Identity Crisis
Thesis: The modern Christian in America has an identity crisis in their faith. They don¡¦t know who they are in Christ. The solution to this problem is the Christian needs to attain a Christian Biblical Worldview and then live by it.
Texts:
2 Timothy 3:1-9:
1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God¡X5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth¡Xmen of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Introduction:
Charles Colson writes in his book How Shall We Live the solution to the modern day identity crisis of the American Christian, ¡§How do we redeem a culture? How do we rise to the opportunity before us at the start of a new millennium? The answer is simple: from the inside out. From the individual to the family to the community, and then outward in ever widening ripples. We must begin by understanding what it means to live by Christian worldview principles in our own behavior and choices. Unless we do, we will interpret the biblical commands according to the spirit of the age and will therefore be conformed to the world rather than to God¡¦s Word¡¨ (307).
Many people in America are very worried about the direction our society is going with their morality. Colson notes that many express in polls that Americans worry most about social and moral decay-crime, family breakdown, drug abuse, sex and violence in the entertainment media-all results of moral choices made ultimately by individuals (308).
Remember what researcher George Barna told us 80% of America claims to be Christian. But look at the decline in morality and biblical living in our society? It is committed by those who claim to be Christian, they contribute to the decline but the individual does not make the connection. They don¡¦t associate the fact that when they fail morally it leads to a ripple effect across the United States and impacts the very society they worry about. Listen to this statistic from George Barna at Barna.org:
Percentage of Adults Who Consider A Behavior To Be ¡§Morally Acceptable¡¨
All Adults Evangelicals Born Again Other Faith Atheist/Agnostic
gambling 61% 27% 45% 69% 75%
living with someone of the opposite sex without being married, sometimes called co-habitation 60% 12% 49% 70% 87%
enjoying sexual thoughts or fantasies about someone 59% 15% 49% 71% 78%
having an abortion 45% 4% 33% 45% 71%
having a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not married 42% 7% 35% 47% 69%
looking at pictures of nudity or explicit sexual behavior 38% 5% 28% 49% 70%
using profanity 36% 7% 29% 46% 68%
getting
drunk 35% 8% 24% 44% 61%
having a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex 30% 5% 20% 41% 55%
using drugs not prescribed by a medical doctor 17% 6% 11% 25% 38%(Base: 1024 adults)
* indicates born again Christians excluding evangelicals
C.S. Lewis stated, ¡§The Christian and the Materialist (The secular mindset) hold different beliefs about the universe. They can¡¦t both be right. The one who is wrong will act in a way which simply doesn¡¦t fit the real universe.¡¨
This is what is happening to the Christian in America they have lost their way and are blending with secular society and buying in to their way of life. This lifestyle does not fit the real universe designed by God for mankind.
In our American Christian society today in is imperative that we develop a Worldwide Christian Mind Set aligned with Biblical principles. Blamire states, ¡¨There is no longer a Christian mind (in America).¡¨ He¡¦s right our society even though claiming Christianity is not a Biblical society because Christians have adopted their own view of morality ¡V in contradiction to the Bible. They have bought into the secular mindset that says anything goes. George Barna enlightens us on this mass deception in a recent survey he did; Listen to his findings on the paradoxes he discovered in a recent survey. We will look at each paradox and discover that there really is an identity crisis happening in the Christian community in America:
I. Paradox 1: The Success Paradox illustrates that Christians have a wrong view of what is considered a successful life.
a. In one national study Barna discovered that people’s views of success had little to do with their faith and spiritual wholeness.
i. People focused on personal accomplishments, family solidarity and emotional fulfillment.
ii. Barna notes that only 7% identified spiritual wholeness and development as the factor that will produce a successful life. "The Christian faith commends sacrifice, servant-hood and sharing as the means to significance," he noted. "How is it possible to have more than 120 million adults attending Christian churches on a regular basis, but only 15 million who grasp the message that success is not about personal accomplishment or material possessions?"
b. Jesus said that success was defined by ¡§How you serve one another!¡¨
i. He spelled success in life as servant-hood!
ii. John 13:12-17: 12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ¡§Do you understand what I have done for you?¡¨ he asked them. 13¡§You call me ¡¥Teacher¡¦ and ¡¥Lord,¡¦ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another¡¦s feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
1. Jesus tells us that success is doing what he did. Let me ask you a very straight forward question,¡¨ When was the last time you washed someone else¡¦s feet?¡¨
a. When was the last time you served others?
b. Take a look at your calendar is it filled with serving opportunities or pleasure opportunities?
c. Jesus tells us in our passage today that he set an example for us to follow and we need to follow his lead.
d. Remember our opening text today?
i. 2 Timothy 3:1-5: 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God¡X5having a form of godliness but denying its power.
ii. This week I challenge you to read the newspaper, watch the news and then tell me if the above text is not descriptive of our society today.
e. I wish I could say that our society modeled the example of Jesus in John 13 but it¡¦s rare to find individuals who live this type of lifestyle even as a Christian!
iii. Matthew 20:25-28: 25Jesus called them together and said, ¡§You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave¡X28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.¡¨
1. Jesus once again reminds us that success in this Christian life is spelled servant-hood-not authoritative control over others.
2. Do you want to have one of the prominent positions in the after life? Then choose to serve now and you will place in the top ten percent when you get to Heaven.
3. Do you really want to have a successful life? Then choose the path that Jesus has laid out before you! Serve one another and be blessed!
c. Do you know, do you care that your view of success will determine you eternal destiny, and it will affect your family, and your society?
T.S. ¡V Paradox one revealed the Christian identity crisis in America and challenges us to make sure we define success the way Jesus did¡Vservanthood. The church of Jesus must follow his example and live the kind of life Jesus role-modeled for us in the Gospels. Now let¡¦s look at second Paradox Barna discovered.
II. Paradox 2: The Commitment Contradiction illustrates that people say they are committed to the cause of Christ but their words do not align with their actions.
a. Various studies conducted by Barna during 2002 pointed out how much Americans identified faith as a key factor in their life.
i. He noted that large majorities claimed that their "religious faith is very important" in their life and described themselves as "deeply spiritual." Yet, those same studies revealed that less than half of the people who describe themselves as Christian also described themselves as "absolutely committed to the Christian faith."
1. Many have forgotten Jesus¡¦ definition of commitment from Matthew 22:37: 37Jesus replied: ¡§¡¥Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.¡¦ƒn38This is the first and greatest commandment.¡¨
a. What happened to real commitment?
i. Answer: A self-centered mindset has taken root in the American Christian. Life is all about them not others-life is about their pleasures not the cause of Jesus.
b. Yet Jesus tells us it¡¦s about giving 100% of our heart- our soul ¡V and our mind to Him.
i. I feel another reality check needs to impact the modern day Christian. Being a Christian means being 100% committed to the cause of Jesus Christ which is: Living our life for Him as a living example of Jesus.
ii. It¡¦s not about US! It¡¦s about Him!
2. Barna also revealed that ¡§Less than one out of every ten regular attendee of Christian churches give 10% or more of their income - a ¡¥tithe¡¦ - to their church.
a. Another recent poll from Barna reveals a more disturbing trend happening in America with people and their giving to God note what he says:
i. ¡§Tithing is down 62% in the past year according his May 19, 2003 report.¡¨
ii. ¡§(Ventura, CA) - Amid widespread reports that churches are suffering from decreased giving over the past year, a new study from the Barna Research Group helps to explain at least part of the problem. The proportion of households that tithe their income to their church ¡V that is, give at least ten percent of their income to that ministry ¡V has dropped by 62% in the past year, from 8% in 2001 to just 3% of adults during 2002. Born again adults, who represent 38% of the nation¡¦s population, also sustained a decline in generosity during the past couple of years. In 2000, 12% of all born again adults tithed. The percentage rose to 14% in 2001, but dropped to only 6% in 2002¡¨ (Barna.org).
iii. The author of more than 30 books regarding faith and cultural trends, Barna also pointed out the demographic shifts affect church giving. ¡§We are losing many of the people who have a habit of tithing ¡V people in their sixties and beyond ¡V while the proportion of homes headed by younger adults, who have never tithed and don¡¦t plan to, is growing.¡¨
b. Instead they spend God¡¦s money on their luxurious lifestyles. On their wants ¡V their toys ¡V their pleasures. And many have convinced themselves that God does not mind! Many have deceived themselves into thinking that my money does not count! But it does make a difference!
c. Reality check ¡V read God¡¦s thoughts in Malachi 3:8-12: 8¡§Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. ¡§But you ask, ¡¥How do we rob you?¡¦ ¡§In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse¡Xthe whole nation of you¡Xbecause you are robbing me. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,¡¨ says the LORD Almighty, ¡§and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,¡¨ says the LORD Almighty. 12¡§Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,¡¨ says the LORD Almighty.
d. I feel another reality check coming on to help clear up the confusion of the Christian¡¦s identity crisis.
i. Life is not about seeking pleasure for your life! Life is not about attaining things it¡¦s about relationships. 1st with God and then with others.
ii. Let¡¦s be reminded once again what one of our opening text says: ¡§People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money¡K lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.¡¨
3. Barna also noted that a majority of teenagers 1/3 attending a Christian church today will likely not do so once they reach adulthood.
a. The problem I see here is Parents are not raising their children in accordance with Scripture: The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6 ¡§Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.¡¨
i. American Christian parents are NOT living their lives the way the Bible teaches and it is affecting their children.
ii. We have crisis in the Christian family today because parents are not teaching their children God¡¦s way or His word.
1. They are allowing them to live life their way and saying God does not mind.
2. They allow sports, activities, work and whatever else to push God to the back burner. They do not direct their children to place God first in their lives but instead allow them to usurp God with other things and in essence teach their children that God is afterthought not a priority.
iii. Colson states, ¡§The image of God is reflected, in part, in differentiation of humanity into two sexes: God created man in his own image¡Kmale and female he created them¡¨ (Gen. 1:27). The implication is that to be a husband or wife, a father or mother, is not an artificial or arbitrary role separate from our ¡¥true¡¦ self, a threat to authentic personhood. Instead, these relationships form an intrinsic part of our fundamental identity, of what makes us fully human. Liberation is not found by escaping these roles but by embracing them and carrying out our responsibilities in a manner faithful to God¡¦s ideals¡¨ (324,325).
iv. He also notes that it is time for the parents of Christian homes to adopt their children as their mission field. He states, ¡§What are some of the most important principles that churches can teach families? For starters, believers should be encouraged to treat their own families as a ministry-a mission to the surrounding culture¡¨ (326).
v. Your family can make a difference! An example was Jonathan Edwards, the Congregational pastor, scholar, and leader of the first great Awakening. He and wife Sarah, reared 11 children; and by the year 1900, the family had 1,400 descendants, among them 13 college presidents, 65 professors, 100 lawyers, 30 judges, 66 physicians, and 80 prominent public officials, including 3 governors, 3 senators, and a vice president of the United States.(Colson 326).
b. Barna suggested that many Americans may have fallen in love with faith rather than the object of their faith. "It’s much less demanding to be devoted to the idea of faith than to invest yourself in a true relationship with the living God. The data raised the question of just what people have become infatuated with: the idea of being a person of faith or the reality of having an intimate, growing relationship with Jesus Christ."
c. The Bible tells us in James 1:22-25: 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it¡Xhe will be blessed in what he does.
d. Do you know that your commitment level will determine the destiny of your life, your families¡¦ lives and your societies¡¦ future.
T.S. ¡V We Christians need to know that our commitment to Jesus will impact our lives, our children¡¦s lives, our descendant¡¦s lives and our societies¡¦ future. What we do with our commitment to God will decide many eternal destinies. Let¡¦s look at our next Paradox discovered by Barna.
III. Paradox 3: Deceptions Regarding Truth. The majority of Christians in America have a distorted view of the truth of God.
a. Barna notes, ¡§Almost everyone in the U.S. believes that truth exists. However, a large majority of both adults and teenagers, Christian and non-Christian, contends that there is no absolute moral truth. More than two out of three adults and more than four out of five teenagers argue that truth is always relative to the individual and the circumstances. While most of these people describe themselves as followers of Christ and say that the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings, they nevertheless believe that truth is based on feelings, experience or emotion.¡¨
i. "This is one of the great deceptions of our age," Barna pointed out. "Embracing relativism under the guise of Christian faith facilitates comfort with sin. By claiming the authority to determine right from wrong, we crown ourselves the kings and queens of reality, yet we have no such authority and we constantly pay the price for the arrogance of believing and acting like we are in control of our destiny and experience. What an affront it is to God for us to claim His name and protection but to resist His moral truths on the basis of human feelings."
b. According to a research project by Barna many American Christians based decisions by their feelings. He stated, ¡§By far the most common basis for moral decision-making was doing whatever feels right or comfortable in a situation. Nearly four out of ten teens (38%) and three out of ten adults (31%) described that as their primary consideration.
i. It was not based on what the Bible stated about the situation. It was more on how they felt!
1. The Christian mind has been infected with the ¡§If it feels good¡¨ do it. God will not mind! He wants me to be happy!
ii. Also in the same survey others said they made their moral choices based on how it would beneficially affect them.
1. This once again reveals the self-centered mind set of modern Christianity in America.
iii. Barna also noted that only 7% of teens said the Bible was used in moral decision making and only 18% of adults said their moral choices were based on biblical principles.
1. That reveals that a large portion of the Christian population are making moral decisions without consulting God¡¦s word for insight into how to choose.
c. Barna noted that substantial numbers of Christians believe that activities such as abortion, gay sex, sexual fantasies, cohabitation, drunkenness and viewing pornography are morally acceptable. "Without some firm and compelling basis for suggesting that such acts are inappropriate, people are left with philosophies such as ’if it feels good, do it,’ ’everyone else is doing it’ or ’as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, it’s permissible.’ In fact, the alarmingly fast decline of moral foundations among our young people has culminated in a one-word worldview: ’whatever.’ The result is a mentality that esteems pluralism, relativism, tolerance, and diversity without critical reflection of the implications of particular views and actions."
d. Jesus said ¡§I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me!¡¨(John 14:6).
i. Jesus makes it clear that truth is only found in him and His word. No where else!
1. A ¡§whatever¡¨ mind set is detrimental to our society and to our spiritual health in America.
2. It¡¦s not about ¡§whatever¡¨ it¡¦s about ¡§FOREVER!¡¨
3. Jesus made it crystal clear in our passage that ¡§He is the only way!¡¨
ii. John 8:32 says ¡§It¡¦s only the truth that will set you free.¡¨ All other deceptions contrary to Scripture will not bring freedom or liberty only bondage and defeat. A society with the current mindset in America will end up in bondage and eventually lead to its destruction.
e. Do you know, do you care that your view of truth will affect your destiny, your family, and your society?
T.S. ¡V To regain the Truth back into the Christian mind we must go back to the source of all truth ¡§Jesus¡¨ and God¡¦s Living Word. We must commit to learn it and implant it into our hearts and minds. This is the only way we can make moral decisions that will benefit our society. Let¡¦s look at our next paradox.
IV. Paradox 4:The Contradictions Regarding Religious Beliefs. American Christian don¡¦t know the basic beliefs of Christianity
a. Barna notes: More than four out of five Americans claim to be Christian and half as many can be classified as born again Christians. Nine out of ten adults own a Bible. Most adults read the Bible during the year and a huge majority claims they know all of the basic teachings of the Bible. How, then, can most people say Satan does not exist, that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol, that eternal peace with God can be earned through good works, and that truth can only be understood through the lens of reason and experience? How can a plurality of our citizens contend that Jesus committed sins and that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon all teach the same truths?
i. This report definitely illustrates that American Christians have an identity Crisis.
ii. They do not know their own beliefs.
iii. How many here have read the Statement of Faith of New Life Community Church in the Handbook?
1. May I suggest you read it and look up the Scriptures so you understand what we believe, why we believe the way we do.
b. Barna tells us what has happened to the American Christian: "In a sound bite society you get sound bite theology," Barna lamented. "Americans are more likely to buy simple sayings than a system of truth that takes time and concentration to grasp. People are more prone to embrace diversity, tolerance and feeling good than judgment, discernment, righteousness and limitations. People are more focused on temporal security than eternal security and its temporal implications. Hopefully, once Christian leaders and teachers comprehend this we can be more devoted to effectively challenging the superficial spirituality of our nation. As Paul wrote in the letter to the Galatians, we are only fooling ourselves; God will not be mocked."
c. Jesus said in John 3:16-18: 16¡§For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God¡¦s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.¡¨
i. It¡¦s time that we embrace the truth and take the time to learn the truth. This is the only cure to mass deception in the Christian faith.
d. Do you know, do you care what the true Christian beliefs are?
T.S. - We have discovered that many do not even know what the true beliefs of their faith are. The main reason being they do not want to take the time to learn them. We must learn the basics of the Christian faith if we desire to live in a way that honors the Lord. Let¡¦s look at the next paradox discovered by Barna.
V. Paradox 5: The Paradox of Ineffective Outreach. American Christianity is not making a spiritual impact on secular society instead it¡¦s the reverse.
a. A survey among Protestant pastors showed that evangelism and outreach ranked as the top priority of churches. Another survey indicated that Christian churches would raise and spend more than $50 billion on domestic ministry in 2002. Pastors also suggested that the September 11 attacks had created a new spiritual awareness among non-Christians.
b. However, Barna says that his latest surveys show that the proportions of both non-Christian adults and unchurched adults have remained unchanged since 2000. "In fact, because our population has increased, the number of unchurched and non-Christian people in the nation has actually grown." The researcher also noted that a recent study showed that ministers, born again Christians and evangelicals do not enjoy a positive image in the eyes of non-Christian Americans. In fact, lawyers, real estate agents, and actors all have a better image than do evangelicals.
c. The year’s research also underscored the fact that half of the people who attend Christian churches on any given weekend are not Christian - that is, they do not trust in Christ alone for their eternal salvation. The vast majority of those people have been attending Christian churches for more than decade.
i. This reveals the sad fact that we don¡¦t have spiritual transformation going on in our churches across America. We have people attending but no one being transformed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
d. "Regardless of its true character and intent, the Christian community is not known for love, nor for a life transforming faith," explained the researcher. "Outdated means of outreach, inappropriate assumptions about people’s faith, and a lack of passion for helping non-believers to receive God’s love and acceptance are hindering the Church from fulfilling its mandate. America remains one of the largest mission fields in the world, and the American Church remains the most richly endowed body of believers on the planet. There is no lack of potential."
e. Jesus said that we are the salt and light Matthew 5: 13-16: 13¡§You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14¡§You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
i. The Christian in America needs to regain a Christian Biblical Worldview. This is the only mindset that will impact and preserve our society.
ii. But it all starts with us right here at New Life. If we don¡¦t start it here it will not impact this community.
Conclusion: What It Means
These figures were cited by George Barna, whose firm conducted the research, as a major reason underlying the data he released in a controversial recent public presentation about the moral views and behaviors of Christians. In that forum, which is now available on videotape from Barna Research ("Morality and the Church"), Barna noted that substantial numbers of Christians believe that activities such as abortion, gay sex, sexual fantasies, cohabitation, drunkenness and viewing pornography are morally acceptable. "Without some firm and compelling basis for suggesting that such acts are inappropriate, people are left with philosophies such as ’if it feels good, do it,’ ’everyone else is doing it’ or ’as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, it’s permissible.’ In fact, the alarmingly fast decline of moral foundations among our young people has culminated in a one-word worldview: ’whatever.’ The result is a mentality that esteems pluralism, relativism, tolerance, and diversity without critical reflection of the implications of particular views and actions."
What are we to do in light of these paradoxes?
The Key: We must accept a Biblical worldview of life and live the way God instructs us to live. We are not to live the way of secular society because this is not our home!
Rick Warren states, ¡§This life is not all there is. Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production. You will spend far more time on the other side of death-in eternity-than you will here. Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity. It is the practice workout before the actual game; the warm up lap before the race begins. This life is preparation for the next¡KChristian should carry spiritual green cards to remind us that our citizenship is in heaven. God says his children are to think differently about life from the way unbelievers do¡KYour identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven¡¨ (47, 48).
To prepare for Heaven and gain the right mind set we must do the following or we face the possibility of never reaching Heaven!
1. We must define success in our lives like Jesus did and live that way.
2. We must make a commitment to Love the Lord with our whole heart, soul and mind and then live that way.
3. We must learn the truth of God and live by it daily.
4. We must decide to learn the basics of Christianity and let it mold our minds and our lives.
5. We must live the life His way so that we can effectively reach our family, our community and eventually our nation for Jesus Christ.
The TRUTH is He is coming back and one day we will go on to the other side and we need to ready and to have left a lifestyle that honored the Lord we served.
I want to close with Scripture text:
2 Peter 3:1-7:
1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, ¡§Where is this ¡¥coming¡¦ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.¡¨ 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God¡¦s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
