Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father. Galatians 1:4
One of the best-known examples of a righteous man attempting to accommodate the unrighteousness around him is Abraham’s nephew, Lot. He lived in wealth and contentment but had to endure the disgusting, vile behaviour of one of the world’s most debased societies of all time. For all but the final few hours of his sojourn in Sodom, Lot did not see any need to be delivered from that city. I am afraid that Lot was much like us in these days of comfort and worldly trinkets. We are becoming so accustomed to seeing the gross immorality and godless attitudes all around us that we give it little thought, accepting these things as ‘normal’. Yet Christ went to the cross to deliver us from these things.
The world was evil when Paul wrote his letter to the saints in Galatia. It is, if anything, even more evil today. This present evil world not only accepts but also promotes the gross immoral sins of Sodom. This present evil world disregards human life in the name of convenience, as the unborn are tossed in the trash and as the plugs are pulled on the lifelines of those who are unable to support themselves. Atop all of the degradation and filth of this present evil world is a swelling apathy toward anything related to God and a growing willingness to accept false and evil doctrines.
Despite our comfort with the current conditions, there has never been an age that Christians were in greater need of being delivered from. We need first of all to see the world as God sees it: drenched in sin and in rejection of Himself. We also need to separate ourselves from involvement in the things of this world. To live as a Christian ought to live in this world will mark us, will cause us to be the objects of the world’s derision and contempt. If so, rejoice! Your delivery from this present evil world is in progress. -Jim MacIntosh