It is not difficult to see that the
United States of America is in a state of moral decline and decay. Of course, this assumes that morality is
viewed in terms of the Bible, which all Christians should uphold as God's standard
for morality. In those terms, it is
certain that America is steadily moving away from compliance with God's will
and into a state of rebellion against our Lord and Creator. This moral and spiritual slide has been
ongoing for several generations now and has accelerated as it progressed. It may be cliché to call this decline a
slippery slope or a rolling, growing snowball, but these figures rightly
represent how America is losing its moral traction and increasing in its
depravity.
The process of moral degradation such as
we now see in America is explained in the first chapter of Paul's epistle to
the Romans. We could identify some
specific, contemporary reasons for the present state of decline in America, but
this passage from Romans gives us the spiritual insight to see the more
fundamental causes for our nation's loss of morality. The content of Romans 1:18-32 should not be
viewed as the record of a single series of events from history, but rather it
is a process that has been repeated many times.
Paul was explaining the depravity of the Gentile peoples, and the
process he described had occurred many times in many nations, kingdoms,
cultures, tribes, clans, and families.
This same process has occurred many times since Paul's writing, and we
see it working again in the world today.
In Romans 1:18-23, the Scripture shows
that the fundamental cause of moral decay is rejection of God. Despite all of the complicated theories and
psychological models that attempt to explain man's behavioral problems, the
Bible's simple answer is that man's trouble comes from his rejection of
God. These verses show that mankind as a
whole, nations as separate parts, and all individuals have the knowledge of
God's existence available to them even in nature so that no one should deny
Him. "For since the creation of the
world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been
clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are
without excuse” (v. 20). Even so, many
men inexcusably deny God, refuse to honor Him, and fail to give thanks unto
Him. In rebellious pride, man falsely professes
wisdom and becomes foolish as he exchanges the glory of God for the practice of
idolatry. Indeed, America has walked
through this process and come to a state of idolatry, which is the exaltation
of anything or anyone above the self-evident God and Creator of all things.
The outcome of this process is described
in verses 24-32, where Paul said that "God gave them over.” In these verses, we see the outward effects
and consequences of the rejection of God that was explained previously. As we read these verses, let us keep in mind
that every instance of moral depravity described is evidence that God has been
rejected by man. Therefore, as we see
these things in our own nation, we can be certain that the rejection of God is
the root of it all. Every time this
process has unfolded throughout history, man's rejection of God has led to
God's rejection of man. In times past, "God
gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity” (vv. 24-25), and man
plunged headlong into idolatry.
Certainly, we see this in our nation as men serve the objects of their
desires rather than God. Among the
Gentiles, "God gave them over to degrading passions” (vv. 26-27), and they
defiled themselves with homosexuality.
This scourge has fallen heavily on our nation as the so-called "sexual
revolution” has led many men and women to this lowest form of degrading passion
and violation against nature.
Historically, when "they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer,
God gave them over to a depraved mind” (vv. 28-32), and man overflowed with
wicked deeds that issued from his depraved heart (Matt. 15:19). We see all of these sins in our nation today,
including the sin of those who "give hearty approval to those who practice
them” (v. 32).
This leaves us with several questions
that we should seek to answer. How far has
our nation proceeded down this path of degradation? Sadly, it is quite evident that our progress
is extensive. There is not one sin
mentioned in Romans 1:18-32 that cannot be found in America today, and most of
them are common. Can our nation reverse
this process? The answer is a resounding
yes, but historical precedent stands against us. God is full of lovingkindness, forgiveness,
and mercy, and He will be merciful to a nation that repents (consider Nineveh
in Jonah 3:1-10). However, very few
nations have ever done so, and our nation does not appear to be on the brink of
repentance now. Has God given America
over to these things? Again, the answer
is evidently yes, but it does not have to remain as it is now. We are plagued now by impurity, degrading
passions, and depraved minds, but all of these can be abolished in our land if
individuals will turn to the Lord (consider 1Cor. 6:9-11; 1Thess. 1:8-10). Notice that civil government cannot make this
happen, for it must be the work of God through individuals who resolve to
return to Him through the gospel of Christ.
Regardless of what may happen to our nation, let us keep in mind that
Christians are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), and our fate is not tied to the
United States. God will show us the
outcome of these things in His time, but in the meantime let us pray for our
nation, its leaders, and its citizens "so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet
life in all godliness and dignity” (1Tim. 2:2).
