The Call For Moral Clarity

There is a biblical principle that carries so much truth for our day and age, and that is the principle of being “hot or cold, rather than lukewarm” (Revelation 3:16). It represents a rebuke to those that feel like it’s cool and modern to have one foot in the world and one in Heaven, as if it makes them relevant to a dying culture. It calls out those that sing the praises of Jesus on Sunday, but condone the standards of our culture throughout the week. God says that He would rather you be hot or cold, all-in or not in at all, completely sold-out for Him or sold out to the world. But to be neither, to be lukewarm, is nauseating to Him and makes Him want to vomit you out of His mouth.

This is a strong message and uncomfortable for many, but it’s true. Why is He so adamant about this? Because it teaches those watching our lives that the Gospel doesn’t require you to get rid of your sin, or take a stand against a rotting culture, nor do you need to put to death your flesh. It flies in the face of Scripture that says we are to “die to self,” and that “we are to take up our cross and follow Him.”

Why did the Bible say “We become new creations in Christ; old things are passed away and ALL things become new,” if we insist on being like the world? The truth is that we live in an end-times church age where the culture is having a bigger effect on the church than the church is having on the culture. The church has a serious responsibility to bring moral clarity, not moral confusion.

Throughout the Bible, God used men and women of strong conviction and moral clarity with the singular goal of pleasing only One… God. And because of their strong stance, the culture hated them, killed them, and silenced them. At the core of this message is Jesus, fully exemplifying perfect moral clarity and was nailed to a cross and crucified. We cannot expect to be loved or wanted by a culture that killed the Perfect One.

We are all at a crossroads in our lives. God is calling us all to be fully devoted to Him in a new and powerful way in these last days. Will we rise up in Holy purpose and watch God do amazing things through our obedience, or will the culture win and have us sit in passive compliance? May we choose wisely. Our world needs moral clarity like never before.

(Devotional by Cheryl Hall-Laos)