A society without religious values loses the moral restraint that holds back iniquity and moves toward corruption and judgment.
Les teaches that religion is the only force that puts common sense into regulating human behavior. When that restraint is removed, a society loses its moral boundaries and moves deeper into the corruption described in Romans 1. He warns that America is already on that path.
Romans 1:24 — This is the verse Les cites to show that when a society rejects God, God gives it up to uncleanness and moral dishonor.
Romans 1:24 says, "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:" This is the scriptural consequence the question points toward: when people are given up by God, they are handed over to impurity and dishonor. The biblical principle is that a society which loses its connection to God is not left unchanged — it is allowed to follow the corruption that already fills the human heart.
Les Feldick does not say all religions offer the same moral restraint. He says religion is the only thing that puts common sense into regulating human behavior, but he also observes that most pagan religions are grossly immoral in practice. For the Western world, Christianity has been the brake on the falling away of moral principles — the believer has been the one standing in the gap and saying, "This is wrong." Take away every believer and the Holy Spirit's present restraining role, and there is nothing left to hold back iniquity. He ties this decline to Romans 1: once mankind replaces the true God with a man-made god, moral fabric begins to rot. God then gives people up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts. He applies the same principle to civilizations, which can degenerate from a high level of spirituality down to a point of no remedy. He sees America at that crossroads: the moral climate is falling apart, no political party can fix it, and unless there is a tremendous turning back to the truth of the Book, he says the nation is doomed.
Les teaches that when a society pushes God out of its thinking, schools, and homes, human nature's destructive traits take off generation after generation. In Romans 1, he shows the sequence: idolatry comes first, then moral fabric rots, and God gives people over to uncleanness. The result is a society that dishonors its own body and has no moral boundary to keep its behavior in check.
Les says Christianity has been the brake on moral decay in the Western world. If every believer and the Holy Spirit's restraining work are removed, there is nothing left to hold back iniquity. Without that braking force, society has no internal restraint to prevent progressive corruption.
Les says he loves America and its freedoms, but the nation is at a crossroads because of its moral climate, not because of any political party. No party can change the falling social fabric. He warns that America has had every opportunity to receive the truth of the Word and is now throwing it out; unless there is a tremendous turning back to that truth, "we're doomed."
What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality — Romans 1
programs in a row that we do have all of these videotapes ready to mail. We've put 12 programs on one 6-hour video in order to hold the costs down. And of course, each video has now been transcribed word by word. In fact, I've told the people, and I've even told Keith as he prepared it, take out some of my superfluous words.
Religion Regulates Behavior
Les teaches that religion is the only source of common-sense regulation for human behavior, so removing religious values removes a society's behavioral boundary.
Christianity as the Brake
Les teaches that Christianity has been the brake on moral decay in the Western world; without believers and the Holy Spirit's restraining work, nothing holds back iniquity.
Idolatry Leads to Moral Rot
Les teaches from Romans 1 that idolatry is the first step: when the true God is replaced with a man-made god, moral fabric begins to rot and people are given up to dishonor.
Pushing God Out
Les teaches that pushing God out of thinking, schools, and homes is why society is in its current condition of moral collapse.
Nations Degenerate
Les teaches from history that nations degenerate from a high level of spirituality and knowledge of God down to a point where there is no remedy.
America's Moral Climate
Les teaches that America's moral climate and social fabric are falling apart and no political party can reverse the decline.
America Rejecting the Truth
Les teaches that America is rejecting the truth of the Word and will be doomed unless there is a tremendous turning back to that truth.
Romans 1:24: Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
This is the verse Les cites to show that when a society loses its religious restraint, God gives it over to the lusts of its own heart.
Les says religion is the only thing that puts common sense into regulating human behavior. He also notes that many pagan religions are grossly immoral in practice, and that Christianity has been the brake on moral decay in the Western world.
Les points to idolatry as the first step. Once mankind replaces the true God with a man-made god, moral fabric begins to rot, and God gives people up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts.
Les says the problem is the moral climate, not a political party, and no party can change the falling social fabric. Unless there is a tremendous turning back to the truth of Scripture, he says America is doomed.
Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality — Romans 1