BiblicalInsights.net

Some of the essential elements involved in sustaining physical, human life are:  food, fresh water, air, sunlight and soil.  Without these, we simply could not live.  Have you ever considered the spiritual essentials to life?  Hosea reveals three spiritual essentials to life (both physical and spiritual) in Hosea 4:1, “Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land.”  What would it mean to live in a world without truth, mercy, and the knowledge of God?  Consider the following questions.  Aren’t many attempting to create a world without truth, mercy and the knowledge of God?  When we abandon God, we are creating such a world.  Are we more concerned about the physical environment than we are about the spiritual environment that we are creating?
No Truth
Without the truth, we would be in darkness.  We would be ignorant.  In order for a belief to be considered knowledge, it has to be true.  If it is information that is not true, it is a lie and not worthy of belief.  Without truth, we would be living in the vanity of the mind.  Paul said, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Eph. 4:17-19).  Truth may be defined as that which conforms to reality as God defines reality.  God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).  Truth is the basis for morality.  Without truth, there would be no morality.  There would be no standard of righteousness whereby we could discern between truth and error or right and wrong.  The consequence would be that anything and everything would be permitted.  Truth is the basis for justice.  If there is no truth, there is no justice.  The word just refers to that which is right according to the righteous standard that God has given to us through His revealed word.  A world without justice means that no one would be guilty.  There would be no restraint against the lusts of the flesh.  Lawlessness would result. Truth is the basis for freedom.  If there weren’t any truth, there would be no freedom.  The alternative to freedom is slavery.  Slavery to sin is the worst form of slavery (John 8:31-34).  Wouldn’t the absence of truth result in self-destruction?
No Mercy
Mercy is compassion for the human predicament that is expressed by lovingkindness, empathy, and tenderheartedness.  If there were no mercy, there would be no love of neighbor.  There would be only hatred and violence.  There would not be any hospitals or people to work in them.  Judgment without mercy would mean that there would be no mercy from God.  We would be left to face the wrath of God.  The absence of mercy would corrupt the human heart and set it on fire with wicked imaginations that would reach new heights of cruelty to others.
No Knowledge of God
Without the knowledge of God, we would be left with godlessness.  Evil would abound unchecked by anything good.  Every sexual perversion would be permissible.  Idolatry and Satanism would abound.  If there were no knowledge of God, then, there would be no good (Mark 10:18, God is Good).  There would be no life (John 1:1-5, God is Life).  There would be no Light (I John 1:5, God is light).  There would be no Love (I John 4:8,16, God is love).
The results of no truth, no mercy, and no knowledge of God would be:  chaos, self-destruction, corruption, violence, and every evil thing (the absolute control of the world by Satan without the possibility of redemption).  Such a spiritual state would result in the destruction of much of human life.  Would it be possible to live under such spiritual conditions?  If we abandon God, we will have no truth, no mercy and no knowledge of God producing the fear of the LORD which provides the restraint from the absolute indulgence of the flesh.  Without God, we would be miserable and hopeless.  Perhaps with this brief consideration of what life without God would be like, we can accept with complete gratitude what God has done for us through the revelation of His love in the unspeakable gift of His Son–Jesus Christ! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). There is hope because there is a redeemer.  Jesus Christ is the hope of the world because He is the savior of the world (John 4:42, I John 4:14). There is hope for each of us because there is truth, mercy, and the knowledge of God!