Just Thoughts

"Our culture is increasingly adverse to the absolute truths of the Bible and those who embody those truths. Nevertheless, we must be constant salt and light representatives of Christ, the one True God, even as the culture falls away."

I read this in an email that dealt with "an increasingly secular culture", based on polls and questionaires showing that Americans aren't as Bible-believing, God-believing, or religious as they once were. That those things are in a steady decline in our culture.

This email also mentions a "failure of the church". Maybe? I don't know. In order to reach out to a spiritually declining population, churches have tried to evolve to accommodate that population. More activities, bigger buildings, looser theologies, etc.

This email almost immediately brought to mind something my preacher said last Sunday. This is paraphrasing, but here's the gist:
Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting (emphasis mine) love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Okay. So, here's the thing that Bro. David said. Either we can believe in a God whose love is universal - applied to all people - but who will put a percentage of those people in hell (i.e. quit loving them). Or, we can believe in a God whose love is enduring and everlasting for His elected children.

Thing is, we can't believe both things. The first view is the most common view in the religious world today, although most people wouldn't actually SAY that God ceases to love. But that's what has to be true in order for hell to exist. The second view, while very much less common, is in line with "everlasting". But it requires one to agree with the doctrine of election.

I wonder if that universal view, somehow, contributes to an increasing apathy regarding Holy things. If, instinctually, people realize that if God's love can be lost, then He is no better than we are. And, if THAT is true, why in the world would we make sacrifices to worship Him?

God's love IS eternal and unchangeable and those for whom Christ died will NOT be lost. Our worship of Him IS warranted and merited. And necessary. Not for our eternal salvation, but it will help us to avoid the apathy that we will feel if we don't.