PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

The Way of Restriction

Why do people often live in an immoral and even an aggressively evil, manner? It is because of the lack of inward restriction. Internal restrictions are formed and applied primarily through the actions of education and training. Unfortunately, many school systems in numerous countries of the world today, are teaching philosophies that damage and even destroy the restrictions that were deemed "normal" aspects of proper human living thirty to fifty years ago. So-called "affective education" stresses programs such as "values clarification" to eliminate all objective standards of morality and all respect for parental values. Programs that promote self-esteem by teaching students to "feel good" about themselves (without reference to any standard of behavior or achievement) destroy the very fabric of proper human living and endorse a looseness of character. "Comprehensive" sexual education programs break down modesty and self-discipline resulting in widespread promiscuity among teens and in a society of adults in which fornication and adultery are redefined as, if not appropriate, at least acceptable choices among "consenting adults." Secular humanism systematically excludes God and is highly intolerant of all religious beliefs and moral standards. The consequence is a world in which evil is called good and good is called evil.

How can we protect our children from this nonsensical teaching and instill in them the proper restrictions? It is by speaking. The spoken word is powerful! The things that we hear and speak shape our character. In this issue of Parenthood we will review what the Bible says concerning the source of evil and the way to be restricted from doing evil. We will see five items in the way of restriction: knowing God by His creation, holding the truth of God in righteousness, living according to our divinely created nature, listening to our conscience, and caring for our proper reasonings. We should study these points and learn to speak them to our children repeatedly day by day. May we be like the apostle Paul who "did not withhold any of those things that are profitable by not declaring them...and by not teaching"—Acts 20:20. May we "night and day,...not cease admonishing each one with tears"—v. 31

In this message we will cover the source of wickedness shown in the condemnation of mankind and the way of restriction shown in the condemnation of the self-righteous....Although we do not want to dwell upon the subject of condemnation, there are two points related to it that are quite important. First is the source of evil, the source of wickedness. Because of this source mankind is evil. Thus, in this message we will see the source of man's wickedness. Second, we need to see the way of restriction. There is a way to restrict this wickedness. Since we have been saved from condemnation, we need not give it much attention. However, we need to return to it long enough to learn the source of evil and the way to restrict evil.

I. THE CONDEMNATION ON MANKIND

Now we need to consider the source of wickedness. This section of Romans (1:18-32) reveals four elements of the source of evil.

A. Holding Down the Truth in Unrighteousness

The first element in the source of wickedness is holding down the truth in unrighteousness (1:18). What is truth? Truth is not mere doctrine or knowledge. Truth is reality; it is solid and substantial. There is reality in this universe, and the prime reality is God Himself. To say that there is no God is to speak vanity; to declare the reality of God is to speak something solid, substantial, genuine, and true. God is real. No one can deny the reality of God or disclaim the fact that He exists, for the existence of God is a reality. However, from the very beginning, mankind did not respect the reality of God, but suppressed it....In the United States today we behold evil on every side, and the newspapers are filled with wicked and shameful things. Why are there so many shameful things in the leading country of the world? Because so many people will not maintain the truth, but instead, wrongfully hold it down. This is the most significant aspect of the source of wickedness.

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