Foundations of civility are self-control and faith

ROM 14:10-12 “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God”.           

The Bible makes abundantly clear that every person having ever lived on the face of the Earth must one day give an account of himself to God, the supreme judge and lawmaker over all creation. Moreover, the timing of this event is totally unknown to men, demons, or angels but a time chosen at the discretion of The Lord God almighty. However, God has specifically referred to this event many times in the New Testament.

One of these references is in the prophetic chapter of St. Matthew Chapter 24, verses 12-14 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

We can’t help but notice that, in the Word of God, lawlessness appears to be the main feature of society prior to the end of the world. By means of mass media we hear almost daily of violent crimes such as thievery, mugging, carjacking, rape, drug addiction, and mass shootings, and all at record highs. Businesses are closing and families moving out of the large cities because of the prevalence of robbery and other crimes. Add to the chaos, some cities are defunding their own law enforcement agencies and in others, law enforcement is restrained from even prosecuting crime if the value of the victim’s loss is less than $1,000.

Government agencies have made it a crime of child abuse for parents or teachers to appropriately discipline their children. Many cities and communities have legalized public use of hard and dangerous drugs. People are shooting up on every corner of big cities and Scamming and extortion abound unabated. Holding other people to account as well as making ourselves accountable, is an eternal, but forgotten, ethical principle established by God for which society is now paying a fearful price for neglecting.

Everyone should be aware that God, the “supreme judge” of the whole earth, has already condemned and sentenced evil doers. John 3:18-20 of the New Testament reads in these words; “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Notice further, these words in Matt 25:41. “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the ever-lasting fire prepared for the devil and his angel.” No parole or further arguments allowed, for the door of forgiveness and pardon will ultimately be closed forever. Now it is high time for repentance and a new commitment of self control and accountability to God, and the society in which you now live.

Pastor Gene Holman of Living Word Fellowship in Gardnerville is a member of Carson Valley Ministers’ Association