|
THERE IS NO GOD--REALLY? Gen. James Green The Prison Writings--2022 It is only the fool who makes the remark found in the title of this article, for the Scripture tells us:“The fool says in his heart 'There is no God'” (Psalm 14:1) Psalm 14, a wisdom poem, along with its identical twin Psalm 53, contain profound deliberations on human depravity. David's desire for deliverance (14:7) provides the chorus for his two preceding comments on depravity:
1. He addresses the universality of depravity in verses 1-3 2. He points out the futility of depravity in verses 4-6
1. The wish for deliverance (7a) 2. The worship attending deliverance (7b-c) LISTEN UP! We rejoice that Tide washes out dirt so powerfully! We thank God our clothes can be made fresh and clean. But what about the dirt and grime and stains of sin? “For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before Me, says the Lord God.” (Jeremiah 2:22) Soap may wash off bodily dirt and grime, and detergent may do the same for clothing, yet it takes something else to cleanse the heart from the stain of sin. The ESV reads, “. . . .the stain of your guilt is still before Me. . . .” (Jeremiah 2:22) What “stain of guilt” was the prophet referring to? Verse 19 of Jeremiah 2 makes it clear: “Your evil will chastise you and your apostasy will reprove you. . .” Evil and apostasy were serious stains in God's eyes [for clarification see 3:6, 8, 11-12, 22; 8:5; 31:22]. THE WORD Malachi 3:2 warns, “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:” These two spiritually purifying agents, fire and soap, will do what natural purifiers can never do. The fire will burn away dross, and the fuller's extra strong soap will whiten—both actions designed to purify the heart. For the non-repentant sinner the fire will burn externally (gehenna); for the saint the soap will spiritually cleanse away all stain of sin. Consider the meaning behind the Hebrew word for soap: Hebrew: Boriyth=alkali // bor=lye (for its cleansing), to purify // from baw-rar, a primary root: to clafify (i.e. brighten), examine, select: make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse, polish, purge (out). JESUS' BLOOD The Apostle John writes: “. . . .the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7). Blood stains, but Jesus' blood is no ordinary blood; it is Divine. Consider the meaning behind the Greek word used for “cleanses” in the scripture above: Greek: katharizo // (literally/figuratively)=to make clean, purge, purify, make pure. BACK TO TIDE While Tide is a mixture or alkyl sulfate and sodium tripolyphosphate, a combo that creates molecules that grab hard not only to dirt and grime but also to water so that it all rinses away, leaving clean fabric. Yet the blood of Jesus is God's provision to cleanse us of all sin and the spiritual stains it leaves. Realistically God sees all our sins. We may try to wash them off or hide them away with man-made devices and substances, yet only the Blood of Christ can truly do this. Ancient Israel tried to convince the Lord that they were not polluted (Jeremiah 2:23). Yet the guilt of idolatrous Baal worship was a serious stain upon them—they were DEFILED/POLLUTED. Israel was guilty of loving alien gods, hence adultery as well as idolatry, and those sins were/are considered abominations unto the Lord God. CONCLUSION There is no doubt that the generation in which we live can be likened to what Proverbs describes: “There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh how lofty are their eyes!. . . .a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour. . . .” (Proverbs 30:12-14). The true solution to the spiritual dirt pollution is BLOODY REVOLUTION! The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. HAVE YOU BEEN SAVED? JESUS IS REAL!! PRAY LIKE THIS. Dear Jesus, I come to you with all the sins I've committed and I beg you to forgive me. Rescue me from eternal damnation in Hellfire. I confess that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. Don't let me die in my sins. Please cleanse my body, soul and spirit with your precious blood. I need your help and I ask you to come and live in my heart. I want to serve you, obey your commands and do what is right. I want to live for you everyday and receive everlasting life. Please lead and guide me by your Spirit into righteousness. Help me live a clean and holy life that is pleasing unto God. Thank you Jesus for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen! Read the BIBLE! |