4 Ways Trendy Church Culture Is Making You Spiritually Weak

“There is not any faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God within the land; there may be swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” – Hosea 4:1b-2

 The first three chapters of Hosea’s book provide a robust example of the heart-wrenching nature of Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness. Instead of pursuing the Lord, they were chasing after false gods and the false guarantees which are intertwined with those false beliefs.

 Hosea was living and ministering within the midst of a day when true spiritual devotion was missing. The people of Israel wanted the most effective of the world, but didn’t concern themselves with everlasting matters. In their worship of Baal, they bought into false beliefs that appealed to the lusts of the flesh, and as they kept feeding these lusts, they drifted further and farther from the reality God had revealed in His word. That, in turn, resulted within the people of the land treating one another in terrible ways.

 I’m sure in case you were to interview a number of the people of Hosea’s day, they’d have told you they were spiritually devoted followers of the Lord. But even a fast glimpse at their lives would show that their so-called faith was barely skin-deep.

 It wasn’t popular for him to accomplish that, but Hosea called out their spiritual shallowness when he declared that the people weren’t faithful, lacked steadfast love, and didn’t know the true and living God in a private way. They considered themselves as mature, but their lives confirmed their lack of real belief.

 One of probably the most obvious and simple to grasp points of God’s will is His moral will which He has revealed in His word, most obviously within the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments aren’t mysterious and hard to grasp. They’re clear and direct. But have a look at the best way Hosea described the lives of the people of Israel during his day.

 The people of Israel had foul mouths; they lied continually, they usually practiced murder, theft, and rampant adultery. Their assessment of their spiritual lives was inaccurate. Though they appeared to imagine they were spiritually strong, their lives revealed and confirmed the immaturity of their faith.

 There is a lesson for us on this passage as well. The fruit that comes from my life will show you what I actually imagine. Likewise, the identical is true of you. If we’re followers of Jesus Christ, we’ll trust Him in all circumstances, obey His teaching, avoid searing our consciences, and treat other humans as fellow image-bearers.

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