A USA Today article reported on a group called Advocates for Youth, which compared sexual activity of teenagers in four countries, and found that teens in the United States become sexually active at 15.8 years of age on the average, earlier than their counterparts elsewhere. U.S. women between the ages of 15 and 19 have live births at a rate four times that of women in Germany, and have an abortion rate more than double the abortion rate of teen girls in France!
Teens—and adults—ought to know the physical risks and consequences of their sexual activity. But there is another dimension to the problem. It is not just about statistics. It is not just about social strategies and social consequences. It is also about the character of a nation.
Just as there are physical effects for physical causes, there are spiritual effects for spiritual causes. There are unseen spiritual laws just as there are unseen natural laws, which affect human beings just as predictably. The degree to which we have internalized those spiritual laws determines the quality of our character—whether we reflect righteousness or sin in our attitude and behavior. There is a cause for every effect. Scripture tells us: “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18, KJV).
Sin damages not only the body, but also the mind. As the Creator of the human body and mind tells us: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV). Sin brings the penalty of pain, suffering and eternal death.
In the eyes of God, purposely taking the life of a child is murder—whether the child is born or still in the womb of its mother. Wholesale abortion is a heinous crime and a sin that results in the eternal death penalty. Sexual immorality is another sin that results in the eternal death penalty. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). A person can be forgiven after repentance and baptism in the name of Christ, as the Apostle Peter states in Acts 2:38, but make no mistake: sin brings about death—eternal death.
Anciently, a particularly sinful nation called the Amorites killed their children, too! God told Abraham that “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:16). Yes, God is patient, but the iniquity of our western world is fast becoming complete—or full. Notice what evil practices the Amorites indulged in, and consider whether we in our western world practice similar wicked behaviors. What did the Amorites do? The NIV Study Bible tells us that Canaanite “‘worship’ was polytheistic and included child sacrifice, idolatry, religious prostitution and divination.” The wicked Amorites were judged by God and paid a national penalty.
The immoral, sinful, idolatrous, and murderous practices of our western nations will also be judged! There is still time to repent and change, but if we, as the ancient Amorites, persist in living increasingly licentious and evil lives, we will be judged and pay the penalty of individual and national punishment and destruction.
God tells us there are consequences to our physical and moral decisions and practices. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
Which shall it be for your nation? And which shall it be for you?
This commentary can be found on the Church Web page, www.livingcog.org, in the Commentary Library, along with many other commentaries on key topics facing our world.