Modern Proof that Unsaved Mankind is Created in God’s Image
Again I turn to the topic of God’s earthly judgement of man, an aspect of mankind that many non-Christians are critical of, and many Christians ignore. The reasons modern Christians ignore the idea of God judging men on earth is because our earthly rewards have appeared increasingly disconnected from a person’s faith. Why is that? Well first, let me assure you that God’s judgment of us is quite intact, and that he deals with us all in good time, showing judgement, mercy, and grace in appropriate measure. However, we appear unaware, as unsaved philanthropists improve the conditions of the poor and prosper for it, unsaved murderers get let off on technicalities or get fed and sheltered for the rest of their life while their convictions are endlessly appealed; Christians are losing their homes, and yet are not losing their faith. All of it seems so arbitrary, that it makes us all feel disconnected from the God of the Bible who so clearly rewarded righteousness and punished wickedness; we see this recorded over and over again throughout the prophets’ writings, and we wonder two things: where is God today? how could such a punishing God (according to the OT) be real? Christians either accept this odd state in faith, or don’t address it. I assure you however that God has not changed, and His presence is as strong as ever. I’ll give you the short answer however: in order for God to allow the Tribulation to be ushered in, things must be allowed to unfold as they are, and so He allows it. His faithful are still faithful; the unfaithful still unfaithful, and so it has always been. But now, we are in the end-game… or least we are watching it approach.
One thing I have observed about our time is the thoroughness with which unbelievers have analyzed Christianity; often with more honest scrutiny than Christians. This is not a salvific issue necessarily, as Christians are not called to grasp everything God says and does, but to accept it with the faith of a child. On the other hand, it makes it hard to distinguish them from flavor-of-the-month Christians, that is people who really just want a place to belong and be accepted… by other people, and God really doesn’t work into the equation for them. And so skeptics or atheists will often end up asking much better questions, more intelligent questions in some ways, than Christians often ask. This doesn’t make Christians stupid; I myself ask some questions and do not ask others. We all do, as we work out our faith; frankly it’s a reflection of our faith that we don’t pursue things to the same degree. Yet ironically, it was Christians who made all the first most important scientific discoveries 100s of years of ago, but I digress.
One of the points that atheists constantly point out is that of God’s judgement. Why would He condemn a man for no more than rejecting a particular formulation of belief? After all, the reasoning goes, there are many other religions out their that purport to put God first, and many others still that stress the good treatment of your fellow man. Why would God discard all those people like trash, just because they were doing good works in some other name than “Jesus”? Well, Jesus answers this in part when points out that even wicked men are capable of love, and if a wicked man love, then how much more does God? But, I have an observation of modern social phenomenon that might explain it, if not convincingly, at least logically.
God tells us that we are created in His image, knowing good from evil. So, let us see an interesting example of how this plays out in modern politics. We have a two-party system in the United States that pits one side against the other. Currently, one side of the aisle is pushing Health Care reform. The other is opposing it, or at least opposing its current form. How do the advocates characterize this dissent? Do they characterize it as patriotism? No, but as disruption of the democratic process. They perceive the dissenters as wicked in some respect, and so characterize all they do as being wickedness, conducted with wicked intentions. They don’t use those words, but their treatment of the dissenters betrays them. They ignore their opinions, as if they do not matter, and only worry about reaching consensus among themselves, while accepting those who turn from their wickedness (i.e., from conservative or right-leaning Christian thought). It is a moral condemnation on par with the church, except there is no church, and it completely ignores the good works of the church… the care packages, the missions trips to build homes for the poor, and the charitable giving which the church does in disproportion to the rest of the country. What a great many of the unchurched reject God for doing in the bible because they think it’s wrong, is exactly what they do to the faithful, because they think it’s right. But then, how can people in God’s image be acting against God’s people? Easy. Original sin. We’re damaged goods, in need of Christ’s redemption. All of us.
We all judge. Only God does it right. It just goes to show how damaged and sinful modern man really is, yet how much in His image we all remain.