Our Corrupt Societies

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2Peter 1:3-4, ESV)
And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." (Acts 2:40, ESV)
Anyone who is a Christian cannot help but notice the increase of evil in the world. Some would dismiss the idea that there is more evil in the world now than there has ever been, but if the world population is the largest it has ever been, then the number of people practicing evil is larger than it has ever been, too. John Scofflaw is the name of many people you see around you. Traffic violations go mostly unnoticed, perhaps because there aren’t enough police men and women to catch all of the lawbreakers or just perhaps they have given up, too. After all, you can’t arrest everyone, can you? Petty theft, such as shoplifting, goes on unabated. Even greater crimes than these are commonplace and we have grown to expect it. Even worse, we are not often shocked by the crimes that people commit.
While there are many gurus out there telling people that they can be their best, that the inner man or woman is really a very good person just waiting to be released, that doesn’t seem to be what hits the eye. Society is trying to rid itself of all laws, all taboos, anything that says “you can’t do that,” or “you shouldn’t do that.” Our societies are being filled with petulant children who call themselves adults. Society is corrupt.
Now, before you write me off as a doomsday prophet, think again. The newspapers are still filled with all of the terrible crimes and the terrible gossip about people that filled the newspapers years ago. News on TV isn’t any different. But what is shocking, or should be shocking, is the fact that when people who are popular or well known get caught in outrageous behavior, we have many others who are condoning this bad conduct or even praising it. At the very least, self-proclaimed psychologists will immediately begin their spin on why all of this has happened, that the person is not to be blamed, but rather bad parenting or a bad society produced this problem. No responsibility. No guilt. The petulant children have won another victory.
Is society corrupt? That’s what Peter said to the people on the Day of Pentecost. Peter exhorted the people to “save themselves” from the corrupt society around them. How can you save yourself? That flies in the face of some very basic Protestant thinking. No human can possibly save himself. Faith alone, without any action whatsoever, is the way to salvation. If that were true, then Peter would have used some other words. If you buy into the idea that faith is totally passive and there is absolutely no response necessary on the part of the individual, then I would suggest you believe in miracles. But if, in fact, the heart is free to respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ as taught in the gospels, then it seems to me that there is something a person can do to save himself or herself from this corrupt society we live in. What? Believe on the One that the Father sent. Belief is an act, a choice that is made by each and every human being. True belief puts the believer into motion. The believer now seeks to actively take part in the transformation God wants to work in every Christian. That means that we must at least cooperate with God. It means we avail ourselves of those things that are spiritual. We seek to be pure, to be right with God and man, to choose good over evil.
Society is corrupt. That hasn’t changed since the first man and woman sinned. Remember, after they sinned, every sort of vile thing imaginable came into the world. God was so saddened at what man had become that He vowed to wipe everyone off of the face of the earth. Evidently, though, one man lived his life with great moral integrity. God was so pleased with him that He gave him the job of preaching the good news (he anticipated God’s sending of Messiah) and the job of saving all of the animal species of the earth. Noah was a great light shining in an extremely dark world. Christians are called to be the very same. We must live our lives as though we are willing to take the blows that Jesus took, for the sake of those who are dying around us. We must believe that the people of the world are lost, that they live in total darkness in a very corrupt world. When we live our lives incarnadine, real hope for the people of the world shines brighter than the stars on a very dark night. Societies can change. Societies do change. However, societies only change for the better when men and women are willing to die for justice, for mercy and for righteousness. Anything less than that is like putting a band aid on a severed artery. And that is a lesson in futility.