About Jesus  -  Steve Sweetman

Consequences Of Cultural Prostitution

At His appointed time God will hand people over to their sinful desires and shameful lusts (Romans 1:24 - 26).  Those who have known God's righteous decree but continue to live in sin and approve of others who do so, deserve death (Romans 1:32).  To help us understand what the Apostle Paul is saying I refer you to the detailed account of two prostitutes found in Ezekiel 23.

Ezekiel 23 concerns two young sisters who forsook God to prostitute themselves with pagan men to satisfy their sensual cravings.  Ezekiel went into much descriptive detail to show how these two girls enjoyed the sexual attention that was lavished on them by their lust-filled lovers.  They especially appreciated being compensated with the good life provided by these men, that is, until their beauty faded.  They were then discarded as trash and left to die.  In other words, their sin eventually led to their deserved death, and thus the meaning to Romans 1:32.   

Ezekiel said that these two sisters represented Samaria and Jerusalem, two communities of people who walked away from God to prostitute themselves with a pagan neighbouring nation.  The lesson learned from this chapter is that when God hands a community of people over to its sin, its sin will eventually do the community in.  I believe this is happening in the western world right now.  The West has forsaken God's righteous decrees that once influenced it and is prostituting itself with a religion of self indulgent sin.  Western culture has not only chosen to sin, it approves of those who sin through government legislation that has legitimized sin by legalizing immorality.      

Western people have saturated themselves with all kinds of violence and ungodly expressions of sexuality in every media format available to their depraved minds.  The desire for violent entertainment, for example, is now being played out in real time and real life.  We have become that which has entertained us and it is literally killing us.  Remember, death is what Paul said a culture like ours deserves as was seen in Ezekiel 23 with Samaria and Jerusalem.  If God would hand His holy city of Jerusalem over to death, don't ever think He could not do the same to your nation.       

If God hasn't already handed the West over to its sins, His decision to do so can't be far off.  Romans 1:32 is definitely applicable.  "Although they (the West included) know God's righteous decree (as it has known) that those who do such things (sin) deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve (legalize immorality) of those who practice them."

The consequence of cultural prostitution is death.  "I'm about to deliver you into the hands of those you hate ... They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for" (Ezekiel 23:28 - 29).  "Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution" (Ezekiel 23:35).  If there was ever a time for this prophetic word of warning in our western world, it is now.