John Wesley once said, “that which we tolerate today, we will embrace tomorrow”. I will add this comment to perhaps enhance the meaning and extend this statement’s importance and warning, beyond what we tolerate today and eventually embrace tomorrow, by saying this: man’s evil knows no bounds or limitations, left unchecked by righteous judgment and justice. So, by tolerating an evil, we are promoting more evil. (Gen. 6:5, Ecc. 8:11, Rom. 13:1-4) In Genesis 6, we see a perverted and rebellious people who sinned continually in breaking God’s laws. We see in Ecclesiastes 8 that when evil is not punished swiftly and justly, evil spreads quickly. And in Romans 13, we see that God created civil government to be His minister (deacon) to punish evil doers and to praise the good.
As we mentioned in the opening statement by John Wesley and read in Ecc. 8:11, evil, (sin), left unchecked and unpunished, only leads to more evil which becomes tolerated, then embraced, which leads to even worse evil. And the cycle is repeated over and over until either the righteous rise up to destroy the evil, or evil finally destroys society! And then we all face God’s final judgment on a wicked and lukewarm people! (Ps. 9:17)
Mankind’s arch enemy, Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, or the serpent, as he is often referred to, is not a stupid being. He knows that he can’t get mankind to commit unspeakable evils, abominations and atrocities immediately! He understands that big sins start out as “little” sins. He knows that if he can get enough people in a society to “tolerate” the little sins, he can eventually get them to embrace all manner of evil! (I Cor. 5:6, Gal. 5:9)
You don’t have to look back very far in time to see very clearly how creeping incrementalism has slowly eroded away just about all “solid” moral values in America. Let’s name a few, briefly, and then take a little deeper look into a vast evil and abomination now solidly implanted in American culture.
- The incremental stages of the manner in which we clothe ourselves. Deuteronomy 22:5 has certainly been forgotten. Now both sexes have become perverted as to dress like the other. And as scripture teaches, modesty and covering the body is Godly, while public nudity is a sign of insanity. (Mark 5:15)
- Also compromising on God’s Word who is to pastor, preach or lead the body of Christ, the church. Church leaders and deacons must be men only! (I Tim. 3:1-13)
- We even have a problem with something as simple as grooming ourselves. (I Cor. 11:13-15) Howbeit, Paul said don’t fight over it in verse 16, but shouldn’t we, as examples to a lost world, willingly follow such a simple admonition?
Now, I would like to expose how easily deceived we can be, and have been, manipulated by Satan, with our permission! After all, it is our own desires and lusts that allow the sin to take seed in ourselves and/or our society! (Rom. 7:5, James 1:15-16)
We have all heard about an ungodly phenomena that started manifesting itself mightily in the 1960’s. It was called the sexual revolution. A revolution can be a righteous act if its purpose is to “revolve” back to Godly principles! But when it is used to “devolve” society into a moral abyss, it can, and will, be a huge cause of spiritual rottenness and societal destruction.
We “older” folks can remember when the so-called “British Invasion” started in rock music in the 60’s. Most will remember the very satanically controlled group called The Beatles. In all fairness, they may not have started out to be new age spiritualists, but they soon were “transformed” into a very influential cause for undermining the morals of young people. It can be honestly said that this group started the effeminate trait of males with long hair, to be acceptable.
Soon thereafter, another new “fashionable” trend got a hold of the youth of the 60’s. It was called “unisex” clothing. In other words, making one out of both sexes. Very few folks could see this move of Satan to pervert the nations morals.
Of course in the same decade, the hippie and drug culture blossomed. “Free love”, with as many partners as you could find, was totally acceptable. Most remember the infamous concert in Bethel, NY, called Woodstock. Nothing but a lawless, sexual orgy, full of drugs and the humanistic type of “love” that Satan uses to deceive. It just “feels” so good and “seems” so right!
Surely it doesn’t take a highly intelligent individual to trace the incremental, well placed snares to normalize, not only fornication (sex before marriage), which is the only Biblical reason for divorce (Mt. 5:32), adultery and a slow erosion of what was once expected moral standards.
Of course, through the next several decades, since the “righteous” said or did very little to zealously oppose this assault on the morals of our society, especially on the youth, we now have all manner of sexual perversions and decadence that are openly embraced, or quietly tolerated by, the “moral majority”, that have lost their fiery righteous indignation against evil. Just like a cancer, creeping incrementalism, kills slowly at first. And it is a painful agonizing death (II Tim. 2:17).
There is no way this nation, with the mindset that now almost totally permeates the people, will ever turn loose of their “freedoms” to sin! Habakkuk 1:1-4 describes our nation to a tee. But for the ones who truly love Christ and His Word, we will continue to stand with our God and do battle against evil! (Ps. 94:16)
In closing, let me state this final fact. Our nation’s conscience has become seared with evil (I Tim. 4:2). Most no longer even blush when confronted with the blatant sins all around us. (Jer. 6:15).
When you feel tired, weary, or discouraged in the battle, read Psalm 11. We who live in Christ will win!
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E-Mail Butch Paugh: ctdm@hotmail.com
