The Christian Response To Social Evil

“[Jesus] said to [His disciples], ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish.” [1]

The days appear mighty dark for those dear souls who long for righteousness. And if the Word of God is to be taken as accurate, still darker days loom before us. Even those who ignore what God has given in His Word are increasingly uneasy when contemplating what lies before us in the future. Wickedness abounds, and righteousness is openly ridiculed. National leaders brazenly redefine righteousness so that what is good and noble is ridiculed as antiquated, archaic, out-of-date. The godly are verbally assaulted, and frankly, we are no longer surprised when the mockery turns physical. Assaults against Christians are growing more common, even from political leaders. And the assaults witnessed are increasingly violent. Political leaders, if they even acknowledge the Faith, are unrestrained in using the churches as a prop for their own twisted ends. And the churches appear content to allow this condition to persist.

A BIBLICAL VIEW OF THE UNFOLDING VISTA OF THE DARK FUTURE — Jesus has warned of days to come, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake” [LUKE 21:10-12].

The future holds a terrifying prospect for all who profess godliness. This is especially true if we attempt to identify with the world. The churches of this day are dwindling both in influence and in power. A major reason for this situation is because the professed people of God have little depth to their Faith. You may recall a parable Jesus told on one occasion. Jesus said, “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear” [MATTHEW 13:3-9].

The parable Jesus told at that time proved to be an enigma to His disciples. When they were alone, Jesus clarified what the parable meant for His disciples. Jesus said, “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” [MATTHEW 13:18-23].

I must wonder at the depth in which the Word is planted in the lives of most professing Christians today. Doesn’t the commitment and the understanding possessed by most of us who name the Name of the Holy Son of God resemble the Pecos River at floodtide—ankle deep and half a mile wide? And it is all well and good to speak of those who may never hear this message, but what about us? Years ago, a Texas divine lamented, “It is greatly to be feared that much of the preaching of modem times has lost its depth and power. The plow does not run deep enough. There is no deep conviction of sin. There is no mourning for sin such as we find set forth in Zechariah 13. We find our way to a modern profession of religion, dry-eyed. There is no weeping in it. And hence, feeling ourselves to be but little sinners, we need only a little Saviour.” [2]