Today we live in a very vulgar and crass society.
Once it was considered improper and offensive for
certain things to be discussed or joked about in
mixed company. The use of profanity in public would
often bring the response, "Hey, there's a lady
present." But today the barriers are down. Nothing
is out of bounds. Not only does it not matter to
many that a lady is present, it's often the "lady"
with her mind and mouth in the gutter. As someone
else said, people have forgotten how to blush. The
only thing that some would be embarrassed of is
being thought of as a prude. Email, instant
messaging and blogs make this even easier. Filth is
forwarded with a click of the mouse. No doubt some
people see this as progress. "It's good to be
yourself…to let your guard down…to forget your
inhibitions," they say. I suppose we really ought to
expect this from the world. But from Christians?
Have we not been called and commanded to be
different?
The Scripture says, “You are God’s
people, so don’t let it be said that any of you are
immoral or indecent or greedy. Don’t use dirty or
foolish or filthy words. Instead, say how thankful
you are. Being greedy, indecent, or immoral is just
another way of worshiping idols. You can be sure
that people who behave in this way will never be
part of the kingdom that belongs to Christ and to
God,” (Ephesians 5:3-5, CEV). Of course the point is
that Christians should not behave like this at any
time, mixed company or not. But instead of being the
light and salt that influences our environment for
good (Matthew 5:13-16) we often are sponges that
soak up the sewage. What's wrong with this picture?
Don’t we realize as God’s children we not only have
the responsibility to live higher, we also have the
privilege of living higher? God did not create men
and women to be so base. It is man’s likeness with
God that sets him distinct from all the rest of
God’s creation. “God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him; male and female
He created them” (Genesis 1:27). And he surely
didn’t recreate us in Christ to behave so lowly.
Consider the apostle Peter’s warning to his readers,
“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of
the world through the knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in
them and overcome, the last state has become worse
for them than the first. For it would have been
better for them never to have known the way of
righteousness than after knowing it to turn back
from the holy commandment delivered to them. What
the true proverb says has happened to them: ‘The dog
returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing
herself, returns to wallow in the mire’” (2 Peter
2:20-22). Not a pretty picture, is it? “C.S.
Lewis, in his book, “The Weight of Glory”, wrote,
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with
drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is
offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go
on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot
imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at
sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
The world will continue to wallow in
filth. That's their nature, a nature that we all at
one time shared. But God called us to grow up and
grow closer to Him. God called us to be holy, like
Him (1 Peter 1:15). Members of Christ’s body need to
act like ladies and gentlemen. More than that—they
need to act like Christians.
God bless you,
Brad Fry
