WE USED TO THINK...

ROMANS 1

²¹ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools...

In thinking about how things have changed over the past 100 years we cannot help but be amazed.  We have gone from stagecoach to rockets, from victrolas to blueray, from comfort measures to robotic surgery, from wood burning stoves to central heat and air-conditioning, from six shooters to nuclear arsenals, from abacus to mainframe computers, and from party-line phones to smartphones. 

Yet while our technology wows, our spirituality woes.  Things we used to know we now doubt.  Things we used to hold as “self-evident truths” we now reject as “silly fables.”  We are smarter in so many ways, but we are not wiser in any way.  The gap between our knowledge and our wisdom, between our facts and and understanding, has never been greater.

The Apostle Paul described a time when men “professing themselves to be wise, became fools,” (Romans 1:22).  How descriptive of our times.  The pressure to conform to the godless and self-centered agenda of this carnal rebellious generation is great.  But let God be true! 

We used to know there is a God, and doubting Him is foolish,
Now we know that there is no God, and believing Him is folly.

We used to know there is a devil with a host of demons at his command,
Now we know that the devil is made up and demons are a fiction.

We used to think that God is great and we are not so great,
Now we think we are so great and God isn't so...great. 
 (Hitchen's wrote a book by that title, " God Is Not Great.")

We used to know that the Bible inerrant, inspired, and true--and that rejecting His Word is rejecting Him.
Now we know that the Bible contains truth and that it's up to us to find it--God doesn't expect us to believe or obey His Word.

We used to think that man is inclined to sin and is sinful,
Now we know that man is inherently good and that sin is sinful--well a bad idea.

We used to know that truth is absolute and knowable,
Now we know that truth--if it exists--is relative and mostly unknowable.

We used to think that right and wrong are objective absolutes,
Now we think that right and wrong are determined by a majority vote or poll.

We used to think that God created the universe.
Now we think that the universe created God.

We used to think that authority was to be respected and obeyed,
Now we think that authority is to be questioned and resisted.

We used to think that if a man was hungry he should work.
Now we think that if a man is hungry he should beg from his government or steal from his neighbors.

We used to think we got more than we deserved.
Now we think we never get as much as we deserve.

We used to think that a strong man was morally, ethically, and spiritually strong.
Now we think that gamers, players, and party-ers are the ideal man.

We used to think that a perfect woman was virtuous.
Now we think the perfect woman is voluptuous.

We used to think that sacrifice was a blessing.
Now we think that sacrifice is inconvenient, unnecessary, and silly.

We used to think that sin is disobedience to God.

Now we think that sin is not thinking ourselves to be as wonderful as we really are--and that that problem can be fixed with a good prescription or positive counsel.

We used to think that repentance meant turning from sin, saying if I had it to do all over again I would do it God's way.

Now we think repentance means, "I'll work on quitting my sinful ways."

We used to think that men should never wear clothes or jewelry that looks effeminate. 

Now we think that girly men are great, and sissy boys are precious.

We used to think that women should not dress like men, act like men, or desire to be men,

Now girly girls are looked down on, effeminate women are out of step, and Biblical women are pitied as backward.

We used to think that art and entertainment and literature should inspire virtue and disparage vice,

Now we think that immorality is better than purity--reality is better than morality--garbage is better than godliness.

We used to think that music had words, harmony, and rythym--in that order.

Now we think that music is words--nonsensical, degrading, and demoralizing words spoken to a beat.  Think pagan.

We used to think "In God We Trust."

Now we think, "In Gov we Trust."

We used to think that charity begins at home.

Now we think that charity begins and ends with Washington D.C.

We used to think that the 10 Commandments were just that--10 Commandments.

Now we think of them as 10 Suggestions.

We used to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy,

Now its a holiday--a day of commerce and pleasure.

We used to think that nakedness and immodesty were the first effect of man's disobedience,

Now we think that showing as much skin as possible is fashionable.  Less is more when it comes to clothes today.

We used to think that a person's worth is known by their heart of gold, 

Now we think that a person's worth is evidenced by the gold they display and hoard.

We used to think that God made Adam and Eve--that gender is God-determined.

Now we think that Gender is man-determined--that gender roles and specifics are made up by fuddy duds.

We used to think that straight is great.

Now we think that bizarre is best.

We used to think that marriage was for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others so long as ye both shall live--that it was sanctioned by the Judge of all the earth.

Now we think that marriage is a temporary arrangement sanctioned and dissolved by the Judge downtown.

We used to know that Jesus was definitely returning to the earth again.

Now we are not so sure.

We used to know that prayer changes things.

Now we know that prayer is ineffectual.

We used to know that the sinner's prayer changed the sinner,

Now we have found out that the sinner's prayer just changes the consequence of our sins.  We go right on sinning and rebelling against God but He no longer cares.

We used to know that there is a heaven and a hell.

We pretty sure there's still a heaven.  We're very sure there's no hell.

Come to think of it, the biggest difference between the way we used to think, and the way things are today, is this...We used to think...

WWW.FCCSTLOUIS.ORG