Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Sunday, Dec 13, 2009

http://fbcweb.org/Audio.html

Salvation (Eph 2:1-3; Rom 3:10-12; 4:1-6; 11:6); SL (1 Pt 2:2; Eph 4:14), SG ( Js 4:6; 2 Cor 10:4-5)

GOD’S COVENANTS – Part 27: The Mosaic Covenant, Part 19:

Suppression of Truth: Reversionism, Idolatry, & Illicit Sex

(Messiah & A.C. #273)

A. Rejection of the Laws of Divine Establishment and Reversionism.

1. Reversionism is a technical theological term used for the degeneracy that takes place in a person’s soul by the suppression & rejection of God’s truth.

2. This suppression and rejection of God’s truth takes place among unbelievers (Rom 1:18-25; 2 Thess 2:7-12) as well as believers (Numbers 14:22-45; Dt 31:27; Rom 16:17-18; Gal 5:4; Eph 4:17-20; 5:14; Philip 3:18; 1 Tim 1:19-20; 4:1-5; 2 Tim 3:1-7; 4:3-4; 2 Pet 2:22; Js 4:4, 8; 1 Jn 2:15; Rev 2:4-5, 23; 3:15-17).

3 . No person can remain neutral regarding God’s truth.

4. The whole reversionistic process of rejection God’s truth for the lie of kosmos is driven by man’s sinful desire for autonomy to create his own worldview with respect to God, self, and the world, Rom 1:18-25.

5. This process of reversionism in exchanging the truth of God for the lie of KD takes place in both moral as well as immoral degeneracy, Jer 6:14; 8:11; Eze 13:10, 16.

6. Moral degeneracy includes many things that have “good moral rings” to them.

7. Just because something seems to work does NOT mean that it is right or will end up any good at all.

8. Unfortunately, due to lack of BD, many of God’s people actually become promoters of Satanic policies, cf Jer 6:14; 8:11; Eze 13:10, 16; Galatians.

B. Dominant characteristics of reversionism: disapproval of God’s Word/Plan which then sets up a chain reaction of covetousness, idolatry, and illicit sexual activity – with a total perversion of the norms and standards of God, Rom 1:18-32; 1 Cor 10.

1. Old Testament reversionism with its attendant idolatry, covetousness, and illicit sexual activity, Gen 4; 6:1-6; Ex 32:6; Numbers 25:1-3; Judges 2:10-13; 10:6;

1 Kings 12:28-33; 2 Kings 17:7-19; Jer 2:19-24; 3:6-10; Eze 16:23-37;

2. New Testament reversionism with its attendant covetousness, idolatry and illicit sexual activity, 1 Cor 5:1-5; 2 Cor 12:21; Rev 2:14, 20-23; 17:1-5;

3. Greco-Roman reversionism with its attendant covetousness, idolatry and illicit sexual activity.

4. Covetousness is the quickest modern American shortcut to reversionism with its attendant idolatry, demon influence, and illicit sexual activity, Col 3:5; Mt 6:24 Lk 12:15; 1 Tim 6:10; 2 Tim 3:1-5.

C. God’s wonderful plan, design, and blessings of sex – in contrast to the ubiquitous hedonistic views of sex in modern America.

1. God’s design of sex is for marriage only, between one adult man and one adult woman, and includes three areas of intimacy.

a) Spiritual intimacy, Eph 5:23-27.

b) Soulish intimacy, Eph 5:28-29.

c) Physical intimacy, Eph 5:31.

2. Licit (divinely sanctioned) sex was designed by God for intimacy, unity, pleasure and procreation.

3. In licit sex there is both unity & equality between the husband and the wife, 1 Cor 7:3-4.

4. It is illicit sex (all sex outside of marriage) that is sinful, evil, degenerate and a distortion of what God has so graciously provided.

5. Breakdown of the blessedness of sex in marriage is always a result of breakdown of the spiritual life which in turn leads to breakdown of spiritual virtue.

6. Problems & dangers of premarital sex, 1 Cor 6:18; 1 Thes 4:3-4; Heb 13:4.

D. The epistemological failure of all secular economics and a look at the reversionism of John Maynard Keynes and reversionistic economics.

1. There are only three epistemologies available in discovering Truth regarding economics or in any discipline that is comprised of axioms.

a. Empiricism or induction (Aristotle- Adam Smith)

b. Rationalism (Jean-Bapiste Say, Carl Menger, Ludwig von Mises).

c. Propositional divine revelation: Christian economics, BD (Luther).

2. Laissez-faire capitalism is the economic system that is most compatible with axioms of God’s Word (Rom 13; 1 Pet 2:14-15).

3. It was the rise of Laissez-faire capitalism through BD of the protestant work/life ethic that brought the world the most fantastic temporal freedom.

4. The reversionism of John Maynard Keynes & Keynesian Anti-Christian Economics.

5. The Bible clearly teaches the divine right of private property and therefore supports capitalism, Ex 20:15, 17; Mt 20:15; Acts 5.

6. In spite of the fantastic success of true capitalism, attacks on capitalism (private property, the marketplace, individual responsibility, individualism, private enterprise) continue at a fever pitch.

7. Communism is not only a reversionistic economic policy, it is a logical impossibility.

8. Only in true capitalism is there the recognition of the sacredness of privacy, property, freedom, and life under the rule of law.

9. Only in true capitalism is there a separation of business and the state.

10. Capitalism and free enterprise are consistent with biblical view of man.

11. Capitalism and free enterprise work best in a society which is influenced by the biblical ethic.