In the last days, that is, end times, the apostle Paul warns us how people will change for the worse. A characteristic of such people is, they “will be lovers of themselves.” They are people who think themselves godly and Christian. The fact is: they have “a form of godliness but [are] denying its power.” Paul lists down some behaviours of such people. I urge you, as you read this article, to check yourselves against this list and descriptions. Unless you make a conscious effort to guard yourselves, you can be quite sure, you will be one of them because the influence of the world is overwhelming.

This series of articles is written by Peter Masters and is taken from the website https://metropolitantabernacle.org/articles/the-cancer-in-all-human-relationships/

Unholiness

Unholiness is the next evil named in Paul’s prophecy. This does not refer to unholiness in a general sense, for it nestles among a list of wrongs in human relationships, and therefore refers to unholy relationships. These are to be expected when atheism rules, for if people do not believe in God or think they are accountable to him, why should they submit to the rules attributed to him? Surely all that matters is the individual’s personal happiness. What is the covenant of marriage to an atheist who is consumed by self-love? As soon as he ceases to be totally thrilled and excited by it, and trials come along, he no longer finds it worth preserving, and feels free to walk out of it. Being a law unto himself, he has no great obligation to wife or children, especially when he finds that marriage imposes burdens and restrictions upon his liberty and lusts.

A season of extreme evil produces contempt for all God’s ordained rules for relationships, not only marriage but also the prohibition of intimate relations before marriage, and the prohibition of ‘vile affections’ between members of the same sex.

Every age is not the same in its level of sinfulness. In perilous times forms of immorality are officially approved, legalised, encouraged, assisted, applauded and protected. The listed evils seize the hearts of the people to a far greater degree than in any other age. What can we do to protect the churches, and to rescue the young from ideas promoted in schools and by the entire entertainment industry?

It is a time for special fear and concern for training young converts to honour with sincere loyalty all the bonds ordained by God. We certainly need to warn about the unguarded culture of today in encouraging highly tactile behaviour across the sexes in social interaction, and also intimate counselling across the sexes. The new culture is designed for sexual excitement and liberty, and this urgently needs to be recognised.

… to be continued