Instead of following human traditions or popular opinion, Jesus pointed people to the Scriptures, God’s word, for what ought to be done in religious matters and life in general (Mk. 7:5-13). Jesus came to earth to fulfill the Scriptures (Mt. 5:17), from His birth (Mt. 1:21-23) to His death (Jn. 19:24, 28, 36) to His resurrection (Psa. 16:8-11; Acts 2:25-28). When resurrected, He said to two of His disciples, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Lk. 24:25, 26). The following verse explains: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk. 24:27). To the eleven, He said: “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Lk. 24:44).
When He was young, His parents found Him after three days of searching; He was in the temple talking with the teachers of the law, discussing the Scriptures (Lk. 2:46). He was determined to do His Father’s will (Lk. 2:49). When He was asked to read the Scriptures at His hometown synagogue in Nazareth, He concluded His reading of Isaiah with this statement: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Lk. 4:21).

When Jesus was tempted by the devil. His response was to quote Scripture, saying, “It is written…” (Mt. 4:4, 7, 10; Lk. 4:4, 8). If we will resist temptation to sin, we must follow in the footsteps of our sinless savior (1 Pet. 2:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:21). He was determined to follow the Scriptures instead of giving in to the tricks of the devil. Those who trust their own thought and feelings without much regard for the written word of God are susceptible to being led astray into sin (Jer. 10:23). We must hide God’s word in our hearts so that we do not sin against God (Psa. 119:11).
When Jesus healed a leper, He told him to go to the priest and make the offering Moses commanded (Lk. 5:12-14). Jesus pointed the healed man to following Leviticus 14. Many people today have an attitude in regard to the Bible that says, “Well that was written a long time ago, and we live in a different world today.” Before Jesus died on the cross the law of Moses was still in place. While Jesus walked on the earth, He told people to follow the law of Moses even though it had been written around 1,500 years in the past. We should have the same attitude toward God’s word today, particularly in following the last will and testament of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:15).
When an expert in the law of Moses put Jesus to the test, asking Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”, Jesus responded by asking him, “What is written in the law?” (Lk. 10:25). The crucial question of what to do to be saved eternally must not be left to human tradition or public opinion. Only the word of God can provide a sure-fire answer. Consider what the word of God says you must do (Acts 2:37, 38; 16:29-34). Follow Jesus to Whom the Scriptures pointed and Who pointed to the Scriptures in the path to salvation (Jn. 8:24; 14:6; Lk. 13:3; Mt. 10:32; Mk. 16:16).

Romans 1:18-32 is a passage which describes the downward spiral into which men plunge when they remove God from His rightful place. Though God has given enough proof of His existence, divinity, and eternal power by the material world He has created, some are bent on suppressing this evidence to pursue their own concepts of freedom. Though these individuals profess to be wise, in reality they become foolish. Their hearts are bent on fulfilling their twisted lusts. They applaud and approve of any lifestyle that shakes a defiant fist at Almighty God. Paul was describing the Gentile world in his time, but doesn’t Romans 1:18-32 sound like a fitting description of some aspects of today’s society?

What else should we expect when we remove the eternal God from our educational systems and the values that shape public policy? Not every atheist is immoral, but society in general becomes debased when people no longer feel accountable to God, no longer have eternal purposes in their lives, and live primarily for present pleasure. People talk about their rights, but give no undergirding reason for those rights. Unlike the founders of this nation who cited our Creator as the basis for our right to life and liberty, often today rights are assumed to belong to people based on what those in power deem to be equitable. This rationale has proved to be deadly many times in many nations throughout history.

However, Christians living in ungodly societies is nothing new. The Bible has very applicable instructions for how we should behave righteously when the world around revels in wickedness. Peter wrote, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:11, 12). Christians have escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful lusts and have become partakers of God’s nature (2 Pet. 1:4). We continue to give considerable effort to add righteous qualities to our lives such as faith, moral excellence, knowledge of God’s word, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection and love (2 Pet. 1:5-7). We give considerable effort to add these and make our calling sure lest we become blind and fall into our former ways. We do not want to become entangled again in the defilements of the world that pose such a serious threat to our eternal souls, knowing that if we did, we would be worse off than before our initial escape/salvation (2 Pet. 2:20-22).

When the world becomes darker in wickedness and sin, then the Lord becomes more noticeable as the light of the world (John 8:12; 1 John 1:5); and those who follow Him stand out and shine all the brighter in reflecting God’s glory (Mt. 5:14-16; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15). Our ultimate goal is not to arrive at utopia by political success here on earth, but to point people to the treasure in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21) where our premier citizenship is (Phil. 3:20).