I John 5:19, “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”
Satan told Jesus that he could give all the kingdoms of this world to Him, if He would only bow down and worship him as God. Jesus did not correct Satan by telling him that this world belongs to God, instead He used the Word of God to rebuke the devil by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13.
Genesis chapter six and the book of Daniel instruct us that the nations of this world and their kings are under the spiritual oversight of Fallen Angels. One of the titles for Satan is the ‘god of this world.’ (II Corinthians 4:4) Daniel prayed for 21 days and had the answer to his prayers hindered by the Prince of Persia with a reference to a Prince of Greece.
Yahweh created this world to be inhabited and filled with praise and knowledge of His Glory and Power. He gave this dominion to Adam and Eve over all of His creation.
When they failed to obey God, they automatically obeyed the devil; thus making the devil the new god of this world.
We are all born into sin and come short of the Glory of God, per Romans 3:23. It is a matter of position.
It is like being a part of a gang of people who commit thefts. You are seen coming and going from the gang’s meeting places. You are seen frequently talking with different gang members. You are viewed as a gang member and as a thief, even if you do not actually go out and commit any crimes yourself. You are guilty by association with the gang.
There are studies which reveal that many employers are using the Facebook profiles of job candidates to filter out weaker applicants, based on perception of lifestyle, attitudes and personal appearance. Employers are very concerned about the private lives of their employees not bringing a bad reflection upon the good name of their company.
Back in the 50’s, professional people were expected to live a lifestyle that befitted their profession. They had to protect their good name at all costs. The openly sinful acts of our professionals today was unheard of back then, not because they didn’t happen, but because they rarely happened, and when they did happen, they were kept private as much as possible.
Today the evening news is filled with school teachers having sex with underage students, law officers abusing their power, funeral home directors misusing burial funds, presidents having sex in the oval office, and the list goes on and on. No one seems to care about guarding their good reputation anymore; and they, in turn, give their whole profession a bad name by just being associated with them.
Many people want to say that they have never killed anyone, so they are not a bad person. They have never stolen anything, so they are not a thief. They have never cheated on their spouse, so they are not an adulterer. They have never lied, so they are not a liar. They are a good person and abide by the laws at school, work, and the community.
However, the Bible says we all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. We all have failed to keep the Ten Commandments, in one form or another. James says if we keep the whole Law and offend in one point, then we are guilty of breaking the whole Law. (James 2:10)
The Law was a schoolmaster bringing us to Christ. The Law shows us how Holy Yahweh is, and how impossible for man to be holy, in and of himself.
Paul was a master at keeping the Law, but still was able to stand by as Stephen was stoned to death. Paul was guilty by association. Paul condoned the stoning. Paul did nothing to stop the stoning. Paul even pursued other Christians, to stone them to death, all in the Name of Righteousness: Paul’s self-righteousness!
We are led to Christ because Christ is the only human being that was ever able to be fully human and still be fully God, and thus keep the whole Law without any sin whatsoever. Christ was the Lamb of God who redeemed us from the ‘curse’ of the Law! He gave His life’s blood to pay the ransom for our souls, redeeming them, buying them back from the god of this world – the devil.
We were on the slave block. The slave trader owned us and had us in chains. It was not a matter of whether we were a good person or not. It was not a matter of whether we deserved to be in chains or not. It was all about another person who conquered us and owned us and could abuse us, starve us, or sell us to others who could do the same and worse.
Jesus Christ stands in the crowd and looks on each one enslaved, in shackles, with compassion. He sees the addictions, the hard lines of the faces showing a life of sin and abuse of the body and soul. He sees the sadness and loneliness of the hearts. He sees the longing for freedom to be able to soar in purity and wholeness of spirit.
He asks the price for the whole block of slaves; the price is His own Blood. He willingly goes to the Cross and sheds it; for you…for me….for every soul associated with this sin-filled, fallen-angel-ruled-world of darkness. God so Loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son!
Guilty by Association becomes total Freedom in Christ by His Redemptive Blood! Your goodness, nor your badness, will never save you. Only Jesus covering you with His Blood will allow you to approach a Holy God in a Pure Heaven for eternity. He has come to give you life and that more abundantly!
As long as a person is in Adam, he stands opposite of God. He is an enemy of God. His position is wrong. He is hanging with the wrong crowd of people. He has the wrong group of Facebook friends. Adam’s sin made us all sinners by association. (Romans 5:19)
We have to disassociate from Adam’s crowd. We have to ‘unfriend’ some so-called friends. We have to let the dead bury their own dead, as Jesus said in Luke 9:60.
We have to be willing to forsake riches, possessions, family, friends, fame, honor, and our own clever minds that tell us how righteous we are without a Savior; then we can follow Christ. Then we can receive from His Power the strength to overcome the desires and addictions of this life that lead to self-destruction and an eternity of darkness.
We are all sinners. We have all sinned. Many of us justify our sins by pointing at the sins of others. There is no justification for sin. We are all on the devil’s turf and have been hanging out with the devil’s people.
My being better than my neighbor still leaves me unholy and without eternal life. Only Christ and the covering of His Blood will wash away the stains on our soul and clothe us with His Righteousness. His Righteousness enters freely into the Presence and Glory of the Father!
I go and prepare a place for you, that where I am, you may be also! (John 14:3) Come out from among them and be ye separate says the Lord and I will receive you unto myself. (II Corinthians 6:17)
Coming out is not a matter of being good enough; it is a matter of accepting by faith what only Christ can do for you. You cannot save yourself. You cannot get off the auction block of sin. You cannot ‘unfriend’ the god of this world by a click of a computer key. You need someone stronger and purer, and that is Jesus Christ, the Savior and ransom-payer for your soul!
Ask Him to forgive, to redeem and to restore you today to your rightful place as a Child of God! Help fill the earth again with His Praise and Glory, by lifting up your voice to Him today. He is soon coming to do just that…He wants this earth full of people who will worship Him in purity and holiness of truth. He will cast out all that offends His Kingdom and all that will be left are those who are full of His Characteristics. He gives those to whomsoever will ask Him for a change of heart.