Jump Start # 3876
Romans 1:19 “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”
Social media lit up last week when a top exec was caught on a kiss cam jumbotron during a Coldplay concert being cozy with a woman that was not his wife. They both tried to hide their faces and the comments that have been posted on Facebook have just roasted them. My wonderful friend Ken Weliever wrote an excellent blog about this last Friday.
But, there seems to be another dimension to this that people are not realizing. Among the readers of this blog we know that adultery is wrong. God says that in both testaments. Disciples know that such behavior is shameful and wrong and likely will lead to a divorce. But what about those who do not believe in God? What about the world? If there is no God, why is this wrong? Why didn’t the couple wave their arms and whistle? Instead, they hid. It is as if they knew what they were doing was wrong. And, this leads into all the hype about the Epstein list of names that may have had sexual relations with underaged girls. That is against the law in America, but those things took place on his private island. So, what is wrong with that?
All of this leads to one of the arguments for the existence of God, a moral sense of right and wrong. Within us, we know that certain things are wrong. Cheating on your spouse is wrong. Unbelievers know that. Atheists know that. Why? Because within us there is a sense of right and wrong. That sense comes from God. It doesn’t matter whether you are at a concert or on your own island, some things are just plain wrong.
Our verse today, describing the state of the Gentiles, reminds us that God made it evident within them to know about God. The Lord wasn’t just the God of Israel. He was the God of Heaven and earth. People can mock God. They can blasphemy His name. They can make fun of the Bible. But when a married man is caught with another woman at a concert, everyone knows this is wrong. You don’t have to be religious to know that this is wrong.
In John eight, a woman was caught in the act of adultery. She was brought to the temple with the hopes that Jesus would condemn her. She was used as bait to trap Jesus. The Jews, who were breaking all kinds of laws to trap Jesus, understood that this woman was in the wrong. Jesus told her to go and sin no more. He knew that it was wrong.
Here are some thoughts:
First, without realizing it many be have admitted that there is a moral code of decency among us. They’d hate to be labeled as believers in God, yet by their words they acknowledge adultery is wrong. What is interesting is that adultery is not against the law in this country. So what makes it wrong? It’s just not right, people would claim. It’s breaking promises and vows stated at a wedding. It’s deceitful. And, all of that points to a moral standard. If there is no standard, then the couple caught on the jumbotron have nothing to be ashamed of. If there is no standard, while be embarrassed, ashamed and hide? Why the moral outrage if there is no standard? It’s wrong, because there is a moral standard. We are not animals. We are created in the image of God. Where are people standing up and saying, ‘What this top exec did was fine. There is nothing wrong with what he did. He didn’t break any laws. He can do what he wants.’ Nope. No one is saying that. There is a right and wrong. It seems that everyone knows it.
Second, where does this moral sense of right and wrong come from? Not evolution. Not the laws of the land. It comes from God. Ecclesiastes states that God has put eternity in our hearts. The fingerprints of God are everywhere. We see it in nature. We see it in the rainbows in the sky. We see it in the vastness of the universe. And, we see it within us. Some things are just wrong.
Third, when wrongs have been committed, only Christ can set them right again. Forgiveness is a blessing that comes from God. We many not forgive each other. We may hold and carry the wrongs of others for as long as we live. But, through Christ, wrongs can be blotted out.
It’s hard to rebuild trust once it has been shattered. The faces and names of these two people have been blasted all over the news and social media. This sin may follow them both for the rest of their lives. There are consequences to all of our choices. Some consequences can last longer than we do.
What a great opportunity to ask our friends and family, “why do you think this is wrong?” That can lead to a discussion about God. Maybe something good can come from this mess.
Roger