This morning, I've found myself in an interesting conversation about science and its nature (and have had similar conversations over and again for several weeks with different people). Science isn't what modern people are touting, that is, society seems to be claiming that the definition seems to be "Science is whatever people who work in science tell me it is, and as such is an unquestionable fact." I won't get in to big details (that's not what this post is about), but Science has produced few laws, and hundreds of thousands of ever changing and rearranging theories (like the Brady bunch), which are deemed likely, but often are changed based off of new evidence, or a different perspective on old evidence based on new observations in other fields of science. In looking at Science, the only true constant I see is that change occurs over time.
In the same way, we can look at society and see true, observable change in humanity. While we may be technologically superior to our predecessors, we're not much different. Our behaviors, especially apart from God, tend to drift toward dominating one another, or the dominant trends of thought. We tend not to think as individuals, but rather tend to allow others to do the work for us. What we also tend to do is try and stamp out individuals who tend to think against the crowd. Why do I say all of this? Because this is ungodly in every respect. It's also ungodly to go against God's word, but it's very much ungodly to try and stomp down or stamp out those we disagree with.
One might say "Well what about God's conquest of the Holy Land? Didn't He tell them to stamp out the peoples there?" If you read the scriptures, you will see that God used Israel to judge the nations within the boundaries of the promised land, and that they themselves were judged by Assyria, Babylon, and other nations (who themselves were judged) for the practices that offended God. God is a God of justice, equitable, and always seeking to correct His wayward creation. This is especially proven in the person of Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh and the Son of God, who willingly forfeited His life to pay the ransom for the debts we incurred in our rebellion (sin) against Himself. When we behave like Christ, we see the change God wishes to see. Everything else is worldly, and while it can, for a time, imitate the goodness of God, it does not compare to the true equity at the Cross of Christ, where there is no distinction, no dominance, and all are a part of the Body of Christ. Romans 1:16-2:10 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Romans 2
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
He will render to each one according to his works: 7to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.
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