This Mad World
—The devil’s contagious insanity
The world is not in its right mind. Listen to the voices of this world, and test them. You will hear beliefs that are not only false but also dangerous.
In the beginning the devil told Adam and Eve that they would not die if they ate fruit from the tree that God had forbidden. The devil said they would become like God (Genesis 3:1-5).
They found out that God was true, and the devil false. His word was a dangerous lie.
Since then, down through the ages, the world has contradicted God with much foolishness and many lies. And so it is today.
1 The world is under the sway of the wicked one.
John writes:
1John 5:18-20 NKJV).
"18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him."
"19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one."
"20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."
The whole world is under the thrall of the devil. This is a terrible thing because the devil’s insanity is contageous.
The devil opposes the true God and spreads deception and death throughout the world. Yet so many follow the devil's lies. The world is not in its right mind.
2 The world turns away from the truth.
Paul writes to Timothy:
2Timothy 4:1-5 NKJV).
1 "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry".
People not only turn away from the truth, but they turn to false notions that Paul calls "fables". They turn the truth upside down and inside out.
As Isaiah says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20 ESV).
People today say Biblical morality is evil and the world's morality and ethics are good. So we see again that the world is not in its right mind.
3 The world worships the created thing instead of the Creator.
The apostle Paul writes,
Romans 1:25 NKJV).
"They exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."
People worship various animals, birds, fish, and trees, and other idols. But man is also known to worship himself believing that he is God in the making.
There are even those who think man should be destroyed to stop him bringing the planet to ruin. The planet should be left to the animals, birds, fish, and trees; the mountains, rivers, and seas.
God made man, both male and female, in his image. He gave them dominion but did not make them gods (Genesis 1:26-27).
To believe that man is god, or that man is vermin on the earth, is to contradict God. In these things, the world is not in its right mind.
GOOD NEWS
This "madness" can be cured. As John says in the first scripture we looked at,
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life" (1John 5:18-20 NKJV).
We must turn to the true God. Then we will have true knowledge and understanding, good sense and wisdom.
Turning to God
The words of Paul in Romans (and his agreement with Jesus in the gospels) on what people should do to receive grace
1. Hearing Christ’s word
(Romans 10:8-17, Matthew 7:24).
2. Believing —having faith
(Romans 1:16-17, John 3:16)
3. Repentance from sin
(Romans 2:4-5, Romans 6:1-2, Luke 5:31-32)
4. Confessing Christ
(Romans 10:8-10, Matthew 10:32)
5. Being baptized into Christ’s death
(Romans 6:3-4, Mark 16:15-16)
6. Ongoing commitment
(Romans 12:1-2, Romans 12:11-12, Luke 9:62)