Final Words to A Dying Generation
With God as my witness, these things are worth listening to and living by. They are worth listening to because we are not so wise and independent that we are without the need for correction. Only a fool would think they transcend advice and admonishment. Be careful also not to just take my word for it. I am not the source of the wisdom here, the Lord is. The only one who possesses incomparable intellect and strength. The world lives in the shadow of God’s wit and might. Furthermore, these words are worth living by because we cannot come up with a kind of lifestyle more just or joyful than what God can. He alone is righteous, and He alone is good. It is in God’s nature to advise appropriately. So, heed my words not because they are mine, but because they come from someone far greater than me.
Do not order your life independent from biblical consultation. Your life is not yours to live, it belongs to the Lord, if He died for you and you believe in Him. When God gifts eternal life, it is not so that we can live in death. Was it not God who expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden so that they would not eat from the Tree of Life and live separated from God forever? Why then would He give eternal life so that you could go back to your sin? Rather, the kind of life that the Bible teaches is one filled with peace, hope, love, joy, righteousness, grace, and glory.
Do not affirm what the Bible condemns or condemn what the Bible affirms. Was it not Eve who, when tempted by the serpent in the Garden, ignored God’s instruction and determined what was good and evil for herself? What did that bring about? Sin and shame and separation. The Lord alone is good; therefore, He alone can tell us what good is. Our hearts are wicked and untrustworthy. Our flesh wants disgusting and deadly things. The fool listens to the flesh. The fool adopts a worldly sexuality. The fool embraces a worldly financial strategy. The fool prioritizes what the world prioritizes. Do not be a fool but listen and live by Christ’s rule.
Finally, brothers and sisters, if you were to know anything at all, know this: Christ is Lord of all. The total and supreme lordship of Christ allows us to live, learn, lead, and love rightly. When you rightly identify all things in creation as Christ’s then you are less tempted to take glory that does not belong to you. All things exist for the glory of God, not your glory. All things are held up by the power of God, not your power. All things are subject to the sovereignty of God, not your sovereignty. We are creatures made by the Creator of all things. We disobeyed God, which created a chasm between creature and Creator. However, God loved us and died for us so we can live for Him. Christ is Lord over our lives and every bit of life. Do not be a fool, follow Christ.
