Awake Unto Righteousness 2

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to every person, because everyone sinned. For until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not accounted when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like it was through the one who sinned. For the judgment from one offense was unto condemnation, but the free gift from many offenses is unto justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who are receiving abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment was to every person unto condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift is to every person unto justification of life. For as through one man’s disobedience many were declared sinners, so also through one Man’s obedience many will be declared righteous. Moreover the Law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:12-21

 

Awhile back the original article was written in regards to the term ‘woke’ which appears frequently in use online and occasionally on network news channels. Yet it seemed good to me to write once again another article discussing this ‘woke’ society and really pin it down to its source…sin.

 

All around us we are all woke, each and every single one of us. You say how? Sin.

 

The term is used in context to extreme ideas or ideologies that prevail in our society that then seem to spread in popularity. I’ve heard the phrase that ‘ideas are bulletproof’ and unfortunately there is some truth to that. There are things that I wish that I could just forget about.

 

Sometimes these things might be sin that was in my life, for instance, a period of time, that despite being Saved at a young age, I behaved carnally and experimented with drinking alcohol (Rom. 13:13-14). While this is something that I afterwards repented of, nonetheless it happened and can not be forgotten. Yet there is also ‘knowledge’ of things that I have learned about that also provided a ‘wokeness’, things that I would rather know nothing about.

 

Unfortunately this type of ‘wokeness’ I see as a great evil and one that Believers should exercise caution in regarding the world we live in, even viewing news on sites that would be considered to be more or less ‘neutral’ in terms of our time on this earth. So excuse me while I give an example of this type of ‘wokeness’ which only leads to, in my opinion, demoralization. For those who wish to skip this section, please ignore the next paragraph…

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The other day I am on my local news stations website, the type that has the evening news on television, but also maintains a website that is updated throughout the day. Therein was a news article about a young woman, locally, who was being charged with murder of her daughter. So I clicked on it and read it, however, there was a shock factor where one learned that police were alerted to the murder of her three year old daughter when someone noticed a human foot sticking out of a garbage bag. Nearly equally disturbing was a side article with a headline about a man found walking around carrying a human leg. This I was wise enough not to click on to see further details, but the details provided had already had their ‘woke’ effect.

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For those who skipped that paragraph, continue…

 

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, stand forth out from among the dead, and Christ will shine on you. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:11-16

 

The same could be said about the ‘wokeness’ of those who accept abortion, or what is rightfully murder of a human life, Created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).

 

“Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

 

“My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my embryo, and in Your book I was enrolled, and all my days had been preordained, when as yet there was nothing.” Psalms 139:15-16

 

“You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13

 

Our society will get a chance to see if perhaps the Supreme Court, beginning in December, will partially or fully overturn Roe vs. Wade, something that would be excellent. However, I already have seen those who are woke to such evil, such sin, to be preparing themselves for a fight and digging in to find ways around it.

 

In Michigan there is also a law on the books that in essence bans abortion, but when the Roe vs. Wade case was decided, the law was null and void. Now there is a desperate push to have that law removed from the books or find the legal scholars to do a workaround of that law in order to try and ideologically render it null and void. Hopefully the law stands and any workaround is quickly tossed aside by a judge.

 

However, what we see is a constant barrage of ‘wokeness’ in our education system, our media, our entertainment industry, unfortunately in the apostasy of our churches, as well as then in our society. Whether one considers it to be a reflection of our wicked nation (or citizens in their respective nations) or a conditioning provided by such means (or both) makes little or no difference.

 

“But evil men and pretenders will grow worse and worse, leading astray and being led astray.” 2nd Timothy 3:13

 

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37

 

“And Jehovah saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all day long.” Genesis 6:5

 

The other day my children where watching a DVD about Creation from the Institute for Creation Research and I was half-listening to it while they were watching it. As they made arguments for God’s Truth, they spoke about how some scientist (the evolutionistic humanistic type) view the same data differently then a creationist scientist. While the arguments they were making were both noble and necessary, I couldn’t help think about how such things simply shouldn’t be argued.

 

If only we lived in a world where Believers had boldness and simply proclaimed…’thus saith the Lord’. For God is quite clear that He Created the heavens and the earth, as well as mankind on the earth, so why should this even be a debate. Yet, due to the fallen nature of man, this is a necessary evil and one that must be endured for the sake of the preaching of the Gospel, that those who are in darkness, might indeed repent and by faith believe into Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

 

“Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the flying creatures of the heavens, and over the beasts, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

 

“Preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season. Convict, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2nd Timothy 4:2

 

Just a couple of days ago I found myself in a parking lot, waiting a few minutes before I had an appointment scheduled, listening to the AM radio. There I happened upon what is the Catholic radio station, where apparently they had some sort of talk radio show going on. While I would normally simply zoom past the mystery Babylon station, they were talking about bathroom usage with a caller, of which spiked my interest into where the conversation would go.

 

The caller, who was obviously gay, was defending his position that bathrooms should be allowed to be used by anyone of any sex and added that he had a transgender ‘daughter’. He thought that it was hurting his ‘daughter’, such ideas that this Catholic host had.

 

The Catholic host stated that if he were to go on the street and talk to girls and women about whether or not they wanted a man in the restroom, while doing their intimate duty (his description), he was assured that 99 out of 100 would be against that. The caller’s response was that they were hurting people like his ‘daughter’. The host also went on to describe assaults that could take place.

 

The caller had a response to that as well, that such assaults that he was discussing where theoretical in nature (as he had not used a specific example) and that his ‘daughter’ was a real person. Finally the caller stated that there were laws on the book were assault was already a crime, therefore that should not stand in the way of his ‘daughter’s’ use of the bathroom that ‘she’ would identify using.

 

That portion ended the segment and I believe that I caught the vast majority of it. While such arguments were going back and forth, I wished that I had the opportunity to respond to this man that called in complaining about such things. I wished that the host had told him the things that I thought in my mind while hearing this play out. Just tell him ‘God Created them male and female!’ (Gen. 5:2) Tell him that what he and his son needs are Jesus, they need to repent of their wickedness (Acts 17:30-31), their ‘wokeness’, their sin and accept the free gift of Salvation (Eph. 2:8-9)! Yet, therein lies the problem, this was a Catholic radio show, where they are a false religion, a cult, that believe in pagan sacraments for Salvation, not the simplicity of the Gospel message, simply repentance towards God and faith in Christ.

 

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted; you may well put up with it.” 2nd Corinthians 11:3-4

 

… “testifying both to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21

 

There are many ways that people are ‘woke’ and certainly some of the ideas that are floating around out that take hold and gain ground, only furthering the depravity of mankind’s sinful nature. There are many examples, of which I will simply refrain from providing for this article.

 

The root of the problem is sin and that sin entered the world when Adam and Eve became ‘woke’, due to eating the forbidden fruit.

 

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any living thing of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not die the death. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be as God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. And they heard the sound of Jehovah God walking around in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. And Jehovah God called to the man and said to him, Where are you? And he said, I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? And the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she has given to me of the tree, and I ate. And Jehovah God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:1-13

 

So just as sin entered the world and all sinned, so too each individual is guilty before their Creator.

 

… “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”… Romans 3:23

 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

 

What men need to do is awake unto righteousness. What the world needs is not more ideas that go contrary to God, but Bible preaching that teaches them about the things of God.

 

“Do not be led astray: Evil company corrupts good character. Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak to your shame.” 1st Corinthians 15:33-34

 

“But what does it say? The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the Word of Faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone believing on Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich toward all who call upon Him. For everyone, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him into whom they do not believe? And how shall they believe Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching? And how shall they preach if they are not sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those preaching the gospel of peace, bringing glad tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord, who believes our report? So then faith is of hearing, and hearing through the Word of God.” Romans 10:8-17

 

I expect that we will continue to see the term ‘woke’ until the Rapture when Jesus appears to take us whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 21:27), those who have truly accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, home to be with Him.

 

“For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together at the same time with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17

 

The only antidote that the world has to being ‘woke’ more and more is simply to have God’s Word taught to them. For we are a forgetful people (Heb. 5:12; Jer. 2:32), where in time’s past kings have ripped their clothing when they realized the things commanded of God.

 

“And it happened, when the king heard the Words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, Go, inquire of Jehovah for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that has been kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” 2nd Kings 22:11-13

 

Our world needs to be reminded of the reasons that we never had thought to allow the men in women’s restroom and vice versa, they need to be reminded why evolution is a lie, they need to be reminded about the seriousness of God’s holiness (Is. 6:3-5), in regards to churches who have an unholy party-like atmosphere, those churches that preach self, false doctrine and go contrary to the Word of God. Our world needs Christ and those of us who are Saved are the ones whom God has ordered to tell them His Truth. Go…as the Lord leads, be a light and spread the Gospel to every Creature.

 

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a grain measure, but on a lampstand, and it shines for all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

 

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority is given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Go therefore and instruct all the nations, immersing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20

 

“And He said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins be preached in His name to all nations, beginning out of Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46-47

 

Amen!