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Paul declares by the Holy Spirit, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turn away” (II Tim. 3:1-5).  There are nineteen sins listed by Paul.  Two are the focus of this article:  lovers of self and lovers of pleasure.  These two sins combine to produce the peril of self-indulgence.
Self-Indulgence Defined
Self-indulgence is the unrestrained gratification of one’s own appetites including desires, passions, and whims.  There is a dynamic that needs to be considered.  It is the dynamic of impulsiveness verses intentionality.  The lusts of the flesh war against the soul.  When we act impulsively, we do not think about our words or actions or their consequences.  We merely act on habitual responses or act on the seduction of risky behavior.  The enticement of pleasure adds to the dynamic.  The pleasures of sin factor in to the intensity of temptation and create desire for that which is forbidden by God.  When we act intentionally, we pause to consider the choice of our words and actions and also their consequences.  This mindfulness produces a thought process that enables us to control our words and actions based upon a conscience ruled by God’s standard of righteousness.  Habitual responses become more intense over time and with continued practice they produce a reluctance to resist the object of desire.  In self-indulgence, we put our own interests above others including God.   Self-indulgence exhausts the energy needed in Christian living and service to God and others.  We are so preoccupied with our own needs that there is no time, energy, or money left to serve God.  We are spent.  We have spent all on self-gratification.
Synonyms of Self-Indulgence
Consider some of the following terms that are synonymous with self-indulgence.  Hedonism is the false philosophy where we pursue pleasure.  Indeed, we are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.  When God is supplanted by anything else, we have made an idol out of that entity.  When we love pleasure more than God, we have made an idol out of pleasure.  God is supposed to be our “first love” (Mt. 22:36-39).  Covetousness is another synonym for self-indulgence.  Covetousness is the insatiable desire for more and more.  Paul actually says that covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5).  Egotism is another synonym.  Egotism is when we live in a self-centered way.  We have to have our own way or else we are unhappy.  Entitlement is another synonym.  Entitlement is when a person believes that everyone else in the world owes him/her something if not everything.  One thing is common to all of these terms: the self.  When we become self-indulgent, we become self-serving and we have made an idol out of self.
Antonyms of Self-Indulgence
Self-restraint and self-mastery are both antonyms of self-indulgence.  Both involve the ability to control speech and behavior.  Both involve the ability to say “no” to self and defer gratification.  Moderation is another antonym.  With moderation extremes are eliminated and excesses are eliminated.  We can find balance and practice it.  Discipline is an antonym.  Discipline is training in righteousness that produces the fruit of righteousness in words and works.   Righteousness is right living as God defines it in His Word.  Self-control or temperance is another antonym.  Self-control uses the powers of the mind, heart and will to bring the appetites of the flesh under the control of the Spirit of God.  It is a virtue of the heart.  It helps us avoid:  overeating, overspending, alcohol and drug abuse (including smoking), procrastination, and risky sexual behaviors.
The Antidote to Self-Indulgence
The antidote to self-indulgence is found through Jesus Christ.  The virtue of temperance is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).  These fruits are born in the heart of those who are vitally connected to the vine (John 15:1-11).  Jesus is the vine and we must be in Him in order to bear the fruit of the Spirit.  Today, people want cheap grace, convenience in Christian living, and the promises of God without obedience to the precepts of God.  This spiritual state is self-indulgent and lacks discipline.  The Word of God provides the sacred knowledge that will reprove, correct, and instruct in righteousness.  We must hear it, believe it, and obey it in order to be saved from our self-indulgent selves.

The Kinsmen produced a song titled, Excuses, Excuses, You Hear Them Everyday!  The lyrics of this song include the following:
“Excuses, excuses, you’ll hear them every day.
And the Devil he’ll supply them, if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.”

Then, the song lyrics include a multitude of excuses commonly used by people to avoid religion. Here is an example.
“Well, the preacher he’s too young. And, maybe he’s too old.
The sermons they’re not hard enough. And, maybe they’re too bold.
His voice is much too quiet-like. Sometimes he gets too loud.
He needs to have more dignity. Or, else he’s way too proud.
Well, the sermons they’re too long. And, maybe they’re too short.
He ought to preach the word with dignity instead of “stomp and snort.”
Well, the preacher we’ve got must be “the world’s most stuck up man.”
Well, one of the lady’s told me the other day, “Well, he didn’t even shake my hand.”

In over fifty years of preaching, I have heard many excuses just like these!
Twice in the book of Romans, Paul uses the Greek word anapologētos which is translated, “without excuse” in Romans 1:20 and “inexcusable” in Romans 2:1.
First, rejecting God is inexcusable.  “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”   Paul affirms that the creation declares the power and glory of God.  The created universe is visible to all people.  “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Ps. 19:1-3).  When the truth that God is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him is suppressed, the consequences are disastrous.  Paul mentions: ignorance (Rom. 1:18); ingratitude (Rom. 1:21); idolatry (Rom. 1:23); immorality (Rom. 1:24-32); and impenitence (Rom. 2:4-6).  Individuals who will not turn to the Lord and obey Him will have to face the indignation and wrath of God (Rom. 2:6-11).  They have no one to blame but themselves because they are “without excuse.”
Second, attempting to supplant God in the matter of final judgment is inexcusable (Rom. 2:1).  The Jews judged the Gentiles with regard to moral law, but the Jews practiced the same immoral acts (Rom. 2:21-23) condemned in the law.  They attempted to judge others from a hypocritical state.  Paul states that this is inexcusable because they knew the law and did not obey it.  Another thought on judging others relates to the final judgment of God.  Only God can judge a person’s final standing before Him.  God will render to every man according to his works (Rom. 2:6).  Only God knows everything a person has thought, said, or done.  Only God knows the secrets of the hearts of men.  God is no respecter of persons and His judgment will be according to righteous judgment.  Failure to fear God is inexcusable!
Third, failing to fully obey the gospel of Christ is inexcusable.  In Matthew 22:2-14, Jesus told a parable about the kingdom of God.  The Parable of the Wedding Feast contains a section where the king enters into the the place where the guests were located and sees a man who did not have on a wedding garment.  The king asked, “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?  And he was speechless” (Matt. 22:11-12).  The man was not properly attired and was immediately cast out (Matt. 22:13).  Wearing the wedding garment clearly stands for our effort to respond to the king’s goodness, grace, and requirements for enjoying the wedding feast.  In order to be in the kingdom of God, a person must be baptized into Christ and put on Christ (Gal. 3:26-27); he must have his sins washed away by the blood of Christ whereby he makes his robes white (Acts 22:16; Rev. 7:14); and he must walk in righteousness and true holiness (Heb. 12:14).  God calls us to holiness by His Word (I Thess. 4:7).  There is no excuse for not obeying the commands of God.
If you haven’t believed in God, feared the judgment of God or obeyed the gospel of Christ, why not?  Be careful how you respond!

Who has known the mind of the LORD? (Rom. 11:33-36).  Let us begin in an attitude of humility.  Humility is lowliness of mind and heart before God.  Humility is an attitude of submission before God whereby we recognize His greatness and glory.  O the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God! (Rom. 11:33).  How unsearchable are His judgments.  His ways are past finding out.  The finite mind fails when attempting to probe the infinite mind of God.  Who hath been His counselor?  Paul quotes from Isaiah 40:13.  Isaiah 40 is devoted to affirming the superiority of the LORD and the sovereignty of the LORD. Isaiah declares boldly for Israel to “Behold Your God! (Isa. 40:9).  The LORD is the incomparable One.  “To whom then will ye liken God?” (Isa. 40:18).  We must know God.  The goal for us is to know something of the wisdom and knowledge of God so that we can live our lives in full view of that wisdom and knowledge.  Knowing God is the beginning of knowing ourselves in relation to Him.  This is the reason we begin with the deepest and heartfelt humility.
What is Wisdom?
The wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results, by the best possible means.  Wisdom is based upon knowledge and God is omniscient (all-knowing).  God knows the past, present and future.  He knows the intricate details of the entire universe including our own human nature and physical and spiritual being.  Isaiah asks, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” (Isa. 40:12).  Each probing question emphasizes the limits of human knowledge and ability.  But, what human prowess cannot do, God can do!  Isaiah mentions that God created the stars and knows them all by name (Isa. 40:26).  God is the creator.  Human beings are His creatures.  The error of  modern man is to humanize God and deify self.  This act of arrogance attempts to invert the relationship between ourselves and the one, true, and living God.  When we give up our knowledge of God, we will plunge into the darkness and corruption that has been created by the god of this world–Satan himself (Rom. 1:18-32).  Humility of heart recognizes the superiority of God and produces the fear of the LORD that respects God’s wisdom over the wisdom of this world.  Wisdom is not only knowledge, it is know-how.  Wisdom entails the skillfulness to formulate the best plan and to carry it out in the best and most effective manner. Wisdom sees the end from the beginning.  Only God can do this.  Thus, the need to guess or conjecture is eliminated.  This makes God’s knowledge and wisdom absolute.
Characteristics of God’s Wisdom
God is naturally wise.  This means that wisdom is part of His nature.  Wisdom is the essence of His being.  God is wholly, completely wise.  Nothing God does fails.  Nothing God does is self-defeating.  Nothing God does is NOT the BEST!  God’s wisdom represents the best of the best when it comes to guidance and instruction.  God’s wisdom is unsurpassed.  God is invariably wise. God never makes a mistake.  His judgments are perfect and right altogether.  Consequently, human beings are not in a position to correct God.  We might ask, “Why did you create me thus?” Or, “Why do you permit suffering?”  These types of “why” questions must be resolved in absolute trust of God’s superior wisdom.  We ask these questions because we do not know the answers and, in these instances, only God does.  We began in humility and we must continue in humility.
The Manifestation of God’s Wisdom
There are four areas where we can readily see God’s wisdom.  The first is creation.  Everything that God created was very good (Gen. 1:31).  God created human beings male and female.  God created human beings in His image (Gen. 1:27).  God is the ultimate reality.  God’s created order is part of our reality.  Any attempt to change God’s created order is foolishness.  When people rebel against God there is going to be a clash between God’s wisdom and the wisdom of this world.  Instead of humility, we become arrogant and desire to supplant God’s will with our own will thus making ourselves into a god (Ps. 104:24-26; Proverbs 3:19-20).  The second is God’s commandments.  The LORD giveth wisdom (Prov. 2:6).  Out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.  God gives us sacred knowledge through the revelation He has given us in His Word.  This knowledge is the only basis for salvation.  God’s Word is unique because it comes from Him and instructs in righteousness.  It gives guidance and direction for our own lives.  The Bible fool is the one who rejects the wisdom from above for the wisdom of this world (Matt. 7:24-27).  Those who hear and obey God’s Word are truly enlightened and characterized as wise. The third is Christ Jesus our Lord.  Paul declares, “But we preach Christ crucified, not the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (I Cor. 1:23-24).  Through Jesus Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself (II Cor. 5:18).  Through Jesus Christ, the resolution of man’s sin dilemma (condemnation before God) is accomplished.  Jesus makes justification possible (Rom. 5:8-9).  “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”  The fourth is the church of Christ.  In Eph. 3:10-11, God’s Word teaches, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  The church of Christ is made up of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).  The church is the spiritual body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23).  The church is the spiritual sphere where all spiritual blessings are to be found (Eph. 1:3).  The church is comprised of the saved (Acts 2:41,47). The church makes spiritual union with Christ and all of those of like precious faith possible.  The church has the grand spiritual purpose of guarding the truth and proclaiming the truth to all nations and tongues.  The church is glorious, spotless, and holy (Eph. 5:27).  The church strives to imitate Christ. The church is comprised of those who are God’s children (Gal. 3:26-27).  When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized by one Spirit into His spiritual body–the church (I Cor. 12:13).
The wisdom of God is unsurpassed!  It is the best of the best.  It is set in strong contrast to the wisdom of this world (James 3:13-18).  When we humble ourselves in the sight of the LORD, we will walk in His wisdom.  We will walk in His love, truth and righteousness. We will follow the wisdom from above and reject the wisdom of this world.

Greg Epstein wrote a book titled, Good Without God in which he makes the bold claim that Humanism can produce moral goodness without God.  Epstein is the Humanist chaplain at Harvard.  He attempts to provide a worldview for nonbelievers that provides a basis for morality.  The premise of the book is: Humanism can deliver morality without God.  Can we be good without God?  The question is not: Can we be good without belief in God? An atheist, for example, may be able to do some morally good things (as a matter of choice), but doing some good things does not make one good by definition.  No one is sinless (Rom. 3:23).  Consequently, all need a savior (John 3:16).  Jesus  is the savior of the world (John 4:42; I John 4:14). We cannot be good without God when we understand goodness/righteousness to be the result of redemption through Jesus Christ.
Can We Be Good Without God?
This is a question that focuses on the nature of moral values.  Are moral values/laws we hold dear the result of social convention?   Are they the result of personal preference (relativism)?  Or, are they valid and binding independent of our opinions being grounded in the nature of God and His laws?
Consequences of Naturalism
Naturalism is the view that moral values are the by-product of biological evolution and social conditioning.  This means that all moral values are self-determined and relative.  Under this view, the Holocaust could be justified on the basis of a form of eugenics that was advantageous to German Nazis.  If there is no God, anything and everything is permissible!  If a lion kills a zebra in order to have food to eat, does the lion kill (murder) the zebra?  Does it have to stand trial for killing the zebra?  If a great white shark forcibly copulates with a female shark does it rape it?  Do we hold it accountable for rape?  We make a distinction between the conduct in the animal world and human beings.  Human beings are not animals.  Human beings are held to a higher moral standard than animals.  Naturalism fails to make this distinction and treats human beings as if they were animals.  We recognize the truth that for human beings objective moral values and duties exist.
Consequences of Theism
Theism affirms that God is (Gen. 1:1 and Heb. 11:6).  God is good (Mark 10:18).  God is the only morally perfect Being (The Triune God) who is intrinsically good.  God is holy (I Pet. 1:13,14).  God is love (I John 4:8, 16).  God is righteous (Ps. 11:7). “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”  Moral laws come from God.  The nature of God defines the nature of moral values/laws.  Moral duties exist because God has expressed His Will to human beings from the very beginning of the creation of mankind (Gen. 1 and 2).  There never has been a time, since human beings were created by God, that they did not have moral guidance from God.  When people give up their knowledge of God and rebel against God, they become morally reprobate.  Sin by definition is a transgression of God’s Will (I John 3:4).  People are not morally good when they violate God’s law and sin against Him.  The basic proposition of theism is:  If God does not exist, then objective moral values and duties do not exist.  Objective moral values do exist (murder, rape).  Therefore, God exists.
The Euthyphro Dilemma Resolved
This dilemma was named after a character in one of Plato’ Dialogues.  The dilemma can be stated thus:  Is something good because God wills it? Or, does God will something because it is good? The solution to this dilemma is: God wills something because He is good!  God, Himself, is the moral standard that determines good and evil.  God’s commands reflect His moral character, His holiness.  (see William Lane Craig, On Guard, pp. 120-121).
Sin Is Intrinsic Evil
Sin is defined by God in His Word (I John 3:4; 5:17).  All unrighteousness is sin.  Since all people sin against God, all accountable people must be saved from sin and its consequences (Rom. 3:23).  No one is good without God!  Through His love, mercy, and grace we can be saved from sin and justified before God. We are made perfect through the redemption that God has provided in and through His Son-Jesus Christ. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Rom. 5:8-9).  No one is good without being saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.  You cannot be good without God!  “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

“Blessed is the man that walkest not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standest in the way of sinners, nor sittest in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringest forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doth shall prosper” (Ps. 1:1-3).
The righteous will bear fruit and prosper because they have entered into covenant relationship with God and God’s grace supplies them all that they need in order to be spiritually successful.
Fruit trees teach us something of value.  Fig trees must be 3 to 5 years old before bearing fruit.  The olive tree must be 7 years old before bearing fruit.  A mature tree can pr0duce 1,000 pounds of fruit and live to be 1,000 years old.  Some of the best fruit is produced in the last season of life.  What is the last season of life?  The answer may be somewhat difficult to define with a specific age, but certainly in our older years in contrast to our younger years of life.    How should Christians spend these years in the kingdom of God?
A Real Tension Between Personal Desire and Cultural Norms
Our personal desire is the live a full, meaningful, and fruitful life.  However, our culture shouts that we are too old to be of any use.  Retire and live a life of ease.  After all, you’ve earned it.  But, this expectation causes us to turn inward and makes us more self-centered and self-indulgent.  This view conflicts with the Scriptural instructions that we receive from God.  A Christian has opportunity to bear the most fruit in the last season of life.
Leadership
Elders in the Lord’s church must not be novices (I Tim. 3:6).  Elders must be seasoned, experienced, wise, godly and skilled in the use of God’s Word.  The development of godly character and the proving of that character takes time.  Wisdom is knowledge plus know-how.  Experience in the use of God’s Word takes time to acquire.  The word “elder” itself indicates that leadership in the Lord’s kingdom does not come from the youngest Christians, but from older Christian men.  An elder proves himself in his own home (I Tim. 3:4-5).  Godly leadership in the home is a prerequisite to godly leadership in the church.  Such leadership takes time to develop and prove itself so that other members of the church can observe it and accept it as validation for of the office of an elder.  An elder leads in promoting and defending the purity of the church (Titus 1:9-10).  It takes time to acquire a knowledge of God and His Word.  It takes even more time to become skillful in the Word (Heb. 5:14, “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil”).  Spiritual discernment is the same as righteous judgment (John 7:24).  Both utilize the principles and truths of God’s Word to solve problems, recognize error and refute it, and provide answers to doubtful disputations.  Self-mastery is also a qualification of elders.  Spiritual maturity is reached when a person has grown to acquire the fruits of the Spirit in his life.  The moral qualifications for elders given in I Tim. 3 and Titus 1 confirm that this man is not a novice.  He is tried, tested, and has demonstrated that he possesses the godly character that commands respect from within the kingdom of God and from without.  There is no doubt, that God’s Word indicates that leadership is a fruit that can be born in the last season of life.  While it is possible for a man to qualify to be an elder before he reaches this stage of life, it is certainly true that men in this last season of life can bear the fruit of godly leadership.  If we are going to build the kingdom of God, we need good spiritual guidance from men sound in the faith and qualified by the Holy Spirit to lead.
Teaching God’s Word
Often Christians, who have taught God’s Word in the earlier years of their lives, but reach the retirement years, resign from teaching God’s Word and “let the younger generation do it.”  However, God’s Word declares, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers,  not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedience to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:3-5).  Actively teaching the Word of God is a fruit that should be born in the last season of life.  Aged women should be exemplary in godly character bearing the fruits of the Spirit in the their lives.  They are to be holy, not false accusers (gossip by definition is a partial truth), and “not given too much wine” (abstain from the inebriating effects of alcoholic beverages).  They are to be teachers of good things and they are to teach the younger women.  Older women must seize this opportunity to teach the younger women to be sober (have the full powers of reasoning unobscured by drugs or alcohol), to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, and obedient to their own husbands.  This is a significant responsibility given to older women.  The fruit of a godly example and positive instruction in righteousness are to be born in the last season of life.
Spiritual Maturity
“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in the faith, in charity, in patience” (Titus 2:1-2).  Our older years should be characterized by spiritual maturity.  This is not to say that we should not display true godliness in our younger years as Christians.  But, older members of God’s kingdom should demonstrate Christian maturity.  Spiritual maturity is characterized by spiritual discernment.  Spiritual discernment is dependent upon knowledge of God’s Word and know-how or experience in using God’s Word in daily life.  God’s Word is a great source of the wisdom which is from above (the revelation of the mind of God to the mind/heart of human beings).  Life itself gives us opportunities to utilize God’s Word through application (obedience) in our lives.  The disciplined life results.  The Christian life is a disciplined life where temperance or self-control is manifested and the lusts of the flesh are defeated. Youthful lusts are slain by faithfulness to God.  Spiritual toughness is the result of exercising ourselves in godliness.  Older Christians should display Christlikeness and possess a depth of knowledge and wisdom in the grace of God.
Relationship Building
The apostle Paul was characterized as “the aged” in Philemon 1:9.  He was probably around 61 or 62 years of age at this time.  Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of love to heal a broken relationship between Philemon and Onesimus.  Paul was involved in peacemaking.  Through peacemaking, a better and stronger relationship could be forged between Philemon and Onesimus.  Paul was instrumental in the conversion of Onesimus (Philemon 1:10).  The spiritual transformation of Onesimus changed the relationship between him and Philemon.  On the spiritual grounds of this new relationship, Paul appeals to Philemon to be merciful and forgive.  If Philemon follows through with Paul’s desire, there is no doubt that the relationship between them would be preserved and strengthened.  Older Christians have an antidote to loneliness.  They can build new relationships in Christ.  Find someone to minister to and make the investment of your life in their life.  Unleash the power of love to form new bonds between Christians.  Unleash the power of the gospel to bring others to Christ.  Building lasting relationships is a fruit that can be born in the last season of life.
Other Fruits 
Can you think of more fruit that can be born in our last season of life?  Paul mentions nine fruits in Gal. 5:22-23.  Consider also: Rom. 6:22; James 3:18; and Col. 1:10.  Jesus teaches us that if we abide in Him, He cleanses us so that we can bear more fruit (John 15:1-8).  God desires that we bear “much fruit.”  Faithfulness is a key to fruitfulness!  If we really desire to please God in all things, we should bear fruit in His kingdom during the last season of life.  The faithful servant is the fruitful servant (Matt. 25:23).  Only the faithful servant will be welcomed into the “joy of thy Lord.”

An interesting and provocative goal for 2023 is soul-care.  What is it?  Soul-care is nurturing the spiritual aspect of our being (our soul) through sacred knowledge of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit and strengthening our fellowship with them through worship, Bible study, character development, and Christian service.
The First Step in Soul-Care
The first step in soul-care is the deliverance of the human soul from the penalty and practice of sin.  The experience of sinful attitudes and actions is universal.  “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin (Rom. 3:9; Paul proved this in chapters one and two). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  The practice of sin results in the penalty for sin which is spiritual death (Rom. 6:23).  If sin is not forgiven by God, the penalty is eternal punishment.  When we sin against God, our soul is in spiritual peril.  The only remedy is found in and through Jesus Christ.
Obedience to the Gospel
How do we obtain forgiveness of our sins?  This is the most important question that the human heart can ponder.  The first object in soul-care is our salvation from sin and God’s wrath.  “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Rom. 5:8-9).  The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin and we are forgiven and freed from the bondage of sin.  When does this occur?
Twice in the New Testament obedience to the gospel is referenced.  However, it is referenced in the negative.  In Rom. 10:16, God’s word declares, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:16-17).  The gospel is God’s power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16).  Obedience to the gospel is essential in order to obtain salvation.  The second passage of scripture is found in II Thess. 1:7-10, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”  Unbelief produces disobedience.  The gospel of Christ is the good news of the salvation accomplished through the redemptive work of Jesus.  Every person can avail themselves of this salvation.  The gospel of Christ contains: (1) facts about Jesus–His pre-existence, birth, life, ministry, teaching, miracles, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and coronation (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); (2) Commands.  All of the commandments of Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16);  and (3) promises.  The promises of God relating to salvation and eternal life (Acts 2:39; Titus 1:2).  Certainly, the gospel is “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10).
What are Some of the Commands Jesus Gave?
First, we must hear the word of God (Rom. 10:14).  We must come to know God and His will for our lives.  Faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17).  Knowing the truth and believing the truth are connected.  A person can know the truth and reject it thus manifesting unbelief.  But, you cannot believe if you do not know the truth.  Faith and love for God are connected.  Gal. 5:6, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” Faith is energized by love.  Faith is “taking God at His word.”  Love is the highest motivation for obedience to God’s will.  Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings…” (John 14:23-24).  Just like unbelief produces disobedience, so does lack of love for God.  Jesus also commands us to repent of our sins (Luke 13:3,5).  Repentance is a universal command of the gospel.  “And the times of this ignorance God winked at: but now commanders all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).  The gospel requires that people confess that Jesus is Lord.  “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believers unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9,10).  Confession of Christ is a pre-requisite to baptism.  Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).  Those who have never obeyed these commands of the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of God and from the glory of his might (II Thess. 1:7-9).  If we die in our sins, we die without mercy.  If we die in our sins, we will be raised unforgiven in sin and thus raised to damnation (John 8:24 and 5:28,29).
Other Notable Passages on Obedience
In Rom. 6:16-17, Paul writes by inspiration and says that when we obey from the heart that form of doctrine we are made free from sin.  In Heb. 5:8-9, the sacred writer affirms that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.  Jesus taught in Matt. 28:18-20 that we make disciples by teaching them the whole truth and baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Finally, Peter declares that we purify our souls in obeying the truth (I Pet. 1:21-22).
Blessed Are They That Do His Commandments
A special blessing belongs to those who are obedient to God.  “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14).  Soul-care begins by obtaining the salvation which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We must obey the gospel in order to obtain forgiveness of our sins and change our spiritual status before God.  When we obey the gospel, we become the children of God (Gal. 3:26,27).

In a recent article by Jeff Miller, titled, “Should Christians Accept Evolution and an Old Earth To Win Converts?” Part 2, Reason and Revelation, May, 2022, Miller stated, “We would not suggest that every person must necessarily passionately believe in a young Earth and a literal Creation to be saved.”  This statement was made in the context of reason #6, “Teaching Error is sinful.”  Miller was affirming that if a person held a wrong view of literal creation, it would be okay, but if he taught that personal belief to others, it would be a sin.  The complete article can be accessed from Apologetics Press at www.apologeticspress.org. The statement by Miller brings up the question, “can a person believe a lie and not be damned?” Another question that might be asked is, “can a person sin in his/her mind or heart?”
Let’s consider some passages of scripture that will help answer these questions.
First, in II Thess. 2:10-12, the Holy Spirit through Paul declares, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish: because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  Paul states that it is possible to believe a lie and be damned.  Notice that he does not say that the person must teach the lie that he believes personally.  The sin is unbelief of the truth!  Unbelief leads to disobedience.  What is the lie that is held personally by the person who rejects a literal creation?  The lie is organic evolution or perhaps theistic evolution.  If I do not believe in a literal creation, I would have to believe in some form of evolution.  Organic or macroevolution denies the very existence of God!  It denies the spiritual aspect (the soul) of every human being.  It denies that there is any difference between animals and humans.  The implications of the lie of evolution are enormous.  Theistic evolutionists have varying views among themselves.  Many, such  as C. S. Lewis, believe in “common ancestry” or “common descent.”  This concept affirms that man evolved from some lower life form and then changed into the form of a monkey, and continued to evolve into a Neanderthal, and eventually several thousand Neanderthals were infused with a soul and became human beings about 120,000 years ago.  Such a concept denies the creation account given by God through Moses in Genesis 1 and 2.  This results in tampering with the lexical and grammatical aspects of Genesis 1 and 2 to make these passages figurative and mythological instead of literal and historical.  Such tampering with the sacred text is itself a sin.  Many theistic evolutionists also hold to an old Earth view and accept the evolutionary estimates that the universe is 14 billion years old and the Earth is 4-5 billion years old (John Lennox, Seven Days That Divide the World is an example and, so is Nobie Stone’s book: Genesis 1 and Lessons in Space).  The age of the Earth can be determined through the chronology given to us in Scripture.  An old Earth view denies Scriptural chronology.  The chronology of the Bible is interwoven with the genealogy of the Bible.  If you attempt to destroy the chronology, you will destroy the genealogy and the genealogy is Christological.  You cannot believe a lie and believe the truth at the same time!  If you believe a lie, you reject the truth and if you believe the truth, you reject lies.  Believing lies will not save a person’s soul.  “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).
Second, Eph. 2:2-3, Sins of the Heart/Mind
The apostle Paul writes by the Holy Spirit, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” The phrase lusts of the flesh is a reference to sinful desires–the desires of the flesh and of the mind.  Jesus was very clear about the fact that we can sin with our heart/mind.  “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery.  But I say unto you, That whosoever lookest on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”  Jesus also said, “…That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.  For from within out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23).  What are “evil thoughts?”  Are they not sinful thoughts and demisings?  Deceit (dolos) is a reference to lies.  Lies originate in the heart and then, they are spoken or acted upon.  All unbelief is deceit.  Unbelief is the rejection of the truth. Rejection of the truth is not innocent or innocuous.  Lust precedes adultery and fornication.  The sin is in the heart. Consider a New Testament example.  In Acts 8, Philip the evangelist goes down to Samaria and preached Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God.  A man by the name of Simon who was a sorcerer was converted.  Later, Simon coveted the power of Peter and John that enabled them to convey miraculous gifts through the laying on of their hands.  Simon thought that he could purchase this power.  Peter rebuked him saying, “…Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:20-22).  Peter’s rebuke of the sin in the heart of Simon would be the appropriate response to the person who rejected the truth about the doctrine of creation revealed in Genesis 1 and 2.
The Doctrine of Creation
The doctrine of creation is part of the doctrine of Christ (II John 9-11).  If we do not abide in the doctrine of Christ, we do not have fellowship with God.  The doctrine of creation has a direct bearing on who Jesus is.  Jesus is the Creator of all things (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-18).  This fact is an important aspect of Jesus’ deity.  To deny the account of creation as given in God’s Word is to deny the deity of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is not only the Creator, He has told us exactly when He created all things (Genesis 1, 2; Exodus 20:11) and what He created and how He created it.  To reject this truth is to call God a liar and believe a lie.  Those who believe a lie will be damned.