“Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon.”
2 Kings 24:3-4 ESV
When we think about God being no respecter of persons, it is difficult to imagine how He can wink at our tolerance of such sin continuing in our day. Then, it was Manasseh who misled the people with his sin but it was ultimately the people who tolerated that sin and the shedding of innocent blood who were removed.
Abortion tops the list, obviously, but is not alone as a shedding of innocent blood. How often do we allow injustice of any kind to force the innocent or less culpable to pay what they can not afford to lose? Manasseh gave his son to the fire! For what? What are we doing? Do we have a mission here? Can we just walk on the other side of the road?
Thank God for His complete forgiveness and cleansing in Christ for those who believe. We must not, therefore, continue in sin. He has forgiven our sin even before we were born, let alone thought to sin. When we believe in Him and see the Cross for its victory, He cleanses us–including our conscience. But then, we must depart from sin. Have no more to do with sin. Do we compromise for fear of being reviled? Are we ashamed to be seen with Jesus?
The sin we tolerate among us is the sin for which we must answer. As James said, “He that knows to do good and doesn’t do it, to him that is sin.” James 4:17. We will answer in judgment if we have not repented and recognized that Jesus paid for that one too. Or, we will answer under the discipline of the Lord if we cannot figure out how to rid ourselves of the blight–if we are slow to learn or dragging our feet. Either way, if we know God and receive His redemption we must not continue in sin.
It is one thing to live in the world and deal with others still wallowing in sin. It is quite another when we cherish sin in our own hearts. If getting along–in the sense of not risking being outcast or ostracized for our belief–is more important than living out the holiness of God, in Love and gentle conduct, reproving and admonishing our nation then we may have a very big surprise awaiting us. We may hear the words, “Sorry, I never knew you. Depart you workers of iniquity.” Heaven forbid.
Let’s decide this day whom we will serve. Can we each say, as Joshua of old, “As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord?”
Yes and amen.
Men Following Jesus 