Corrupt

May 1

Joshua 24

Psalm 53

Proverbs 12:17-18

Luke 19:28-48

Corrupt

“The wicked fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God,’  They act corruptly, and commit abominable injustice; there is no one who does good.  God looks down from Heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who has insight, anyone who seeks after God.  Every one of them has turned back; together they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  Psalm 53:1-3  LSB

It is becoming increasingly more common in our world to encounter people who believe there is no God. Having grown up in a faith community surrounded by the knowledge of God and the awareness of His presence and intervention in my life and the lives of those around me, I cannot comprehend the belief that there is no God.  It definitely seems foolish to me to think that the universe appeared in a Big Bang and that somehow matter evolved into all of the species of animals and plants on the Earth and human beings.  True science does not support this idea.  Nothing in all of creation has ever evolved into something better.  Everything devolves over time.   We have only to look at our own bodies to see that they do not get better over time.  No matter how hard we exercise, eat well and do all the things we are told to do to maintain our bodies, they still slowly but inevitably break down.  There is nothing that stops the aging process.  The idea that somehow a speck of nothing became a human body that is capable of thinking, perceiving and reasoning is ludicrous.  We were created by an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who is King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is above all, beyond all, and over all.

Satan has done his best to convince us that there is no order and plan in creation.  He wants us to believe that there is no God even though he knows it is a lie.  If he can convince us that there is no God, then he can convince us that there is no standard for right and wrong.  If behavior is all relative then we can each do what we want.  No one should be able to tell us what to do because everything is subjective.  When left to our own, man is ultimately evil, “no one is good, not even one.”  We all pursue our own interests and desires.  It is important to recognize that this passage says that there is no one who does good, that includes me and you.  We are all born with a nature and propensity to sin.  We do not have to be taught to be selfish, we don’t have to be taught to disobey our parents.  Anyone who has been around a toddler knows that they have to be taught to obey, to share and to treat others kindly.  Romans 3:23 makes it clear, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death.  Satan knows that unless we recognize our own sin and corruption, we will not understand our need for Jesus to save us.  So he has concentrated his efforts on convincing people that there is no God and that sin is subjective.  Don’t believe him, there is a God who is sovereign over all.