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We live in an age of widespread infidelity. It is found on every hand and has secured a firm
hold on modern thought. A few years ago it was not so easy to find one who doubted the existence
of God or had misgivings about the divine inspiration of the Bible. Now it is all too common,
for so cunningly and stealthily have the forces of infidelity done their work that there is
hardly an institution, whether social, political, or religious, that has not been vitally and
sorely affected.
The doctrine of infidelity has become a fundamental element in a large portion of our literature and thinking of the present age. It plays a major role in most of our histories, fictions, and college textbooks, and even in our secondary schools. This is especially true in science and sociology. It is difficult to pick up a magazine or journal that is not sprinkled with or even saturated by such teaching. It is even found deeply rooted and entrenched in religious institutions, and colleges and universities are yearly adding to this vast army of skeptics and infidels. Infidelity manifests itself in various forms and under different names. Sometimes it is styled, evolution. Other times we find it in the garb of skepticism, modernism, and higher criticism. But in whatever form we find it, it is essentially the same and has one objective — to undermine and destroy faith in God. The method by which this is accomplished is relatively unimportant, for when once that has been done, the rest is easy and comes without much, if any, effort. When one has his faith in God weakened, or completely destroyed, he is without chart or compass and has nothing left on which to build either character or hope. If there is no God, then the Bible is nothing more than a myth and life after death a mere idle dream. Destroy the idea of God, that man came down from God, and is accountable to Him for his deeds, and you have removed the only restraint to evil and the only incentive for good. If man is not the work of miraculous creation, then he is but the product of blind force. If that be true, he is not made in the image of God, the touch and impress of divinity are not upon him, for there is no God! He is merely an evolved animal, and as such is not responsible for his conduct. Let him give full vent to his lust and passions, for there is no higher authority than man himself to restrain. He has no fear of the hereafter or its consequences. Does he not die as the ox or the beast of the field? Such is the brief but fearful drama of the philosophy of infidelity and skepticism. But that is not all, for the aftereffects are being keenly and severely felt on all fronts today. "The tree is known by his fruit" (Matt. 12:33) and "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). When once the seed has been sown, we look for the fruiting time and the harvest. The seeds of infidelity have been sown, and today we are reaping a harvest of corruption. Crime and lawlessness are rampant as never before. Penal institutions are filled to overflowing with criminals of all kinds, all ages, and of both sexes. Our criminal courts are jammed, our law enforcement agencies are working overtime, and the taxpayer is overburdened with taxes. Yet crime continues to increase. It is evident that if such conditions continue to increase in the future as they have in the past, our civilization will face destruction. There must be something more. The cause or causes must be removed. People must be brought back to God, to believe in Him as their Creator and Preserver of the universe, and to His holy word as divinely inspired and the only source of divine authority in religion. This can be done only by removing the causes of infidelity and skepticism. It will be impossible to mention all the forces that contribute to the growth and spread of infidelity, but we will address a few. A spirit of rebellion and revolt has swept and permeates the entire fabric of our civilization today. Such a spirit is no respecter of persons and has invaded the home, the school, and the church, as well as society at large. Approved standards of morality everywhere have "gone with the wind," and constituted authority has been carelessly and even ruthlessly cast aside. This is seen in social, governmental, and religious circles. Never before have timeworn and age-tested standards been so disregarded as they are today. The person who can override and toss overboard the greatest number of standards and do it in the most spectacular way, easily wins his way to fame and even material fortune. Hollywood and certain promoters of "free thought" furnish an illustration to the point. Such things are done in the name of "liberty of thought" and "freedom of expression," but in reality they are nothing more than a license for lawlessness and to "get a thrill." When the child succeeds in removing parental authority from the home, he is free to do as he chooses. When the criminal oversteps the authority of the law, he follows his own course and his own will. When the authority of the elders to rule the flock of God is disregarded and cast aside, liberty(?) and the majority rule supreme. When men get rid of the idea of God, then they are free to follow their own pernicious ways and their own evil desires and appetites without divine interference. With God out of the picture, there is no heaven to desire and no hell to fear. One may carelessly and without fear do as he pleases, for there is no higher power to restrain. There is no Master or Lord higher than man's own will and way. Thus, in the fold of infidelity he finds the liberty and refuge(?) which his heart seeks and for which his soul yearns. The spirit of anarchy and revolt can be removed by diligently teaching the lesson of obedience. Man was created to obey (Eccl. 12:13) and when he refuses to obey he brings upon himself "swift destruction." The Bible tells us that when God created man, He placed man under His authority — "The Lord commanded the man. . ." (Gen. 2:16). Further, man is commanded to "obey them (elders) that have the rule over you" (Heb. 13:17), and to obey the laws of the land (Rom. 13) that do not conflict with God's laws. Wives are to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22). Servants are to obey their masters (Titus 2:9), and children are to obey parents (Eph. 6:1). Men, women, and children in every clime and every walk of life must be taught obedience to legislated and constituted authority. Only when this is done will the will of the Lord be done in earth as it is in heaven. Let us preach and practice obedience to the Lord in all things (Heb. 5:8-9). "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John 3:19-21). "They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof" (Job 24:13). These passages are self-explanatory and tell why people take refuge in infidelity. When the searchlight of truth is turned on them, their evil works are clearly manifested before all, and they flee from the true light of God's word. Thus, many assume an attitude of unbelief because it is in harmony with their ungodly and wicked lives. They realize they stand condemned in the presence of divine truth, and seek the dark cover of infidelity. But such people need to know and understand that though they hide themselves for a time, there will come a time when "every man's work shall be made manifest" and that God "hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness" (1 Cor. 3:13; Acts 17:31). Then will the secret things of men's hearts be made known and open to all. May God help all of us to come to the light now, have our deeds reproved, repent of them, and be saved while we have the opportunity. Doubtless, one of the most prolific sources of infidelity is the gross and brazen hypocrisy among so-called "Christians" today. When the world sees the principles of Christianity break down in personal application in the lives of its members, it has a most damaging effect. It is not enough to merely teach Christianity in theory. It must be demonstrated in the lives of Christ's disciples. Christians are to be living, walking examples of Christianity to the world. This is what Jesus meant when He said His disciples were to be "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13-14). But when professed Christians teach one thing by word of mouth and practice something entirely different, it causes the world to lose confidence in them, as well as in Christianity itself. When leaders in the church — elders, deacons, teachers and preachers — teach against the evils of the day, such as off-color or foul language, social drinking, and mixed swimming, then allow — some even encourage — the members of their families to participate in such things, they have not only destroyed their own influence, but the church and gospel as well in that community. It matters not how earnestly and diligently the preacher may contend for the faith, "reproving and rebuking" (2 Tim. 3:16-17) these things, as long as leaders of the church permit them among their own families, his preaching will be of no effect in that community. Such practices are enough to make an intelligent person turn away in disgust, and should he turn to infidelity, who must bear the blame? When Christians demonstrate the teachings of Christ in their own daily walks, we will have gone far toward getting rid of infidelity. Am I "verily guilty concerning my brother?" Another cause of infidelity is the divided state of so-called "Christendom." The fact that there are hundreds of religious organizations in this country, teaching doctrines contrary to each other, yet claiming to get their teachings from the Bible, causes the average man to stop and wonder if the Bible is truly the word of God. To him, the Bible is a book of conflicting and confusing doctrines, and if God is the author of such confusion and strife, He is not worthy of trust and obedience. He cannot conscientiously place his faith and confidence in a God that openly and brazenly contradicts Himself. But, instead of investigating for himself, he turns away and rejects it all. He takes what seems to him the easiest and most logical course — that of infidelity. Thus, denominationalism, the cause and fruit of religious division, must assume the responsibility of that man's soul. "God is not a God of confusion" and strife, but a God of peace (1 Cor. 14:33 ASV). The Bible does not teach conflicting doctrines. They are the products of man. The Bible does not teach more than one church or more than one way to be saved. There is but one church (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4) and but one way to go to heaven (John 14:6). Let those who teach and promote religious division, with all its attendant evils, cease to do so. Let us all endeavour to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3), that all men may be one as Jesus prayed (John 17), "that the world may believe." |