The Devastating Effects of Rejecting the Bible as a Source of Truth
Those of us who were coming of age in the 50’s and 60’s have witnessed massive changes. Many of those changes in science, for one example, have been beneficial to our society. On the other hand, many cultural, social, political, moral and spiritual changes are the devastating effects of rejecting the Bible as a source of truth. Some atheists and nihilists of our society see these effects as beneficial and blame our problems on normal changes that all cultures face but the evidence is all around us that our rejection of the Bible and the God who inspired it is destroying our once great nation.
Let’s take a revealing journey through the effects that we older people have witnessed with our own eyes. We have been eye witnesses of the gradual but very real decline of America and it is developing into a very sad story.
Lawlessness
We are becoming a very lawless society. Our big cities are cesspools of lawless behavior. Politicians have answered this obvious development by defunding the peace keepers and letting the lawbreakers go free without bail facing little or no consequences. Our politicians routinely break the law and are not held accountable. This is a recipe for disaster in the streets of our country. The Bible makes it clear that humanity in its unredeemed state is spiritually broken and in need of intervention by God. The apostle Paul wrote “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23). Only someone who rejects the Bible’s portrayal of the nature of humanity would support lawless behavior and reject the need of redemption through a loving God.
Death to the Unborn
The United States is now responsible for 63,345,284 unborn children never being allowed to come into the world and fulfill their destiny in life. Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion, came as the result of a moral decline in the years preceding 1973 in which a woman’s rights became more important than life itself. Abortion is a genuine litmus test of the moral condition of the people, leaders and judges of a declining nation. When life is belittled everything else of value slowly depreciates and eventually is rejected. Besides the obvious commandment “you shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13), the Bible is full of words that confirm the value of the unborn. Here is one example:
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them (Ps. 139:13–16).
Addictions
We are an addicted nation. We are addicted to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, food, sex, technology and much more because we reject the clear teachings in the Bible on moderation and self-control. Paul said “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful” (1 Cor. 6:12) and he realized that this attitude was only possible “through Christ” (Phil. 4:13). Addiction comes when we abuse something out of our selfish motives. We are an addicted nation because we do what we want, when we want, the way we want and have forsaken the Bible’s recommendations about individual responsibility. We are suffering the consequences of our rejection of God’s way forward to spiritual victory.
Moral Decline
America is in a spiraling moral decline that is so steep that a correction is only possible with the help of God. As we reject Him we reject the possibility of seeing a moral recovery. Every important moral measurement shows a decline. A few facts verify this tragedy:
About one-third of the people (110 million people) currently have a sexually transmitted disease.
18 percent of all women say that they have been raped.
About 89 percent of all pornography is produced in the United States[a1] [a2] [a3] [a4] .
More than half of all couples live together before they get married.
We have the highest divorce rate in the world.
Approximately one third of children in the United States live in a home without a father.
A Barna Group study discovered that nearly 60 percent of all Christians from 15 years of age to 29 years of age are no longer actively involved in any church. People are avoiding church which we will share more about later.
Much more could be said but these statistics should alert us to our moral decline. The Bible addresses every one of these appalling statistics with clear recommendations about how to avoid the moral decline. Our rejection of the Bible and its truth have led to this devastating predicament.
Violence
Violence is an obvious evidence of the absence of the God of love and peace. Violence is the predictable outcome of a society that rejects God and what He says. Our major cities have undergone devastating violence in the past two years and cities like Chicago are regularly plagued with gun violence resulting in deaths. Businesses and police stations have burned and children, policemen, and innocent bystanders have died. Portland, Oregon has experienced an explosion of violent crime amid calls to defund their police departments. Recently 50 police officers in the city resigned because of lack of support.
Materialism
We want our stuff and are willing to work stressful jobs to get what we want. The Bible says “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5). Many other passages could be quoted but we live in a society in which our possessions are the gauge of our success. The real gauge is the condition of our souls: “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” This verse tells us that it will go well with us and we will have good health in direct proportion to the prosperity of our souls. “Be content with what you have” is a sermon that is seldom preached because it goes counter to our materialistic society. The Bible shows the way but we have rejected it.
Commercialized Christianity
We have allowed our churches to become commercialized because of the materialistic motives covered in the last section. Many of our churches have compromised their calling because they think they need to adjust their beliefs and policies to accommodate materialistic Christians. “It’s about nickels and noses” one pastor said referring to attracting the people and money so they could continue to prosper as a religious business. The church is the people of God not a big commercial enterprise down the street. If Christians don’t get it then we are in trouble because Jesus called us to be the “salt of the earth and the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13). At this point the salt has lost its savor and the light is dim.
51 percent of all U.S. adults believe that churches and other religious organizations “are too concerned with money and power” Often polls don’t mean much but this one is telling. Most people get it — -our churches are off track.
Racism
We are a country embroiled in a cesspool of racism. We thought we were on the mend from this evil but now the tables are turned as one political party is accusing all white people of being racist. That attitude is racist. The mantra “Black Lives Matter” has come to mean white lives do not matter. Racism has been raised from the grave and lives fully in the minds of many who do not see what the Bible says about this issue: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Jesus showed us the way; He went to the hated Samaritans, dealt with the Romans and called us to a higher way in which race is not part of our consideration. Jesus knows the way. We need to listen to Him.
Objective Thinking
The Bible recommends objective thinking which is opening our minds and reasoning together as we search for truth. We are living in the age of censorship and cancel culture where a person can be “canceled” out because of what they say or do. The Bible is clear on the need of open-minded thinking: “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). When Paul preached in the city squares the word that is used is “dialogue.” Paul did not preach one-way sermons but led a discussion where two-way debate could take place (Acts 17). That is a lost skill in today’s vitriolic society. Real debates are a thing of the past because we have become so opinionated and undisciplined in our thinking that we cannot carry on a polite conversation. In a search for truth this is a serious problem.
Decline of Family Life
The family is meant to be ground zero in the development of healthy lives. Families are disintegrating in America. Marriage, the family foundation, is declining rapidly. We now have a yearly marriage rate of a mere 6.8 marriages per 1000 people. Commitment is becoming a thing of the past. Young people live together without a personal commitment to one another. Fathers, especially in the inner cities, are abandoning their wives and children. If families are the cells of a healthy nation, we have a serious cancer that is destroying our nation. Children are left to fend for themselves indulging on the societal nonsense served up on the internet. Abortion is still rampant as young women live in promiscuity and then murder the offspring of that indulgence. This is more than a passing trend; it is the mark of a dying nation.
Adding insult to injury we have redefined marriage with a genderless twist to accommodate same-sex couples. This undermines all of the healthy benefits of marriage. Marriage is now seen as a convention that is meant to benefit the adults instead of the children coming from the marriage. This can only result in the decline of healthy family life.
Many will see this article as too negative. I share these facts not to discourage people but to wake us up to the reality developing all around us. So called experts will point to various reasons for these tragic developments but they will generally ignore the spiritual ramifications that are staring us in the face. God is real and He has communicated clearly His will for our lives in these various areas.
This prophecy from Isaiah speaks to our present condition: “Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it” (Isaiah 34:1). Will we continue to just be in denial about our condition or will we begin to realize the problem and respond in faith? Will churches just keep doing what is failing or will they follow the advice of Isaiah and draw near to hear what God has to say? I for one must speak out and hope for change from on high.
Jesus gave this promise to everyone who will listen: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28). The Bible contains truths that can release supernatural blessing into our lives. All we have to do is listen and respond in faith.
