There is something awfully wrong with the ways human beings behave, and it isn’t getting better. The way people behave with one another and conduct themselves around others is uncalled for. Some folks will call it “ugly,” but Biblical Christianity will call it evil, selfish, and manipulating. Humanities most important questions and concerns are: what is a human being? What is his role on earth? From where do their moral values originate? People display their philosophy of life by the way they speak about themselves and how they conduct themselves. For some reason children, when they leave elementary school and enter high school, lose important virtues like goodness, love, respect. Some will say they are gone for good. People seem to be more hostile to one another. Some individuals are violent, some assault one another, some use profanity to dehumanize others, and others just want to commit murder. There is no doubt that when people remove God from their private life and the public arena, God must be substituted with something else.
There is no wisdom when mankind or individuals go against God. The Bible states in Proverbs 21:30, “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.” One writer said, “If human beings really originated from the animal realm by a purely unguided, accidental process, there is no reason in nature to treat them differently from stones it’s just a different form of aggregate atoms.” If the above statement is true, we have no basis for condemning the atrocities of the world. The existence of physical matter is inherently non-moral in nature. The existence of God is the basis of goodness and moral values.
Apart from the Biblical worldview, moral norms are morally bankrupt. Treating each other as inanimate objects just leads to moral chaos and bad relationships. One professor of ethics mentioned that he did not see anything wrong with human beings having sex with animals. Who is to say that an adult male may see a young person (ages 10-14), and sexually assault the child? When God is substituted with something else, man’s heart becomes his personal idol.
The many problems the world is encountering are due to poor human choices. The New Testament Greek word for “world” (kosmos) does not just refer to the physical world. It refers also to man’s disposition to oppose God and His Word. One source states, “As a theological term, kosmos views human society as a system operating on principles inherent in sinful human nature” (Nelson Study Bible, p.1233).
The values of our culture will share with you “Follow your heart!” Numbers 15:39 states, “And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.” The New Living Translation, Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
What is the answer to these moral concerns in a fallen world? First, mankind’s biggest problem is refusing to acknowledge that they are sinners. The Christian view of depravity does not mean every person is as evil as he/she might be. It does mean every person has sinned. Their very thoughts and deeds are tarnished by man’s sin nature; they are, not perfect, spiritually flawed, and totally unacceptable before a holy and righteous God. It is in this sense that Paul could write “there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12). Ecclesiastes 7:20 states “Surely, there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” Secondly, the Apostle Paul teaches that the LORD Jesus, the Savior of humanity is the only provision for reconciling sinners to a holy and righteous God. Mankind, whether they heard the gospel or not, is guilty and deserving His divine punishment.
Finally, we need the ethics of Jesus. Jesus commands us to love the LORD GOD and our neighbors and seek peace as much as possible with them. Hebrews 12:14 states, “Strive for peace with everyone…” Love is not an emotion but a reality, a principle that looks for the well-being of other people created in the image of God. We are to treat each other with dignity, worth, value, honor, and respect. Proverbs 28:26 states, “The one who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but the one who walks in wisdom will escape” (NET Bible).
George L. Arroyo