What the Whole World is Doing

This morning I shared a quote from J.C. Ryle, former Anglican Bishop of Liverpool. He was big on evangelism and critical of ritualism. From his book Practical Religion, he wrote, "Give me a candle and a Bible, and shut me up in a dark dungeon, and I will tell you all that the whole world is doing."

One of the most common criticisms I face as a preacher, and perhaps any Christian faces today, is that I don't have the right to judge anyone (the accuser always misses the irony that they are, in fact, judging me). I'm reminded constantly that judging a person's behavior is contrary to the Bible which commands Christians not to judge (news flash: it doesn't).

But I don't have to judge anyone. The Bible has already judged everyone. All I need to do is repeat what the Bible says.

Recently, I was invited over to someone's home to share the gospel with a young man. His parents were of a false religion, but he said he didn't believe any of their religion or mine. I knew nothing else about him but his first name and that he needed to hear about his sin and the One who died for sin. So I simply went to the Scriptures.

I told him the Ten Commandments and he said he was familiar with them. I said that this is the Law of the God who created the whole universe. Everyone is guilty of breaking God's law. None of us can keep it. None of us have. I asked him if he'd ever told a lie before. He said he had, sure. Everyone has. Who hasn't? I asked him what you call a person who tells lies. He said, "You call them a liar."

I asked him if he's ever stolen anything before. And he hesitated. There was clear guilt in his face. I wondered later if he had stolen merchandise on him at that moment. But he answered, "No." I replied, "Are you sure? Because you just told me you're a liar." He sat back and said, "Okay, sure. I've stolen something before." I asked him what you call a person who steals and he said a thief.

I asked him if he's ever taken the Lord's name in vain before, like saying "Oh my God" or "Jesus Christ" as a swear. He said he had. I said, "Have you ever thought about what you're saying when you cuss like that? Who's name you're using?" He said he hadn't given it much thought. I said, "This is a sin called blasphemy. It's very serious. The Bible says God has exalted above all things His name and His word, and you exalt yourself above that name whenever you misuse it."

I asked him if he's ever looked at a woman with lust in his heart. He admitted he had. I said, "In Matthew 5, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that if anyone has ever looked at someone with lust, he's committed adultery with that person in his heart."

I asked him if he's ever murdered anyone before. To that he kind of chuckled and said he hadn't. I said, "Same sermon, Jesus said if you've ever called anyone a person names or had hate toward them, then you've murdered them in their heart and you are worthy of the fires of hell. Have you ever hated anyone or called them derogatory names?" He said he had.

I said, "Okay, then by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving" -- he squirmed -- "blaspheming, adulterous, murderer. That's just five of the Ten Commandments. So if you were to stand before God today, and He were to judge you just based on these commandments, would you go to heaven or to hell?" He said he would probably go to hell.

Now that he had heard the truth about his sin, and now that he was clearly uncomfortable about it, I could tell him the gospel. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, the Bible says, and the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 3:23-24, 6:23).

God so loved the world that He sent His Son, Jesus. The Son of God became a man and perfectly kept the law when we could not. He is the only good man who ever lived. But the people hated Him and committed Him to be crucified. The wrath of God that we deserve because of our sin was poured out on Christ instead, and by His death on the cross we can be saved.

For all who turn from their sin and believe in Jesus, their sins are atoned for. You are no longer guilty. The debt has been paid. God looks at you as innocent. But if you do not believe in Jesus, there's still blood-guilt on your hands. And on the day of judgment, you will stand before the throne of the Creator of the universe. He will judge you for your wickedness, for thinking you're better than He is and you are above the Creator's law, doing what you want to do instead of worshiping the King.

For those who are followers of Jesus Christ and do the things that Christ did, they have been made fellow heirs of His kingdom, and they will live forever with Him. But those who are against Christ will be sent to a place of eternal torment. They will be judged to hell. You have this life only to repent and believe. After this comes judgment.

I asked him if he understood what I was saying, and he said that he did. I asked him what his thoughts were, and I believe he said something to the effect of, "Well, it's a nice story." I assured him that it was all true and talked to him about the trustworthiness of the Bible. I said that in the cross of Christ, we see the wrath of God and the love of God. Our sin is so serious, it required the sacrifice of God's own Son for us in order to pay for it.

It was a friendly chat. After a little more talking, our host was treating us to lunch which was waiting in the kitchen. The young man said that he needed to make a phone call. As we were standing in the kitchen preparing our plates, he suddenly and strangely got choked up and escaped rather hastily through the back door.

I would find out later that he went immediately to a friend of his (who came and talked to me) and said, "That was total [expletive], man. All they did was sit there and judge me. Told me about how I was a liar and a thief and how I was going to hell." I told his friend all we talked about was what the Bible says.

Jesus said, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him." I hear that verse repeated a lot as another reason I don't have the right to judge anyone. But have you ever asked why Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, didn't come to condemn the world? It's because they're already condemned. Every person condemns themselves.

The next verse says, "Whoever believes in Him," meaning Jesus, "is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light," again, referring to Jesus, "has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God" (John 3:17-21).

The Bible tells us the condition of every person in the world: that without Christ they stand condemned before a holy God. The Bible tells us the direction the world is heading: into more and more depravity, further and further away from God (Romans 1:18-32).

It's a good idea to read the news and keep up on current events. But in doing so, what we will observe in the condition of whatever culture we live in, wherever we live on the globe, whatever time period this is happening in, an affirmation of what the Bible has already told us a long time ago. And that the only remedy is Jesus.