“Man’s ungodliness
will not only continue to evolve, but it will worsen; in particular man’s
emphasis will be upon proudly promoting himself and his achievements like never
before,” wrote Blades.
“Accordingly,
therefore, rather than acceding to the truth of evolving ungodliness, man will
boldly and increasingly protest against any such thing. He will profess
evolving humanness, and will describe the ‘course of this world’ as one that
shows him achieving mastership over it. In support he will point to
his impressive achievements in areas such as scientific knowledge, discovery,
advancements, invention, technology, exploration, culture, society, quality of
life, and the like.
“In short, man will
become more and more impressed with himself and with his accomplishments.
Wherefore he will define the present ‘course of this world’ in terms of man’s
evolving greatness, as he defiantly denies the truth of his evolving
ungodliness and fervently works to replace it with a substitute reality.”
*****
Blades emphasized that the “growing darkness” accompanying a man-devised alternative reality
should make it all that much more apparent to us that ‘the wisdom of this
world’ is useless and worthless to us.
“But more than
this, we should begin to clearly see
that it is not only fraught with the foolishness and emptiness of ungodly men’s
vain imaginations, sophistry, and corrupt reasoning, but that any attempt to
incorporate any of it into our ‘sonship education’ actually will do damage to
our edification and to our vocational training. Hence we should
recognize that it is harmful and even dangerous to us.
“In like manner
should we also become increasingly disenchanted with, and so unimpressed with
‘the fashion of this world.’ For this world’s criterions for determining what
is meaningful in life, what is noble, what is honourable, what is worthwhile,
and the like, are clearly not founded upon godliness.
“Instead, ‘the
fashion of this world’ is primarily and predominantly hedonistic. As such its
pronouncements regarding what can bring a person happiness, satisfaction, and
contentment, and therefore what makes one’s life full and rich, are founded
firmly upon the pursuit of carnal pleasures, and the acquisition and possession
of material things.
“ . . . Now though we
naturally should not be favorably impressed with any of these 'works of
darkness,' the expectation is that as we are taught more about
them we would become even more unimpressed with them, perceiving them to be
even more distasteful and detestable than what we first recognized.”
*****
While Paul says in the KJV, "But my God shall supply
all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus," the New
English Bible translates the verse to incorrectly state that God will
supply ALL your needs.
“He doesn’t say God’s
going to supply all of your needs, or rather greeds,” says Jordan. “People,
do you realize most of things we want and desire strongly we can do without?
Did you know you can do without health, wealth, education, social standing? You
know Paul did all that.
“He says in I
Corinthians 4:9, ‘We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to
men.’ You reckon that’s a pretty good social standing?! Not much. He says, ‘We
are fools for Christ’s sake.’ The world didn’t think he had much education.
They thought he was a nut. One guy said to him, ‘You’re mad; you’re a crazy
man.’
“Paul says to the
Corinthians, ‘You’re honorable but we’re despised. We’re weak but you’re
strong. Even in this present hour we hunger and thirst.’ Paul says, ‘I warn you
that there's a lot you can face.’
“If the health and
wealth preachers are right, Paul must have been one of the most wicked men who
ever lived because he’s a guy who says, ‘I’m hungry right now. I don’t have
enough to eat. I’m thirsty. I’m naked. I haven’t got clothes to wear.’
“He didn’t open up a
closet and say, ‘I can’t figure out what to wear today.’ He said, ‘I don’t have
it to wear.’ He says, ‘Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst,
and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place.’ And yet
he says, ‘I labor with my hands.’
“Now, there’s a guy working and still can’t make it! You
ever had that problem?
*****
“This idea
about health you hear preached all the time on the radio and tube—let’s be
honest, you can get by in your life without being healthy.
“Go to the bookstore
and get the book by Joni Eareckson Tada. Read the stories of people like her if
you want to see the victory of God’s grace and His power being made perfect in
weakness.
“Paul says, ‘Be
careful for nothing. Don’t worry about things.’ That word ‘careful’ there has
the idea of anxiety and worry and fretting. Let me give you a quick
illustration of that carefulness.
“In Luke 10:38,
Martha’s complaining. She’s worrying, she’s overwrought, she’s weighted down
with all this serving and gets distraught; she’s all in a dither about it.
“Jesus answered and
said unto her, ‘Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things. But one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that good part.’
“Rather than all the fuss and fuming about having the
house perfectly straightened, the roast cooked just right, the gravy just
right, the potatoes just right and everything just so, He says, ‘You know,
Mary’s doing the better thing sitting here getting the Word.’
“Paul says, ‘Don’t be that way. Don’t be all caught up.’ You know how you
get that way? Pride.
*****
“Worry is totally
inappropriate in the life of a Believer. Why? Romans 8:24 says, ‘For we are
saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why
doth he yet hope for?’
“We have a day coming
where God is going to declare us before the whole universe as His adult sons.
Paul says, ‘You look around you and see all this undeserved suffering and your participation with it. You’re saved from being dragged down into the
earthy by our hope.’
“You have a realm of
doctrinal understanding that tells you what you see isn’t what’s lasting and with
the eye of faith you know ‘the sufferings of this present world aren’t worthy
to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.
“Isn’t that wonderful
stability? You operate in the realm of the reality of who you are in Christ.
“ ‘Be careful for nothing’ doesn’t mean you’re flippant;
it just means you’re not going to worry about it. You’re not going to be
troubled and brought to the place of inactivity through it as Martha was, just
throwing up her hands and yelling, ‘Aghhhhhh!!!’ ”
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