Rev. Brian M Abshire
The Curse in Genesis three is in one sense, a blessing, it restricts Man’s sinfulness. Men who must labor diligently for their subsistence have few resources left over to sin as overtly as they might otherwise wish. However, when men walk in obedience, the Covenant blessings of Deuteronomy 28 promise godly men prosperity, health and success. That same covenant promises disaster, disease and death to covenant breakers. Because all men are created in God’s image, and all have some dim understanding of His Law (though twisted and distorted by sin), at various times, in various cultures, some societies have come closer for a while to Biblical norms. Those cultures that abhor sodomy, adultery and murder for example are more stable, prosperous and safer than those that tolerate them. God’s ordinances are written into the very fabric of creation. Even the most cursory examination of great empires of the past reveals a dismal cycle; an early morality that degenerates into the worst sort of perversion as God brings His judgments against them. Romans 1:18ff is very clear; idolatry inevitably leads to social disaster.
The Curse in Genesis three is in one sense, a blessing, it restricts Man’s sinfulness. Men who must labor diligently for their subsistence have few resources left over to sin as overtly as they might otherwise wish. However, when men walk in obedience, the Covenant blessings of Deuteronomy 28 promise godly men prosperity, health and success. That same covenant promises disaster, disease and death to covenant breakers. Because all men are created in God’s image, and all have some dim understanding of His Law (though twisted and distorted by sin), at various times, in various cultures, some societies have come closer for a while to Biblical norms. Those cultures that abhor sodomy, adultery and murder for example are more stable, prosperous and safer than those that tolerate them. God’s ordinances are written into the very fabric of creation. Even the most cursory examination of great empires of the past reveals a dismal cycle; an early morality that degenerates into the worst sort of perversion as God brings His judgments against them. Romans 1:18ff is very clear; idolatry inevitably leads to social disaster.
There can be no doubt that the very best features of Western civilization are a direct result of its Christian presuppositions. There can also be no question that the last one hundred and fifty years has seen an all-out assault on the Christian faith systematically destroying those very same foundations, while a rampant humanism is offered in its place. And as a result, socialism, fascism, and communism have enslaved and murdered hundreds of millions of Europeans, Russians and Asians.
