Your individual identity, in a regional sense, is only fully realized when you reside somewhere outside your home (whether city, state or country). In the Suriname interior, I’m often designated the “American boy” and even more inclusively as a “baaka” (foreigner). It happens when you are the sole white person in a village of 3,000 black persons. As so often exists, associations are invariably tied to stereotypes. “Did you ever meet Michael Jackson? Do you know Obama?” With Maroons, and their understandably narrow worldview, opportunities to educate them (among other things) of the vastness of the U.S. in proportion to their country.
On a smaller and less apparent scale, my identity among other Americans (who for the last two years have been most exclusively southerners) including my own team here in Suriname, is “California boy.” Now, being a Southern Baptist on the West Coast my entire life, I never realized how southern Southern Baptists are! I haven’t met many California Southern Baptists outside the state itself. It’s funny and occasionally confounding to hear the types of responses I get relating to my home state. “They have Southern Baptists out there? Are there even Christians in that place?” This is all said in jest, mind you. More often, the topic of conversation when referencing California is one of condemnation and postulating God’s impending judgment on the state for its wickedness.
The American’s worldview, broader than the Maroon’s, would consider the Obama and Jackson questions pretty ridiculous. But by the same measurement, do I appeal to California’s prodigious population (37 million as of 2009)? California has some of the largest evangelical congregations in the country, countless Christian institutions, and has produced many influential Christian leaders and movements. Men such as Rick Warren and Francis Chan are from the Golden State. The first Billy Graham Crusade was in California. But in defense of the opposition, California rightfully carries a reputation for many ungodly movements, institutions and individuals, ranging from decadent Hollywood to the homosexual bath houses in San Francisco and the Free Love movement of the 1960′s.
After close scrutiny of everyone else, and as the protagonist of my position, I incidentally placed myself in my own test and was found to have failed the “broad spectrum test” as well. The Netherlands, due to a national reputation of wickedness and depravity has been a personal scapegoat–fully deserving of God’s wrath. And, just like California, evidence does exist to support my position. When the Aukaan pastor of the church in my village showed me pictures from his trip to Holland and responded to my inquiry of the existence of churches there, I was incredulous. “Really? Even Pentecostal ones? Not just Dutch Refomed with a meager and dying congregation comprised on 90-year old ladies?” He said yes. There were a number of them in existence. Later, I was shocked by my own nearsightedness and ignorance. Even a nation epitomizing godlessness, hedonism, depravity; one who shamelessly promotoes countless forms of detestable behavior, who legalizes prostitution, child pornography and yet has legislation deeming spanking one’s own child a criminal offense. Christians? Even real ones?
After reflection on God’s righteous judgment and Biblical accounts on the subject, I inevitably came to the best-known example: Sodom and Gomorrah, in Genesis 19. These two cities were unfathomably vile and wicked as to stir God’s destructive wrath. Not since the flood had such an evil place existed. As we know, Abraham pleaded with God until the number was brought from fifty to ten righteous people for whose sake he would not destroy those places with fire. Take some time and reflect on our above examples. There are undoubtedly more than ten righteous individuals in California, and, as was brought to my attention, some in Holland as well!
Make no mistake, the wickedness in our world is increasing and our two regions of focus are shameful frontrunners. God detests sin. His perfect, holy nature cannot tolerate it. Why, then, doesn’t God send that impending destructive earthquake that’s gonna send that left-leaning state into the heart of the Pacific? When is Holland gonna get its due?
How did father Abraham, a man called “God’s friend,” placate the Almighty? He appealed to his immutable and just nature. “Then Abraham approached him and said: Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing–to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the judge of all the Earth do right?” (Genesis 19:23-26)
And although God couldn’t find ten, yet he still sent two angels to rescue the righteous man Lot and his immediate family, in spite of initial doubt (he hesitated at the angel’s urging and his sons-in-law did not even believe).
God is withholding judgment on Earth for the sake of those made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus shows us this truth in the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13.
Not only is God withholding judgment during this present state of grace on Earth, but he accepts all who genuinely repent. Psalms 51:17 beautifully illustrates this: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Jonah preached (at God’s command) against Nineveh and the entire city repented in sackcloth and ashes. And, as we know, God didn’t exact the judgment he had threatened.
In conclusion, we’ve established that God is a Holy God, one who detests any and all forms of sin and who will bring righteous judgment to every soul from creation to the last day at the appointed time. Furthermore, he withholds wrath prepared for the wicked for the sake of the elect on Earth today. He is destruction and eternal damnation.
A thorough understanding will hopefully change your perspective of the existence of evil and specifically large populations full of wicked people today….it did mine.
August 24, 2010
Missions, Moral Law, Moralism