The Moral Breakdown of Our Society

The April 13 issue of Newsweek heralded “The end of Christian America.” Sadly our society is now post-Christian. People today, within and without the church, do not recognize any binding religious or moral authority. Everyone is free to make up their own minds, to reach their own conclusions, to decide for themselves what is right and wrong. The lie of the devil in Genesis 3 was to tell Eve: “You can decide what is good and evil for yourself.” But you can’t. God has already decided that. You can only decide whether to obey God or not.

In April, 2009, in Ankara, Turkey, U.S. President Barak Obama said America is no longer a Christian nation, but “a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” For over 230 years our Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, Senators, Congressmen, Governors, Mayors and all other governmental officials have declared this a Christian nation whose institutions and values presuppose a Supreme Being. Now, the highest elected official of our nation has declared that American society has changed.

Our President is right. But when we divorce our values and ideals from the Word of God and the eternal principles of godliness, they are based only on the whims of fallen, degenerate man. What we perceive, in our own minds to be right and just, may be wrong and unjust when compared to the standard of the Bible. How does our society measure right and wrong when we compare it to no fixed standard?

Homosexuality used to be wrong; but much of the world doesn’t think so anymore. Homosexual marriage used to be abominable, but now is enshrined with legal sanction. Adultery formerly merited condemnation; now it is overlooked – in governors, even presidents. Divorce, and especially multiple divorces, was once considered a shame; now it is accepted as normal.

Our country was once tremendously blessed – in war and in peace – because our values were originally derived from biblical principles. Now our values are not fixed; they are flexible and are based on human opinion. Yes, we are no longer a Christian nation. I don’t like much of what our president is doing; but he spoke the truth in Turkey.

All you have to do is to look around. The moral fabric of our society is frayed. Most people do not realize it, but our society is not wholesome. It is not a good environment to raise children. Our young people are constantly bombarded with the message that non-marital sex is fun, and healthy; that immoral lifestyles are not only acceptable, but equal to or better than biblical families; that material gain and pleasure are the only important goals in life.

Divorce is rampant, sex outside of marriage between a man and woman is rampant. Consumption of alcohol, and even drugs, is rampant. Uncontrolled spending and spiraling debt are rampant. Disregard for all forms of authority is rampant. Lazy and irresponsible children are growing up into lazy and irresponsible adults. The Apostle Paul, in I Corinthians 13:11, that when he became a man, he put away childish things. People aren’t doing that in our society. Adults spend money they cannot afford to buy themselves toys. We are seeing a generation of adults who retain childish ways.

We have our own distinct culture in the body of Christ. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. What is culturally-acceptable in the world is not always acceptable in the lives of the blood-bought church of Jesus Christ. What is considered normal and right by the majority of people in the world is not always normal nor right in the lives of the Spirit-filled saints of the Most High God. Our cultural norms, our customs and mindset, our values and virtues are based upon an unalterable standard: the pure Word of God. That is a rare thing. American culture has moved far from that framework. It is abandoning biblical morality at an ever-increasing speed.

We should not succumb to the evils of the society around us. Israel did during the time of the judges and kings, and repeatedly came under God’s judgment. The devil paints the world in vivid, enticing colors. But it is all an illusion. In reality, the world is dull and drab, and wicked and cruel. We must focus on serving the Lord. Let us be true to our mission.