  The Prophet
Jeremiah made a profound
statement and
asked a sobering question
that fits in our culture
today:
"An astonishing and horrible
thing Has been committed
in the land: The prophets
prophesy falsely, And the
priests rule by their own
power; And My people love
to have it so. But what will
you do in the end? Jeremiah
5:30-31 (NKJV)
Most of America
knows by now that at
least three issues involving
the political leadership
in my home state of
Virginia have risen to
national prominence.
First, liberal democrat
Governor Ralph Northam
described, and appeared
to openly advocate, the
premeditated killing of a
newborn infant if the
mother decides that for
whatever reason, she
doesn’t really want it. On
the heels of that, evidence
emerged indicating a
decades-old exhibition of
alleged behavior by the
same Governor, a transgression
that prompted
cries of racism. Finally,
there were allegations of
sexual abuse, perhaps
even rape, that were
directed toward the Lt.
Governor, who would be
next in line for the
Governor’s job if
Northam resigned. What
a quandary for those constantly
claiming moral
superiority. Which sin
should be the target of all
the outrage? Where
should all the negative
attention be directed?
The "progressive”
Democrat political
system, mainstream news
outlets, and the trolls
patrolling social media made it clear that to them,
a decades-old exhibition
of alleged racist behavior
is far worse than advocating
the premeditated
killing of a newborn baby.
Virtually all avenues of
mainstream news media
reflected the same cold-hearted
attitude of
Virginia’s Governor. His
calm, even "cavalier”
description of how the
process would work
revealed no regret, no
remorse, and no hesitation.
He ensured that the
child would be made
"comfortable” while the
mother discussed the pros
and cons of the potential
murder with the "doctors”
who would carry it
out. That kind of "conference”
in association with
the taking of a human life
… It’s called "premeditation,”
but to him it’s no
big deal.
For what it’s
worth, some sins really
are worse than others.
Jesus made that clear during
His trial before Pilate.
Then Pilate said to Him,
"Are You not speaking to
me? Do You not know that I
have power to crucify You,
and power to release You?"
Jesus answered, "You could
have no power at all against
Me unless it had been given
you from above. Therefore
the one who delivered Me to
you has the greater sin."John 19:10-11 (NKJV)
Conspiring with
corrupt religious leaders
to kill Jesus, a man who is
guilty of nothing but
offering love, life, and
hope was is a sin of enormous
magnitude. But
there was another sinner
involved who escaped
public scrutiny. Judas’
undisclosed betrayal was
"the greater sin.”
Every sin is grievous
to God and redemption
from any of them
requires the sacrificial
blood of Jesus Christ, but
all sins are not the same.
The "greater sin” is
always the most egregious
to God, and that is
where our primary
responses should be targeted.
Any honest person
knows that between
killing a newborn child
vs. a racist act, there is no
question which is the
greater sin. But Jesus gave
us a process that should
precede our engagement
regarding someone else’s
sin, public figure or not.
He said:
...how can you say to your
brother, 'Brother, let me
remove the speck that is in
your eye,' when you yourself
do not see the plank that is in
your own eye? Hypocrite!
First remove the plank from
your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the
speck that is in your brother's
eye. Luke 6:42 (NKJV)
There’s a sin comparison
suggested here as
well, isn’t there? Some
sins are "specks” and
some sins are "planks.”
The Lord isn’t admonishing
us to engage in a research
project to
determine which sins are
"specks” and which are
"planks.” But neither are
we to ignore the situation
altogether. There’s a procedure
here that has Divine
approval and that
promises to be productive
in a way that can’t be had
otherwise, and Jesus’ use
of the word "first” is intentional
and vital . . .
- Efforts to stop the
killing of babies might be
more effective if we first
stopped supporting the
schools conducting liberal
indoctrination under the
guise of "education.”
- If we first
stopped applauding and
emulating the icons promoting
the sexual liberties
that lead to the pregnancies
that fuel the abortion
slaughterhouses, we
might see more victories.
- Our outrage
might be more effective if
we first ensured that our
homes and families are
protected from all forms
of sexually explicit material.
The process of
cleaning up our morally
corrupt culture doesn’t
begin with volcanic outrage
over legalized infanticide,
as automatic as that
feels. It begins by pulling
the planks from our own
eyes so that we can see
clearly how and where to
direct the righteous outrage
so that it does the
most good.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to being
an active writer, speaker,
teacher, and blogger, Ron
Gallagher serves in a variety
of roles as a ministry consultant
for local churches.
His Biblical insights are
coupled with down-to-earth
humor, satire, and relevant
stories aimed at promoting "Right Side Up Thinking ~
in an Upside Down World.” Ron strives to apply God’s
truth in a way that stimulates
the mind, encourages
the heart, and challenges the
cultural norm. Check out his
blog, "Gallagher’s Pen” at
www.gallagherspen.com
NEW BOOK . . .Ron’s new book, Right
Side Up Thinking in an
Upside Down World ~ Looking at the
World through the Lens
of Biblical Truth, is now
available on Amazon and
through Lighthouse Bible
Studies. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2IDsNpB |
