God Hates Our Non-Christian Culture
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News ~ October 24, 2009
God not only hates our non-Christian culture, He is "mad as Hell" and is going to do something about it, if we don't do it on our own initiative. History proves and the pages of the Old Testament testify that while God is very patient in giving communities the opportunities to repent, once His patience runs out, and there is still willful disobedience, the result is never pleasant or positive for the communities involved. Our promised blessing from approaching the world with a mindset that is set on obeying His will is that we shall be comforted because we know that we are in His kingdom, and are doing our best to live according to His will, instead of our will. When we receive well-deserved chastisement from Jesus as a result of our disobedience, we are comforted in knowing that:
"His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30.5
We also know that when we repent and return to the Lord, "He will have mercy on us, and pardon us." (Isaiah 55.6-7) In concert with the prophet Micah, we can gratefully proclaim:
"Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old." Micah 7.18-20
The flip side of this coin is presented in detail on the pages of the Old Testament. Time after time ungodly and unrepentant nations refused to do things God's way (Jer. 18.7-8) and were destroyed. (Gen. 15.16; Deut. 25.17-19; Jonah 3.4-10) God did not reveal and then preserve His instructions for how we should live and govern ourselves for the fun of it. He most seriously means for the members of His Kingdom to obey them. (Joshua 2.1-11; 1 Cor. 1.10-11) Micah makes this perfectly clear, while providing optimism for the earth's inhabitants once we live-out our faith and present God's perfect antithesis to Satan's imperfect worldview.
"He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Micah 4.3
Some Christian legislators may be tempted to reply, "Buddy, I agree with what the Bible says, but such an unflinching stand for Christ's Kingdom presents too big an obstacle in my path!" But before you make such a statement, remember whom you are serving. Shouldn't it be thought that the Creator of the Universe can handle whatever obstacle you encounter? "Obstacles," have been defined as "those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals," and your goal as a Christian civil ruler is serving our Lord, Savior and King, Jesus Christ and trusting in Him to "work all things together for good." (Rom. 8.28) King Solomon assures us that if we "acknowledge God in all our ways, He shall direct our paths," (Prov. 3.6), so what are we waiting for?
We can't plow the field by turning it over in our mind, so let's get busy getting out into the field and becoming the change we seek in the world. 19th century judge and physician, Oliver Wendall Holmes writes, "The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving."
Our non-Christian opponents hope that we will be intimidated by their control of all of culture's influential institutions. By default we have allowed them to take over the schools, media and civil government. In each instance they have gained their victories virtually unopposed. But while they hold the upper hand in our culture, they are not invincible. Far from it:
What man has made, man can change, and everything non-Christians have accomplished has been done without God, and we have God!
Next week's topic is, "Two Views of the World."
Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network and Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one's faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making.