The Great Moral Eclipse: A Perspective from Romans 1
A shadow has fallen across the landscape of our contemporary society, a chilling eclipse of moral consciousness. Historically, the Western world and America in particular largely held to a robust, objective moral compass—the Scriptures. One could argue that even those who weren’t truly saved still held high, at least higher than today, the moral code given to us by God. Today, this compass is cast aside, abandoned in favor of a postmodern ethic that is as shifting and unreliable as the sands of a desert, based solely on the whims of the self.
This radical shift is most starkly evident in the realm of sexual behavior, where traditional restraints have been scorned and discarded and those who do still hold to these restraints are ostracized. No longer does society look to long-held, objective moral standards to govern our conduct—instead, the prevailing mantra has become, "If it feels good, do it."
Abortion rates are on a steep incline, with human life increasingly devalued and discarded like refuse. Language, once the tool to express beauty and wisdom, has been weaponized into a means of spewing vulgarities, blasphemies, and venomous hatred of anything decent. Everywhere, there is a seductive culture of self-gratification that has taken precedence over sacrifice, service, and love.
When we examine the Bible, we find an uncanny reflection of our contemporary world. Romans 1:18-32 outlines a list of evil deeds that eerily mirrors the moral decay we witness today. The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, penned these words that ring with truth now more than ever.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth" (Romans 1:18).
In this passage, Paul attributes the moral decay of his time to the suppression of the truth about God. Men and women, loving their sin more than their Creator, chose to stifle the truth about God's righteousness, and instead, lived lives immersed in rampant immorality. In doing so, they traded eternal life for fleeting, fleshly gratification.