Losing the Antithesis

October 25, 2022

Proverbs 28:4 

They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law contend with them.

On March 31, 2011, the judiciary committee of the Colorado House of Representatives considered a bill approving of civil unions between homosexuals as a first step towards legitimizing “homosexual marriage” in the state. Methodist and Lutheran clergymen testified before the committee, proceeding to endorse homosexual behavior and encouraging passage of the bill. These men purportedly represented Jesus Christ as leaders in the church! Future generations who read these words will scarcely believe that anything like this could have ever happened. How in the world did “Christianity” ever devolve to such a low level? Well, this is the answer. “They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law will contend with them.” 

Large segments of the Protestant faith have gradually abandoned God’s law over a period of several hundred years. Evangelicals began to see the law as antithetical to the Gospel. Later in the 19th century, the social gospel encouraged Christian involvement in society without a serious consideration and application of God’s law. Over the centuries, Christians rejected extensive portions of God’s ethical requirements in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Matthew 15, 1 Timothy 2, and 1 Corinthians 14. Anyone who advocated God’s ethical directives was castigated as a “legalist.” This attitude towards God’s law flies in the face of what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:17–19. And it certainly doesn’t resonate with the spirit of the psalmist who cried out, “Oh, how love I Thy law!” 

The law of God draws the line of demarcation between the wicked and the righteous. If you tell a group of unbelievers that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life, chances are they won’t take serious issue with that. But you would catch some flak if you stood up in the middle of a college classroom and announced that homosexuality and fornication are sins against God and sufficient to condemn a man to hell fire. It is the testimony of the law of God that enrages the wicked. The very nature of unbelieving rebellion spurs men to cast off the ethical demands of a sovereign authority; the wicked will abhor even faint reminders of God’s righteous laws. Therefore, those who have respect for the laws of God will never seek a détente with wicked men. The righteous serve as a constant source of aggravation to the wicked. When men boast of their drunken parties in the workplace, true believers will make their disapprobation obvious. When relatives advertise their fornicating and homosexual relationships, the godly will clearly register opposition to such behavior. If a neighbor invites a Christian man to a “homosexual wedding,” the Christian will register his disagreement with it either by not attending or speaking publicly against the abomination at the event. Uncomfortable though it may be, godly men will find themselves at odds with wicked men. This does not mean that they have to be ugly and vindictive, or take personal offense against them, but they do need to take an uncompromising stand on the law of God. 

The law of God is the discerning standard. If the righteous fail to lift up this standard and if they fail to maintain a constant opposing force against the wicked, they will synthesize into the surrounding, degrading, and ungodly systems. This is why professing Christians have softened their perspectives of divorce, fornication, homosexuality, feminism, and egalitarianism over the years. 

Family Discussion Questions: 

1. How do “Christian” pastors come to the point where they endorse wickedness? 

2. How does one contend with wicked people? What is a proper heart attitude? Does this mean that we must be ugly, hateful, and obnoxious toward others? How do we address sin in ourselves and others?