-to-November 2011 Gallup survey found that 78% – an overwhelming majority – of Americans consider themselves Christian.  Jesus said “wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”¹  Gallup and Jesus are at odds – both cannot be correct.

How does God define a non-Christian ? How does God define a Christian ? Jesus answered both questions in a single verse: "Not every one that says to me ’Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.  But he who does the will of My Father in heaven."²  Therefore, conformance to God’s will – not merely profession of the lips – defines the Christian.  A person is a Christian if they try to obey Jesus' teachings.  “And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life.  Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment.”³

Churches corrupted the gospel to increase their attendance, and evangelism compromised the gospel to advocate easy-belief, leading millions to buy into a cheap grace.  Too many who claim Christianity confess Christ with their mouths, but then continue in deceit, theft, adultery, backstabbing, sexual immorality, covetousness, arrogance, maliciousness, evil-mindedness, and every other form of wickedness.  “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him.”⁴  Converts are lulled into the deception of a Savior who is not Lord.  They have been deceived by a corrupted gospel.  Apostles of cheap grace advocate salvation without repentance and without lordship of Christ.  “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”.⁵  They take Christ as Savior, but reject Him as Lord.

The collapse in the practice of faith in America is evident in the under-30 age demographic.   64% say that “anti-gay” describes present-day Christianity somewhat or very well and 62% believe that Christianity is “judgmental.”  48% believe that sex between two adults of the same gender is morally acceptable.  59% of college-age youth favor allowing same-sex marriage.

24% of college-age youth say that abortion should be legal in all cases and 30% say abortion should be legal in most cases. 59% believe that at least some health care professionals in their community should provide legal abortions.  In just the last eight years, the percentage of young Republicans who support full same sex marriage rights has grown from 28% to 37%.⁶   

Churches have responded by changing their messaging . . . changing the glorious gospel of Christ to fit the culture, not working to influence the culture to conform with the gospel.  The lordship of Jesus Christ is largely absent in messaging to the its-all-about-me generation – as well as to the population at large.  “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do ?” (Psalm 11:3).  American foundations have been destroyed.

“We will have to change.”

Barack Obama, at the Newtown, CT vigil

We will have to stop electing wicked leaders.  “Choose capable men from all the people, men who fear God, men you can trust, men who hate corruption. Put them in charge . . . “⁷ Selecting leaders who have no respect for God never works out well for us.  It cannot work out well for us.  Evil begets evil.  Glorification of evil through endorsement of evil only encourages more Newtowns, more Auroras, more Columbines, more Fort Hoods.  Wickedness cannot be the new “norm”.  “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”⁸

Patriotism, without salvation, cannot close the gap between where we are and where we must be.  Patriots cannot save their country without saving its people.  Because everything produces (reproduces) after its own kind9, righteousness begets righteousness; evil begets evil.  Wicked people will vote to endorse wicked leaders, perpetuating evil.  Jesus was correct – those with only an appearance of godliness¹⁰ and yet live in defiance of its power to exert any influence in their lives outnumber those who reverence Jehovah.  Tens of millions of wannabe Christians witness no godliness.  “This has been common in the world.  It is much easier for people to observe the forms of religion than it is to bring the heart under its controlling influence.”¹¹  

We WILL have to change. 

What has higher value – our country or its people ?  Jesus answered that question with another question . . .  “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ?”¹²  The epic battle between good and evil rages.  Churches appear unable to recover that which they have surrendered by default.  If Americans of patriotic disposition hope for any possibility of restoring our country to its former greatness, they will need to work a genuine salvation of its people.  We live in a lost and dying world.  Every person’s legacy will include either their choice to merely watch, or to act as an agent of salvation.   

References

1  Matthew 7:13-14

2  Matthew 7:21

3  John 3:36

4  Titus 1:16

5  Luke 13:3

6 http://www.theblaze.com/stories/with-young-voters-republicans-must-give-up-on-social-issues-or-give-up-altogether-poll-data-suggests/

7  Exodus 18:21

8  Proverbs 14:34

9  Genesis 1:25

10 2 Timothy 3:5

11 Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

12 Mark 8:36