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| Unrestrained By Philip Davis |
We live in a world that is growing increasingly unrestrained. Nothing seems beyond the limits of propriety.
People are rejecting what they see as the shackles of tradition. Many people seem to feel obligated only to a
private standard of behavior which is usually ill defined and easily changed. Fluid morality and plastic values
based on personal preferences and appetites rule much of human behavior. Why else do so many people live
together without getting married?
- This subjectively-based personal code reveals the truth that many people no longer believe in absolute
standards, although arguing for anything else is logically futile. Within the Christian tradition, many professed
believers (across the various religions) do not view the Bible as completely true and applicable to our day.
They may pay it some respect; but they choose to follow only those parts that they believe make sense for
themselves. They effectively reject the Bible as the proper and only standard for human behavior. Even those
who make claim to believe the Bible in a stricter sense often differ on the meaning of Bible passages.
Perhaps the writer of Proverbs had in mind the ancient Gentiles who lived around the Israelites when he
wrote, “where there is no revelation the people cast off constraint; but happy is he who keeps the law” (Prov
29:18). They certainly did not accept God’s rule. Scriptures speak of a situation in which people unfettered by
a “vision” (that is, a prophetic revelation from God) “perish.” Some translations say that such people “cast off
restraint.” Equally, those who know and keep God’s law are called happy or blessed. God declares that we
can know His will and act in a way to bring us blessing.
When looking around at so many people involved unashamedly in obvious sins, I do not so much see
intentional rebels as people who are simply uninformed about the truth of God’s word or un-persuaded that it
is true or that it applies to them. This does not even begin to take into account those who practice some of the
other world religions such as Hinduism. They form their views in the context of their religious “holy” writings.
Atheists attempt to formulate strictly human-based ethical standards.
Unbelief is a good word to describe the problem. Whether unbelief comes from ignorance, rebellion, or
skepticism, people suffer the same results: they perish. Our world needs to turn to the word of God as its
absolute standard if it wishes to solve its problems. Otherwise, it will continue to be UNRESTRAINED.
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