As I begin to write this paper, we are surrounded by reminders of two major tragedies: the disaster of 9/11, which killed almost 3000 people, and the disaster of a hurricane, which devastated one of the most important cities in the country and killed hundreds of its citizens. These point out both the evil machinations of men and the helplessness of this small
creature to defend himself in the face of the elements of his environment. In the aftermath of the hurricane, both the benevolence and the evil in the hearts of men were manifest. The benevolent rushed to help. The predators preyed on the disaster.
What a graphic lesson we see portrayed here, if we will pause and let it sink in. The first thing to note is this: The line between right and wrong is very obvious. We are moral creatures, created by a God who wants us to do good. Those who scoff at moral standards, and spit on religion, would have no tools with which to defend against the predator and the murderer. Standards of right and wrong must be maintained, even if they often deny satisfaction to our hedonistic natures. The source of these standards must reside in the nature of the One who created us.
The second lesson lies in the weakness of mankind to survive, even with all his achievements in the age of science. David said, "I look unto the hills from whence cometh my strength." Except for the loving design of our Creator, we would be helpless to survive in the inimical environment of sidereal space which surrounds our small planet.
When Paul, in the second chapter of Romans, chastises those who have the law...teach the law...but do not keep the law, he is both reminding us that law exists, and that, in our weak natures, we often fail to keep it. However, in the same lesson, he is warning against trying to be justified by keeping the law. He insists that it is not the law's rules which are important, but the nature of those who live by them. If you are not, by nature, one who wants to do good, and live righteously, keeping a few stated commandments is an empty hypocrisy.
The disasters mentioned above impress us with the ever present dangers of the world in which we live. Obviously the standards of right and wrong were not created by man. Neither do we have any real control over our destiny in this world. But if we really place our faith in Him, and in His standards of life, even when the storms of life assail, our spirits will
survive. That is the only certainty in this transient world. But it must be a way of life. When we substitute religious rules, institutions, and pious words, for transformed lives, we block God's purposes for us, and sow the seeds of our own destruction.
One of the sharpest rebukes of modern "churchianity", which we have substituted for Christianity, is found in verse 24 of chapter 2: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." The immoral behavior, and approval of prominent church leaders...the posturing and false claims of highly visible televangelists...the marketing of Christianity by greedy
clergymen and church leaders...the substitution of meaningless forms and rituals for genuine life-changing faith...the empty apathy of those who rely on organizational identity, instead of faithful lives...all contribute to the disdain with which the world views Christianity, and the lack of power for the message of the Gospel to change the world.
In the murderous attack of 9/11...in the predators in New Orleans... and in the fury of the storm, we are reminded of how temporary is our existence, and how subject to the ravages of our fellowman, and of the natural world. Our faith is not something to be defended, and proved to a doubting world. Nor is it a set of ordinances to be debated by robed theologians and church leaders. The strength of our faith is in the living of it...the freedom from fear it offers... the peace it provides, and the hope which gives meaning to our otherwise frightening and tenuous lives. The proof of your faith is in the person it makes of you. No other proof is needed.
