Today’s Most Frighteningly Accurate Verse

By David Ettinger

A Sad Commentary
As I was listening to a radio news show here in Orlando, the crew members were discussing having watched the new-season opener of the wildly popular TV show Game of Thrones.

The various individuals had several things in common. First, they absolutely loved the show and had been watching since its 2011 debut. Second, this was a relatively young group of journalists, probably in their 30s and 20s. Third, they appeared to be completely immune to the shocking content Game of Thrones vigorously churns out.

In case you don’t know, Game of Thrones is replete with scenes featuring graphic sex- and full-frontal nudity, violence and gore, and rampant profanity. At the beginning, I’m sure many Throne fans cringed at the smorgasbord of debauchery, but as the show wore on, they became accustomed to it. In fact, “Thronesies” practically idolize the show and bat not an eye at the orgy of depravity assaulting them.

Frighteningly Accurate
The willing and enthusiastic consumption of such entertainment reflects the frightening accuracy of one particular Bible verse, Romans 1:32: “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” It is the last part of this verse – “… but also approve of those who practice them …” – which is the focus here.

The context is Romans 1:18-32. Verse 18 begins: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Therefore, verse 32 is referring to those who practice wickedness. According to the writer of Romans, the apostle Paul, “wickedness” includes the refusal to glorify God (v. 21); exchanging the worship of immortal God for mortal entities (vv. 23, 25); and blatant sexual immorality (vv. 24, 26-28).

Furthermore, because unbelievers deliberately choose to reject God, He has given them over to:

… a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy (vv. 29-31).

Of course, not every unbeliever practices all of the above, but, collectively, this is the output of unregenerate humanity. And just because not every believer practices every sin mentioned above, they are still guilty of them because, as v. 32 says, they “approve of those who practice them.”

Does this mean that every fan of Game of Thrones “approves” of the acts they are viewing? Obviously not in practice (at least when it comes to the violence and gore), but they are certainly not condemning such acts. By watching them faithfully and enjoying what they see, Thrones enthusiasts are supporting depravity and, in essence, helping to propagate that depravity throughout society.

An “Approving” Society
More and more Western nations are becoming “Approving” societies. Let’s look at the area of same-sex marriage. In the U.S., approval of same-sex marriage is 64 percent, while same-sex relationship approval is 72 percent.[1] Though a consensus of European approval for same-sex marriage is hard to determine, an Internet search points to 69 percent. Australia’s approval rate is 62 percent[2] and Canada’s stands at 70 percent.[3] And the numbers are rising yearly.

A few decades ago, shows such as Game of Thrones would never stand a chance of being aired on TV, no matter how lax cable standards were. Now, however, as Western Culture becomes more and more “approving,” such entertainment offerings will increase and become even more debase as a “been-there, seen-that” society will demand more and more salaciousness to satisfy their ever-ravenous cravings.

No longer is such “Games of Thrones” content being relegated to movie theaters; it has “moved in” and become a member of the family.

Romans 1:32 has become today’s most frighteningly accurate verse, and will continue to grow more and more “accurate.” Our world is becoming overrun by those who don’t necessarily practice every act of debauchery listed in Romans Chapter 1, but by those who most certainly “… approve of those who practice them.”

For those of us who love the Lord Jesus, this is no time for despair or discouragement. Rather, it is a time to proclaim a living Savior who saves those who practice depravity, those who approve of acts of depravity, and those who do both.

[1] http://www.gallup.com/poll/210566/support-gay-marriage-edges-new-high.aspx

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/23/support-for-marriage-equality-has-grown-since-election-essential-poll-shows

[3] http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadians-still-support-same-sex-marriage-ten-years-in-but-even-more-of-us-are-coming-around-poll/wcm/0ba9a700-44d8-4919-8ddc-a08479918844

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Tagged: Christianity, Culture, Game of Thrones, Hollywood, Moral Decay, Movies, Television, The Book of Romans, the New Testament, theology

Posted in: Apologetics, Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Devotional, Editorial/Blog, Hollywood, Media, Moral Corruption, Movies, Television