“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” (Malachi 3:13-15)
The prophet Malachi presents a portrait of the Jewish people following their return from exile in Babylon. Apparently many of them had not learned any lesson from the discipline the Lord had inflicted upon them and their ancestors. They had become skeptical, agnostic, and, therefore, irreverent. They turned away from the Lord preferring to live as they chose, worshipping whatever gods they chose if any who would provide them with the most benefit. They did not need the God of their ancestors telling them what to do or how to live.
These prophetic words written about 2500 years ago surprisingly speak to our own day. Our present world, our western society, mirrors that of the ancient Jews. Many people today have abandoned the Christian faith of their forebears, the faith which is cornerstone of modern civilization. Millions have forgotten or just to disregard the fact that Christianity brought peace, hope, and mercy into a world of barbarism and violence. Today hundreds of millions are choosing to follow the dictates of their conscience seared as it is by selfishness, sensuality, and greed. These also choose to follow esoteric religions and humanistic philosophy. They have turned away from the church labeling it irrelevant and constricting.
Many have even co-opted the church and refashioned it in their own image by redefining sin and watering down the gospel in order to make it more palatable and relevant to the modern generations. The Lord has been displaced as the ruler and sustainer of all creation, replaced by man as the central focus of the gospel. Consequently human beings make up the rules as they wish according to what is popular and trendy or what feels good or pleasurable. What the Word of God calls sin and wickedness is now called good, or just a lifestyle choice. Righteousness is now condemned as old fashioned and intolerant. The gospel of righteousness, charity, obedience and self-sacrifice has been replaced with egotism and self-exaltation.
The church must continue to preach against this trend. We must hold fast to the truth, unpopular as it is, that Eternal life is found only by faith in Christ Jesus. The Lord blesses those who seek Him earnestly. He always works with justice and kindness. He would eventually make all things right and will reward His followers with eternal life, for He, not mankind, is in control of all things.