RESPONDSIBILITY

Responsibility

Christ told men that they needed to repent first towards the kingdom of God which is the first note of human responsibility. This is revolutionary, calling for upheaval and change in all the departments of human life. It is radical in that it deals with the inspirational sources of action, rather than with the external activities. It restores in that it calls man to return to the true order of his own life and his own being. It is the keynote.

There is a refusal today for a man to take responsibility for their actions. Malachi speaks of the same condition of the people in his age. Seven times they use the same word "How?"

Malachi 1:2; 1:6; 1:7; 2:17; 3:7; 3:8; 3:13.

The difference between our age and Malachi's is now it is open rebellion against God. They at least were making offerings to Him, were at least attending the temple, who were sacrificing and worshipping, but their hearts were far from their ceremonials being contrary to His will in the eye of heaven. Today they could care less what God thinks and have even been taught their whole lives to deny His existence. The God of their fathers is not their God. They see so much hypocrisy in the church which fuels their beliefs about God. The people who claim to have knowledge of God don't keep it, cause many to stumble. Many churches today corrupt and debase the words of God. They have a form of godliness but have taken the power from its words.

There are men today who can verbalize the whole scheme, not only of regeneration but also of sanctification, and yet in their actual life-when lifted away from the crowd of their fellow Christians, and from the opinion of their fellow men, into the light of Divine requirement, which alone reveals character-it, can be said of them "denying the power."

The new covenant under which the church lives is a marriage relationship of a new birth, with His law written on our hearts and minds so we are without excuse. We have an inward cleansing, not to be content with holding a form of truth and denying the power of truth.

Let not the spirits of the day control our thoughts and action but the indwelling Spirit of God Who teaches us truth inwardly.