The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his065/btg0190.arj/BTG0190.TXT

Text File | 1990-02-12 | 7KB | 127 lines

AMERICA NEEDS SALTING
by Ken Ham

Spiritually, economically, and morally, America is a nation on the
decline. But for those of us who are Christians, we should not lose
hope, for there are exciting solutions to this dilemma.

But first, let us explore the causes of this decline. Of course, those
outside of Christ have been given unbridled license for their sinful
desires, but note also that Matthew 5:13 states, "Ye are the salt of
the earth: but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to
be trodden under foot of men."

Christ is saying that Christians are the 'salt of the earth.' Salt, of
course, flavors and preserves that on which it is poured, but for salt
to be effective, it must be pure. It cannot be contaminated, or it will
lose its saltiness.

As Christians. we need to be influencing society around us. We need to
be literally pouring on the salt so that society will be affected in
the right way. By salt, of course, we are talking about Biblical
truth─the truth about the God of history and the God of creation─the
One who came to earth to die for a lost world so that we can spend
eternity with Him.

Mark 9:50 tells us that we must have this salt in ourselves before we
can be the salt of the earth. And, as we read in Matthew 5:13, the salt
must not be contaminated, for, once it is, it is no longer good for
anything. Some Jewish traders used to mix gypsum with their salt to
make it go further in order to obtain more money for it. In doing so,
they ruined the salt to such an extent that it was useless.

Unfortunately, the Church seems to have lost its saltiness. Society is
not being 'salted' the way it should be.

There is certainly need for national revival, like some of the great
revivals of the past, but we need to recognize that God will not allow
national revival until we have personal revival─ until we have the
right kind of salt to affect and preserve the society around us. And
what do we mean by the right type of salt? Not just 'Bible truth,' but
uncontaminated, Biblical truth!

Contamination comes in many forms, but perhaps the saddest aspect is
that much of institutional Christianity has compromised the Word of
God, particularly concerning the doctrine of creation. Most of our
readers know that the book of Genesis is foundational to all Christian
doctrine. The literal understanding of the events in the book of
Genesis is necessary to an understanding of what Christian doctrine is
all about. It doesn't take an architect or engineer to appreciate the
necessity of providing strong and secure foundations under any
structure. Default in this area and total collapse is inevitable.

We can easily see the structure of society collapsing on every side.
The hapless politicians certainly don't provide any long-term
solutions. Sadly, and to our shame, much of the Church at large is also
bereft of comfort and encouragement. The solutions offered by many
denominations and seminaries have their basis not in the foundation of
Genesis but in the humanistic, anti-God philosophy of evolution─a
philosophy that has so permeated most churches (and therefore our
society) that it has contaminated the salt, and this contaminated salt
is no longer good for anything! Not only is the contaminated salt not
affecting society in the right way, it is choking many churches, and
nonChristians are basking in it!

To take a firm position on the creation issue means that one must
accept that there is a Creator Who owns us and Who sets the rules. If
the church does not emphasize this foundational aspect (teaching God as
being Creator and thus refuting the anti-God belief that we are the
result of chance), then non-Christians will not be challenged, for, as
long as they don't have to accept creation, they don't have to accept
any form of individual responsibility for their actions.

In Revelation 3:15,16, concerning the Laodicean church, the Lord said
that he would rather that believers be either hot or cold. But Christ
goes on to add the solemn warning: "So then because thou art neither
cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." If we are 'cold,' we
aren't affecting anybody; if we are 'hot,' and declaring Biblical
truth, then we are doing great things for the Lord. But as soon as we
compromise─as soon as we are lukewarm, as soon as we are
contaminated─we begin to destroy; hence our Lord's stern rebuke.

Many Christians don't realize that they, their church, and the
Christian colleges they support really are compromising and are thus
tolerating contamination. In what ways is this so? Many do not accept
God's Word in Genesis as truth, because they doubt or even disbelieve
much of Genesis─the 24-hour days of creation, the global flood of Noah,
the creation of Adam from dust, etc. A significant number of
Christians, including many in leadership positions, compromise with
evolutionary ideas, and, because of this contamination, America is not
being salted, but is decaying .

America prides itself on being a free country, with one facet being
freedom of religion, and yet Christianity has been all but barred from
the public scene. A recent seminar sponsored by the American Bar
Association discussed how to sue churches and Christian organizations.
At a recent pro-abortion rally which featured speakers from the
National Organization of Women, a well-known entertainer stated: "When
you see a car with the sign of a fish on it─they are the enemy!"
America needs salting!

Furthermore, as we see the great opportunities for presenting the
Gospel that are arising in communist countries, let us not be guilty of
sending a contaminated Gospel to them because of our compromise here in
the West.

As Christians, we are a minority, but with God on our side we can be a
majority. Let us awaken to the fact that we are here to influence
society--society should not be influencing us. We are here to salt this
nation, and the salt is to be pure and undefiled. Let us also awaken to
the fact that the foundational basis for Biblical truth lies in the
fact that God is Creator.

We believe the ministry of the Institute for Creation Research and
other creation organizations around the world are some of the most
vital ministries in the world today. If we want to see revival in the
nation of America─if we want to see this nation turn around for God─we
must stand upon His Word as truth and turn away from the evolutionary
compromise that has turned people's hearts away from trusting God's
Word.