As sin has progressed and gained momentum, mankind seems to have lost his ability to be shocked. Behavior that was once considered abominable is now acceptable. Isaiah the prophet wrote: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).
One thing is certain, however. There are many new sinners today, but there aren’t any new sins, just the old ones clothed in different rags. The Old Testament speaks of a time when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6).
It doesn’t have to be this way. Where we start determines where we end. Each new year brings hope and a new opportunity for change. We can reset our starting line. Take the compass, for instance. If the compass is not accurate, the traveler will lose his way. If the sun and the stars were not ordered in their stations, no mariner could depend on them to find his way through the oceans of the world. If there are no absolutes, no fixed reference points, there can be no certainty.
This is why God’s Word is Good News, because the absolute truth is that Jesus came and died on the cross and rose from the dead, to save us from sin. We can be reconciled to God and put back in a right relationship with Him by accepting His provision for sin, His Son, Christ the Lord. There is hope, there is certainty, and there is a reference point and it all begins with God.
