SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

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Few phrases are quoted more often — and understood less accurately — than “separation of church and state.” In contemporary discourse, it has become a rhetorical weapon used to silence Christian voices in public life, as if biblical conviction automatically disqualifies a citizen from shaping law, culture, or policy.

The Church is not called to run the state, and the state must not control the Church. But to move from institutional distinction to the exclusion of God from public life is not constitutional fidelity — it is ideological revisionism.

Like Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch theologian and prime minister, I believe in distinct spheres of authority under God. Family, church, state, education, and commerce each possess their own God-given responsibilities. But none of these spheres is autonomous from the creator. We may affirm the separation of church and state; we cannot affirm the separation of God and state.

To demand that public policy operate as if God does not exist is not neutrality — it is secularism masquerading as objectivity.

THE BIBLICAL PATTERN: PROPHETS, PRIESTS AND KINGS

From the earliest chapters of Scripture, civil authority is never portrayed as morally independent. Israel’s kings were commanded to meditate on the Law of God daily (Deuteronomy 17:18–20). Their legitimacy depended not merely on political success but on covenant fidelity.

When kings deviated from God’s ways, prophets confronted them — often at great personal risk. Nathan rebuked David for his abuse of power. Elijah confronted Ahab and Jezebel for institutionalized injustice. Isaiah challenged rulers who enacted oppressive laws. This was not “mixing religion and politics”; it was moral accountability.

The prophets did not seek to seize the throne. They sought to remind the throne that it was not ultimate.

When rulers listened, the nation experienced renewal. When they resisted, the society deteriorated. Scripture consistently portrays public righteousness as a blessing and systemic injustice as a judgment.

John the Baptist and Herod: A New Testament example

Some argue that this prophetic model ended with the Old Testament. The New Testament, however, presents the same pattern.

John the Baptist publicly rebuked Herod Antipas for his unlawful marriage, a political ruler’s private sin with public consequences. His courage cost him his freedom and ultimately his life. Yet Jesus affirmed John as the greatest prophet born of women.

John did not run for office or lead a revolt. He spoke truth to power — a profoundly public act.

Likewise, the apostle Paul reasoned with governors Felix and Festus and testified before King Agrippa regarding righteousness, temperance and judgment. (Acts 24:25)The gospel was never confined to private spirituality; it addressed the moral responsibilities of rulers.

The early Church: Transforming society from the margins

The early Church lived under an empire with no democratic mechanisms. Christians could not vote, lobby, or draft legislation. Yet they did not retreat into isolated piety. Through sacrificial love and moral clarity, they reshaped social norms.

Christians rescued abandoned infants left to die by exposure — a common practice in the Roman world. They cared for widows, the poor, and the sick, often at risk to themselves during plagues. Their communities included slaves and free persons worshiping as equals before God, a revolutionary social reality.

The Didache, one of the earliest Christian documents outside the New Testament, explicitly condemned abortion and infanticide. This was not a private opinion; it was a countercultural moral stance in a society that accepted both practices.

Over time, Christian influence contributed to the eventual decline of gladiatorial games and laid groundwork for later abolitionist movements. The Church opposed inhuman policies long before it possessed political power.

Within three centuries, this marginalized movement transformed the moral imagination of the empire.

Freedom of slaves and human dignity

While the New Testament did not launch a violent revolt against slavery, it planted seeds that would ultimately undermine the institution. By declaring that in Christ there is neither slave nor free, it introduced a radical equality that contradicted the hierarchical assumptions of the ancient world.

Early Christian leaders encouraged humane treatment of slaves and eventually eradicated slavery from the Roman Empire. The trajectory of Scripture moved history toward liberation, not domination.

What the Constitution actually protects

The American founders, many of whom were deeply influenced by biblical thought, sought to prevent the establishment of a national church and to protect religious liberty for all citizens. They did not intend to ban religious reasoning from public debate.

The First Amendment restrains Congress from establishing a religion or prohibiting its free exercise. Hence, it was designed more to keep the state out of controlling the church than to keep people of faith out of influencing the state.c

In fact, many foundational American documents explicitly reference God as the source of rights and moral order. Remove that foundation, and rights become subject to shifting political winds.

Consequently, every law reflects moral assumptions about right and wrong, human dignity, and the common good. Laws against theft presuppose property rights. Laws protecting life presuppose that human beings possess inherent worth.

If Christian moral reasoning is excluded, other philosophies will fill the void — often grounded in materialism, relativism, or utilitarianism. These are not neutral positions; they are competing worldviews.

Neutrality is impossible. The public square is always governed by someone’s vision of justice.

A prophetic call for our time

The Church’s role is not to corporately seize political power but to bear faithful witness in every sphere of society. We speak not as partisan operatives but as ambassadors of a higher kingdom.

We advocate for laws that protect the vulnerable, honor human dignity, preserve freedom of conscience, and restrain evil. We do so not to impose faith by force but to serve the common good.

Separation properly understood

A healthy society requires both institutional distinction and moral coherence. The church must be free from state control. The state must not coerce religious belief. But neither can public life function as if God is irrelevant.

Separation of church and state protects freedom of religion; it does not mandate freedom from religion. To insist that Christian citizens suppress their convictions when participating in civic life is to deny them full participation in democracy. We do not seek a theocracy. We seek justice. We do not demand privilege. We demand the freedom to live and speak as faithful citizens of both heaven and earth.

There is no separation of God from the world He created. There is no neutrality before the one who reigns over all nations. And there is no faithful Christianity that confines the lordship of Jesus to private devotion while surrendering the public square to lesser gods.

The author of this article is Dr. Joseph Mattera. He is renowned for addressing current events through the lens of Scripture by applying biblical truths and offering cogent defences to today’s postmodern culture. To order his bestselling books or to join the many thousands who subscribe to his acclaimed newsletter, go to www.josephmattera.org. 

EVIDENCE FOR A UNIVERSE THAT WAS CREATED

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When the world’s most powerful space telescope, James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021, its “primary aim” was to “shed light on our cosmic origins”. Its findings have been eagerly anticipated.

The images coming back contradict secular expectations … Very early in the Big Bang, we should not see highly structured galaxies at the edge of the universe. Yet, that is what the James Webb Space Telescope is showing us.

You will be glad you watched this video with Dr. Mark Harwood as he explains the consequences of what the James Webb Space Telescope reveals.

NATURAL LAWS EXIST BECAUSE THE UNIVERSE HAS A CREATOR

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Democracy without the Ten Commandments, without God’s morality, is destined to fail. Whilst Americans were Bible-based, democracy was great but without it, America is becoming lawless. The professors at prestige universities that were started by Bible-believing Christians are now morally bankrupt including those teaching Theology. The Bible is no longer considered to be God’s Word and therefore inerrant. Evolution and the Big Bang are considered adequate to explain the origins of the Cosmos and yet the evidence of complex design, irreducible complexity, and the universe obeys certain rules—laws to which all things must adhere, prove they are totally inadequate. These laws are precise, and many of them are mathematical in nature. The law of biogenesis states that life always comes from life. Both observational science and Genesis 1 tell us that organisms reproduce after their own kind.

Natural laws are hierarchical in nature; secondary laws of nature are based on primary laws of nature, which have to be just right in order for our universe to be possible. But, where did these laws come from, and why do they exist? If the universe were merely the accidental by-product of a big bang, then why should it obey orderly principles—or any principles at all for that matter? Such laws are consistent with Biblical creation. Natural laws exist because the universe has a Creator God who is logical and who has imposed order on His universe.

Despite billions of dead things buried in rocks all over the world and the abundance of fossil fuels the worldwide flood of Noah’s day is considered a myth. Also, stories about a worldwide flood are found in historical records all over the world? According to Dr. Duane Gish in his popular book Dinosaurs by Design, there are more than 270 such stories, most of which share a common theme and similar characters. So many flood stories with such similarities surely prove they come from the Flood of Noah’s day.

It is important to remember why God destroyed all of mankind with a worldwide flood.

“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth” Genesis 6:11-13

It is also important to remember that the Bible tells us that in the last days before Jesus returns, scoffers will deliberately overlook the fact that God destroyed mankind except for eight people by the flood of Noah’s day. Moreover, He tells us how the story ends.

“Knowing this, first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact… the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:3-5

GOD LOVES HIS CHILDREN TO BE THANKFUL

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Our thankfulness glorifies God and makes Him joyful:

“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” Psalms 50:23

Puritan John Boys echoed the sentiment of the psalmist: “As the Lord loveth a cheerful giver, so likewise a cheerful thanksgiver.” But God isn’t the only one affected when we give thanks.

A. W. Tozer wrote, “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.”

In Choosing Gratitude, Nancy Leigh DeMoss writes, “True gratitude, Christian gratitude, doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it has an Object.”

Psalm 138:1-8 How to Have a Thankful Heart

Check out Psalm 138:1-8 for reasons why you should have a thankful heart

God gives us hundreds of reasons to be grateful every hour— ask Him to make you aware of His gracious provisions surrounding you. The Holy Spirit will oblige. He is your counsellor and teacher. Developing the habit and discipline of gratitude results in greater praise to God and greater joy for ourselves.

When life’s tough, we can be grateful that God is with us in our suffering, that He’s using it for our good, and that He promises to end it once and for all.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21

Randy Alcorn reported on this study in his article on Thankfulness on the Patheos blog: Psychologists asked undergraduates to complete a survey that included a happiness scale and measures of thankfulness. Over six weeks, the participants wrote down, once a week, five things they were grateful for. This practice had a dramatic effect on their happiness score. The study concluded, “Students who regularly expressed gratitude showed increases in well-being throughout the study.”

Likewise secular books on happiness document gratitude’s role in making people happier. But cultivating gratitude proves difficult for people whose worldview leaves them with nobody to thank! Yes, they can thank someone for loaning them a car or being their teacher. But whom can they thank for sunshine, air to breathe, the capacity to work, and enjoy pleasure? People who don’t believe that a sovereign God is at work through the kindness of others must thank their “lucky stars,” random circumstances, or—at best—other people. Since people are small when compared to God, the object of their gratitude is small, shrinking their capacity for happiness.

God’s common grace offers unbelievers a degree of happiness that’s greatly enhanced through thankfulness. As Christ-followers, however, we find gratitude multiplied when we return it to God, the ultimate and primary source of all goodness.

I suggest you keep a Holy Spirit journal (HSJ) as He is your counsellor, teacher, and comforter. He produces the fruit of the Spirit in your life (Galatians 5:22, all nine) and also provides the spiritual gifts for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, all nine). You might also want to keep a section of the HSJ to record daily, God’s evident goodness around you. You’ll find that in time, you’ll see more and more gifts from Him—not because there are more, but because you’re finally seeing what has been there all along.

God, we know from Biblical prophecies that Jesus second coming to earth, this time to restore righteousness is not too far distant but may we not wait until we see you, Lord Jesus, for our every breath to be filled with gratitude for your saving work on The Cross, the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives along with every other gift you made it possible for the Father to provide. May our hearts overflow with gratitude each day!

THESE GALAXIES HAD NO TIME TO FORM

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University of Colorado at Boulder: James Webb telescope spots super old, massive galaxies that shouldn’t exist, sciencedaily.com, 22 Feb 2023.

Spiral galaxy. Somewhere in deep space.

An international research team examining images from the James Webb telescope reported finding six galaxies as big as our Milky Way Galaxy. This was thought impossible because they are said to be ‘only’ 500 to 700 million years after the alleged Big Bang, which is ‘too early’ for the theory. Yet they appear remarkably ‘modern’.

It’s no surprise that as technology enables us to ‘see’ more from the universe’s past, attempts to explain how everything made itself by natural processes face more, not less, difficulties. The alternative still stands:

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1).

Erica Nelson, co-author of the Nature paper and assistant professor of astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder, said, “It’s bananas. You just don’t expect the early universe to be able to organize itself that quickly. These galaxies should not have had time to form.”

“For His (God’s) invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:20-21

“And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” Genesis 1:14-19

CARBON DIOXIDE IS VITAL FOR OUR SURVIVAL

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GREENHOUSE GASES

Have you ever wondered about the amazing features of Earth’s atmosphere? It permits light to pass through to us and illuminates the beauty of creation while providing oxygenated air to breathe, and plant fertilizer in the form of carbon dioxide. It also creates a warming greenhouse effect and acts as a shield that greatly diminishes the amount of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays that can reach us. In short, it is wonderfully designed for life.

The atmosphere is remarkably designed to sustain the life of plants and animals, and us, as human beings with protection from harmful radiation. We also live in a world adorned with beauty, including being able to see the stars at night. This is all done through God’s amazing design. This points to the wonder of an intricately designed atmosphere, one that is essential for life.

In the words of Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”, or the well-known hymn of praise: “O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.“

Greenhouse Gases: Trace gases such as water vapour (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) produce nearly all this trapping effect, helping warm the planet and making it habitable for life. Without greenhouse gases, Earth’s temperature would be a whopping 33° C (59.4° F) colder than its current average of about 15° C (59° F)! And water vapour causes about 90% of this warming effect.

Carbon dioxide in the air often gets bad press as the chief culprit for climate change. But it is vital for providing food for plants through the process of photosynthesis. Indeed, plant productivity has surged with the increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Plants use the energy of sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars and other carbohydrates, and oxygen is also liberated as a by-product.

A quarter to half of Earth’s vegetated lands has shown significant greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on April 25.

An international team of 32 authors from 24 institutions in eight countries led the effort, which involved using satellite data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer instruments to help determine the leaf area index, or amount of leaf cover, over the planet’s vegetated regions. The greening represents an increase in leaves on plants and trees equivalent in area to two times the continental United States.

In turn, humans and animals consume the plants as food, and rely upon the oxygen for respiration, producing water and carbon dioxide as by-products; the reverse process. This apparently simple cyclical process is all part of the wonderful design of life—a testament to the amazing wisdom of God. However, when the details are looked at, the level of complexity is anything but simple.

It is amazing that God tells us that “in the last days” i.e. the days before Jesus returns, most people will deny Biblical history that 1. God created the heavens and earth, 2. There was a global flood that destroyed all but eight people and the animals on Noah’s Ark. They will also deny Biblical prophecy 1. Jesus is coming back to earth a second time and 2. the heavens and earth will eventually be destroyed by fire.

“You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter3:2-7

DARWINIAN EVOLUTION FALSIFIED

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The Last Pillars of Darwinian Evolution Falsified: Further evidence proving Darwinian evolution wrong
by Jerry Bergman

Dr. Jerry Bergman is a famous creationist author who has extensively published over many decades and who has taught at several universities. He describes the research that went into this book:

“This project has been for me a lifelong study for which this book is a summary. It is the culmination of four decades of research on the issue of evolution, 41 years of teaching life science at the college level, and over 1,700 publications in 2,400 college libraries in 65 nations and 13 languages” (p. xvii).

In terms of specifics, this work focuses on taxonomy, so-called convergent evolution, irreducible complexity, pseudogenes, and antibiotic resistance. Bergman goes into considerable detail on all of these.

Irreducible complexity is the fatal problem for evolution

Bergman touches on some of the challenges facing commonly believed evolutionary explanations for the origins of complex structures, resulting from the co-option of components originally having different functions. He comments:

“… the availability of these parts would have to be synchronized … the parts must be correctly and properly positioned in 3-D space so they can be properly assembled … . Even if all of the parts are available at the proper time, the vast majority of assembly variations will be nonfunctional or dysfunctional” (pp. 145–146).

Some evolutionists have vulgarized the Intelligent Design explanation as a ‘jackpot or nothing’ one. But that is exactly what it is, and evolutionists have failed to show how the emergence of a complex biological structure can be anything other than ‘jackpot or nothing’.

Bergman has examined and deconstructed a variety of ‘pillars’ of evolution. Each one of them contains major flaws. Neither taxonomy nor genetics, for example, compel belief in evolution. Evolutionists have caricatured, but not overcome, the fatal problem of irreducible complexity. The best explanation for living things, whether somebody likes it or not, remains an intelligent designer.

A condensed version of a review of Dr. Bergmans book in the latest edition of The Creation Journal Volume 37, Issue 1, 2023

CREATIVITY IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM PART 1

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What does the Bible say about our ability to create? First of all, it says we are made in the image of the greatest creator of all things, God our Father. We are then told that Adam’s rebellious son Cain built at least one city.

“Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch” Genesis 4:17

Just seven generations down Cain’s line we then learn that Jabal was a farmer who raised livestock, his brother Jubal’s family played musical instruments (lyre and pipe) and Tubal-Cain forged instruments of bronze and iron.

What does this say about evolution and stone age people?

“Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-Cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.” Genesis 4:20-22

Despite the dreadful judgement of God with the worldwide flood of Noah’s day resulting in eight survivors, just a few generations on we learn that God judges the world again with the confusion of their language at the Tower of Babel. With just one language God says that nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. What does that say about our creative ability? Hence God creates the nations each with its own language.

“Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Once God had decided to establish His own nation, Israel, we learn that God gifted and called Bezalel to be a skilled laborer, a master craftsman, and a God-glorifying artist. Bezalel and Oholiab were not only to create works of art but also to train apprentices to do so. The gifting and calling were from God:

“He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them master craftsmen and designers” Exodus 35:35

What about today: with the development of the internet, the communication problem that God initiated at Babel is now largely overcome and new technology is being developed at lightning speed in energy, healthcare, agriculture, communication, transport, and in fact every area of activity.

I believe there is no reason why this will not continue during Jesus’ reign in the Millennium. However, its development will be controlled by Jesus and the Saints who the Bible says will be ruling in this transition era with a rod of iron.

“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron,” Revelation 2:26

“She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron,” Revelation 12:5

“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.” Revelation 19:15

In this post let us look briefly at ENERGY and TRANSPORT

ENERGY: NUCLEAR FUSION

A UK-based company called First Light Fusion came up with an idea to build a nuclear fusion reactor that hits nuclear fuel pack with a projectile, having a speed 200 times more than that of sound and releases enormous heat, which gets absorbed by lithium that transfers heat to water through the heat exchanger. The reactor will repeat the process of hitting the fuel pack with the projectile every 30 seconds, resulting in generating a pulse of energy that could generate 5800kWh of electric energy. They plan to put the first commercial nuclear fusion technology power plant within a budget of $1 billion, generating 150MW power.

A major group of American scientists has agreed to work toward opening a nuclear fusion plant by the 2040s. The timeframe is intentional, letting scientists work on and learn from giant projects like Europe’s ITER and China’s EAST before designing a prototype of a fusion plant for the United States.

TRANSPORT: FUEL CELLS

Like batteries, fuel cells generate electricity, meaning that any car that runs off a fuel cell is actually an electric car. Also, like batteries, fuel cells mix two chemicals that react to produce an electric current. However, the important difference with fuel cells is that, unlike batteries, they do not store energy internally. Rather, they have their “fuel” fed directly into the battery “cell”, thus the term fuel cell.

The most likely fuel cell is the Hydrogen Fuel Cell. There are others in development. In the case of the hydrogen fuel cell, the two chemicals that react together are stored hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen. When reacted together they produce water. So if you have a hydrogen car, you can drink its exhaust. Also, fuel cells aren’t limited to smaller vehicles, they can power buses and, even, tractors. Whilst many fuel cells are under development the Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMF) is one of the big favourites.

The Einride Pod driverless truck will begin operating for the first time on a U.S. public highway. The vehicles will have to stick to a defined route during a limited test program.

THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS NO LONGER FEAR GOD

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A new study released by the Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated Lifeway Research titled the “State of Theology, found that 60% of U.S. adults believe that religious beliefs are “a matter of personal opinion” and “not about objective truth.”

Scott McConnell, the executive director of Lifeway Research, said in a statement released Monday that he believed the COVID-19 pandemic played a factor in the findings. 

“Religious identity, beliefs, and behavior are interrelated,” said McConnell. “When in-person church attendance behaviors were interrupted and habits were broken, it affected some Americans’ beliefs about the need to gather with other believers to worship.”

“Many Americans think about God as if He had only revealed Himself in a vague, nondescript way. They seem to fill in the gaps with whatever they want to believe,” McConnell stated.

“This creates sharp contrasts between what Americans believe about God and how He revealed himself in great detail in the Bible.”

“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them… For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.” Matthew 24:3,7-10

It is interesting that the study revealed that a little over half of U.S. adults (53%) still say sex outside of traditional marriage is a sin, in contrast to 42% who disagree. In fact, it marks an increase in Americans who see non-marital sex as sinful compared to 2016 when 49% said it was sinful which is a hopeful sign.

The study reported that 46% of Americans believe that the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior is not relevant today, while 42% believe that it is still relevant. 

“Discussions of sin are inherently theological because they explore whether God set standards and what behaviors miss this mark,” McConnell noted. 

“So, those who acknowledge certain behaviors as sin are acknowledging a deity’s standards. This is a different discussion than whether society agrees on an ethical standard of conduct that we determine.”

Just as God’s nation Israel fell away from understanding God as Creator and the one whom they should fear. America a nation founded on knowing and fearing God likewise is falling away fast and opening the nation up to God’s judgment and ultimate wrath.

“Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.” Deuteronomy 10:14

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?” Deuteronomy 12:11-13

Jesus told us beforehand that in the last days before His return that people would no longer believe He exists and to be feared, as a result, lawlessness will increase.

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:12-13

Will you be one of those that endure to the end and as a result be saved?

IGNORE/REJECT GOD AT YOUR PERIL

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Does the world consider that the one who has the most power, the most authority, and the most strength is God? God has unlimited power, and He uses that power.

Flash lightning

“Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.” Psalms 135:6-7

“Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to Him who alone does great wonders … to him who by understanding made the heavens… to him who spread out the earth above the waters… to him who made the great lights… the sun to rule over the day… the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;” Psalms 136:3-9

 He need only to speak and things are created. Jesus said just two words to the storm and it was still. God said just two words and there was light. On top of that, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10).

There is nothing God wants to do that He can’t do. “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

God has power over the created world. It is His mighty power that causes the rain to fall and the sun to rise. God exercises this power in the everyday, normal operations of the earth. We see this when we consider the power of floods or volcanic eruptions.

God’s power is specially revealed when He acts in a way that is different from natural phenomena. He uses His power to cause the sea to part (Exodus 14:21), the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12-13), the water to turn to wine (John 2: 1-11), and the dead to come back to life (John 11:1-46).

God also has power over people. He raises up kings and causes them to fall (Daniel 4:17). He turns the king’s heart like channels of water (Proverbs 21:1). 

God opens the eyes of the spiritually blind and sends the Holy Spirit to indwell their spirit enabling them to live the Christian life with a new heart that they might love Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6). This is the power of God on full display.

Christians pray to God asking him to act because we know that He is the only one who is able to do all that He wants and He will answer our prayers if we are operating according to His will.

Adapted from an article by Thomas Eglinton The Attributes of God: All Powerful in AP Journal of the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Australia.