I tell people we usually say that people in the world are getting worse, the problem is, people have always been as bad as they are going to be, the reason that it appears people are getting worse is that the church is getting weaker.
First, men who make the pulpit a stage, I believe, are dishonoring to God and are likely to lead people astray and into idolatry. This does not mean that one who has lowered the high sanctity of his calling cannot be approached and gently reminded of what the worship of our most holy God is to be like according to His own inspired Word. And, it would not be unkindly if after such attempts have fallen on deaf ears to rebuke him as a father and impress upon him the consequences of not repenting of this type of behavior. In many cases where a man has 'slipped' into such things there is often other 'complementary' things that have been brought into the worship of God, e.g., casual dress, worldly conversation, profane contemporary music, irreverent administering of the sacraments... in summary there is often to be found an "all too familiarity" [toward God] attitude in corporate worship. And where these things are not present, rest assured they are likely to be crouching behind the door and waiting to be given entrance.
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BTW, these things are not new. Read
this brief lament by Spurgeon written nearly 150 years ago and tell me it doesn't sound like yesterday morning's news!
Second, to address the quoted statement above. It is unfortunately woefully and biblically inaccurate. Fallen mankind is hardly "
been as bad as they are going to be". The doctrine is TOTAL Depravity and not UTTER Depravity, i.e., fallen men (sinners) are more than capable of deprovement. It is only the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit and in and through the Church that the world does not immediately fall into total chaos and self-destruction. We are told that in the end days things will get progressively worse, cf. Matt 24:4ff; Mk 13:22; 2Thess 2:3ff; 2Tim 3:1-13) One doesn't have to reflect back too far upon what has happened in Canada and the US in regard to what is now in vogue and even made law by these countries to see that lasciviousness has increased dramatically, that churches have become dens of iniquity and houses of entertainment, having forsaken all that is pure, holy and good. Trust me, the situation is only going to grow worse and worse.
In His grace,
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