sin

When it comes to America having to answer to God for the sins she commits, abortion and acceptance of homosexuality have to be what we would consider some very grievous sins in the sight of God. Yet it only takes one little sin, one that we call a white lie, to damn a man for eternity. So sin is sin. God is a gracious God and He will, if asked with a repentive heart, forgive the vilest of sinners. There is a hymn which says, “Come ye sinners, lost and hopeless. Jesus’ blood can make you free. For he saved the worst among you, when He saved a wretch like me. And I know, yes I know, Jesus blood can make the vilest sinner clean.” Just as no sin is too little to separate us from God, no sin is too grievous that God will not forgive those who come to Him in repentance. As long as a man still has breath, he can call on God to save him from his sins and be made a brand new creature. Let me take a moment to shout, HALLELUJAH!

Let me get back to America, she is turning to sin and adding “sin to sin.” There is another sin which America is openly promoting that is very grievous before God and that seemingly goes unnoticed by most Americans. The reason for that is because many Americans are made to feel guilty if they would argue against it. This sin is so grievous to God that He even put it in a different category than other sins. Again I want to remind you that all sin offends God, but some sins result in harsher judgment and severe consequences. Consider Sodom and Gomorrah, God rained fire and brimstone on them for their obsession with homosexual sin. Remember what happened to Egypt when Pharaoh refused to humble himself before Almighty God. So this sin which America is committing will bring severe judgment and consequences upon our nation.

Before I expose this sin, I want to say one more thing about it. This sin is encouraged under the banner of good will toward man. It has become a lecture to all Americans by the politicians of our day. So what am I referring to? Let the scriptures reveal it.

“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” ( I Timothy 5:8).

The word “infidel” means unbeliever. So what the scripture is saying is that the person who has responsibility for their household and does not provide for them, he is worse than an unbeliever. That poses a question. If an unbeliever is already going to hell, what can be worse than that? That is a good question. I will let you ponder on that. Certainly though, you can see that this sin of not taking personal responsibility to provide for your own is a grievous sin in the eyes of God.

So how is this sin committed in America? For several decades our politicians have been making it more and more convenient for Americans to depend upon their government. For example, during the Obama administration we have seen an increase, by over 50%, of those receiving food stamps. To some this is considered a good and compassionate thing to do. I agree that it is the duty of every American, especially Christians, to have compassion on their neighbor. It is the right thing to help those who are going through a time of need. But the underlying problem is that there is an encouragement coming from the top down to let the government and others take responsibility for your well-being. There is an effort to get all Americans to depend on the government. Those who want to go ahead and let the government take care of their lives don’t understand that they are also surrendering their freedom and giving control of their lives to some other people who really do not care about them. The talk of compassion by most of the politicians is all just a façade.

There is an attack on those who work hard and succeed in life. Much of the media makes it sound like every rich person is evil and every CEO of every company is out to put the common man under his thumb. There is this attitude being preached to our nation that if you are a business owner you are greedy and evil. I ran a small home remodeling business for 28 years before I retired to focus more on the church that I shepherd. I met all kinds of owners of construction businesses through the years. These men, for the most part, were decent, honest and hard working men. Of course, there are crooks in the remodeling business who give a bad name to the industry.

It is the entrepreneur spirit, the willingness to work hard to provide a good life for our families and the good will of many Americans that has made America a place of great prosperity and comfort. Of course, the number one reason America is blessed is because she has honored God and allowed the Bible to be the law we live by. America is also blessed because she has been a support and blessing to God’s chosen people, Israel. Today there has been a major shift. America is turning from God. America is breeding a new generation of Americans who are growing up being told that they are owed something. They are being told it is unfair that others have more than they do. They are being told that they are entitled to have things that they have not worked for. This is conditioning a generation of young people to be sluggards by excusing them of any responsibility for their own lives. Today we have quite a few babies being born with their mother and/or father expecting the state to provide for their child.

It is becoming more common for couples to live together instead of getting married. This again is another way people avoid personal responsibility. For some couples, if they would marry, it would mean an end to government handouts, so they just live together wanting the perks of marriage, but without the commitment. By the way, living in fornication is another grievous sin that is committed in our nation. You may be surprised how many people call themselves Christians and yet they live in fornication. I trust you are not one of them.

In conclusion, it is your duty before God, “…that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (I Thessalonians 4:11-12). When God created man, He created him right from the beginning to be workers with responsibility.

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15).