The Awfulness of Sin

by Jeff Curtis

Was the world really deserving of destruction, or was God just temperamental when He decided one day to bury the world with a flood? God is described in many ways – even as “avenging and wrathful” (Nahum 1:2) – but He is not temperamental. He is never given to whims or moods. With Him “there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). Throughout the Bible, divine vengeance and wrath are always associated with iniquity, guilt, disobedience, and rebellion. God, in His perfect righteousness, can’t allow sin to go unpunished.

The World’s Wickedness:

1)The flood came upon the world where marriage was corrupted. God’s original plan for marriage was one man for one woman, who He united as husband and wife. They were to b counterparts, companions, and partners for life; and they were to provide a secure and loving home where their children could grow up honoring their parents and glorifying God (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18-25).

2) The flood came upon a world where the children of polygamous marriages practiced violence and every form of wickedness. Growing up in an environment of extreme competition for beautiful wives, the offspring of such marriages probably used violence to get their way with women, as well as in other aspects of life. The degeneration was so complete that the record of (mankind) “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). It also says that “the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:11).

God’s Judgment and Grace:

1)The flood came upon a world that stood under the judgment of God. The wickedness that God witnessed everywhere caused tremendous grief in His heart, as it would in the heart of any loving parent who saw the destructive behavior in the lives of any of his children. Since God’s love for mankind is so much greater than a parent’s love for his children, how much greater is His hurt and grief over the wickedness of His people. As individuals contemplate evil thoughts and commit every vile crime that can be imagined, God’s righteous heart aches (Gen. 6:5-7). For this reason, the Lord pronounced judgment upon the earth in the days of Noah with a great flood of waters (Gen. 6:13, 17).

Our loving God made us, gives life to all, blesses us with every blessing (James 1:17), and desires to have a personal relationship with each person, even those who not aware of Him. To the pagan in Athens, Paul emphasized that the one true God is personal and “not far from each of us” (Acts 17:27), as opposed to the impersonal “unmoved mover” that Aristotle envisioned the Creator to be. Paul confirmed that “in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Since we are creatures made by God, we are responsible to Him for the way we live our lives.

The flood came upon a world in which God’s grace and judgment were announced. The account in Genesis states that Noah, in the midst of a world of sin and degradation, was a “righteous” and “blameless” man, and he “found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8-9). This kind of “favor” is unmerited; it is grace that can’t be earned or deserved. Seeing Noah among a degenerate world of sinners, God set His love upon him. He revealed to Noah that He would destroy the earth with a great flood, and He provided a plan for the exception of Noah, his family and the animals that he was to bring into the ark.

While the text doesn’t say anything about how the people responded to Noah’s preaching, we can surmise from the words of Jesus that it had no life-changing effect on them.

God has provided His Word and has sent preachers of the gospel message so that sinners might turn from theirs sins to righteousness – that is, repent (Acts 26:20; Romans 10:8-14). Those who confess faith in Christ as the Son of God can be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38; 8:37-38). As the world had a new beginning after it was cleansed by the flood, so God offers all who turn to Him the opportunity to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

“Let Your Light Shine”

by Jeff Curtis

    “You are the light of the world.” These words tell us that, as Christians, we not only participate in God’s plans and purposes but, to some extent, we also share in the characteristics of God and Jesus. John said, “God is light” (1John 1:5). Jesus said, “I am the Light of world” (John 8:12). Through these verses, Jesus points to His followers and says, “YOU are the light of the world.”

    What did Jesus mean by the expression? “You are the light of the world?” Consider a contrast between salt and light. The primary purpose of salt in those days was largely negative: to prevent decay. The primary purpose of light is positive: to dispel darkness.

    Jesus’ imagery tells us something about the world and something about Christians. This world is in darkness. Those in the world don’t like to admit this. Sometimes when people reject the Bible, they say, “We live in an enlightened age.” You may have heard the expression “New evidence has come to light.” The fact, however, is that this world is shrouded in the darkness of sin. Every intellect not illuminated by God’s holy Word is a darkened intellect.

    The world actually prefers darkness. Light exposes “the hidden things of darkness” (1Corinthians 4:5; KJV). Jesus said that the people of His day “loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). When I worked in the pest control industry, it was common for people that had roach problems to describe them as running all over the place when the lights would be turned on. Roaches don’t like the light – and neither does a sinful world. Nevertheless, light is precisely what this world needs.

    Our text not only declares that the world is in darkness, but it also says that Christians are the light of this world. Christians are the ones who have the light. If you know Jesus and the Bible, then you know more about marriage, parenting, how to deal with problems, and what life is all about more than an PhD who is not a Christian.

    As Jesus’ followers, we are to let our lights shine. We let it shine by leading the right kind of life. We let it shine by teaching God’s Word.

I don’t like the moral and spiritual darkness in the world. The darkness can be so thick the it discourages us, and we feel like giving up. We have to remind ourselves that light has no purpose if there is no darkness. That is why God put us in this place at this time.

    An important passage is Philippians 2:15,16. Here Paul challenged his readers to be “become blameless and ^[a]harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

    The blacker the darkness is, the more brilliant the light appears. An appliance that burns a bulb all through the day is not bright. In the daytime, the light is not even noticeable. At night, however, after our eyes have adjusted to the darkness, we can see everything in the room, due the soft glow of the appliance bulb. Even a tiny light has value when everything else is dark.

    We are not “light” because of some inherent illuminating power within us. Rather, we are “light” because of our connection with the sources of light: God and Jesus. Christians are comparable to the moon as it reflects the light of the sun. We may also be compared to light bulbs that shine because of an external power source. But Jesus has greatly honored us with the words “You are the light of the world.”