The Sins of Self and What it is Doing To Us

The paragraph to follow was written by John MacArthur in 1991 in his commentary on Romans. As you read it, consider how each year our culture, our people grow deeper into this life of self. Self-desire is the antithesis of the Christian faith.

"It should not be surprising that, as the world more and more advocates self-love and self-fulfillment, the problems of sexual promiscuity, abuse, and perversion, of stealing, lying, murder, suicide, hopelessness, and all other forms of moral and social ills are multiplying exponentially."

MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The - MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Romans 1-8.

Just look at the news these days. Sexual promiscuity, abuse, and perversion is rampant and there is even a great movement to normalize it. Stealing and murder? It's out of control. Almost every day, someone in St. Louis is carjacked at threat of death by gunpoint. Murders are a regular occurrence. Maybe the most heart breaking of all is the increase in suicides, especially amongst our youth. Suicides result from hopelessness.

As he predicted in 1991, this nonsense of self-love and self-fulfillment has been the impetus that has pushed God and His Word farther and farther from our society. The result is clearly seen in the mess we have made of our society.

Revelation 6:10 comes to mind.

"...and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

The church in America keeps preaching this soft "feel good" message of salvation. It's time we wake up and begin to preach as Jesus did. We need to preach repentance. We need to take a stand against our own sin. We need to crucify it.

1 Peter 4:17-18

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

We are scarcely being saved people. The word used there means "with difficulty." If we, the elect of God is scarcely being saved, then what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?