The toleration of evil is looked upon as a virtue in our day. The very suggestion that some limit should be set to the amount of evil which men are permitted to do, is enough to make those who are radicals in outlook hold up their hands in horror and complain about the filching away of people’s liberties. This wrong attitude towards evil is in large measure responsible for the increase of all kinds of criminal activities and evil doing in the nation. A changed attitude towards evil is necessary, an attitude intolerant of evil, if the nation is not to sink in a mire of its own making.
How is this change of mind to come about? We cannot expect it to take place apart from a changed attitude to the Word of God. It is because men have ceased to give the Bible the place which it ought to have that evil has come to be tolerated more and more. As men’s moral sensitiveness has decreased so evil has become more and more rampant. Lacking the knowledge which the Word of God gives, men have no standard by which they can judge objectively on moral or spiritual matters. They are left to subjective judgments which not only come far short of the truth but in many instances are diametrically opposed to it. The return of the objective standard of God’s Word is loudly called for in a day of declining morals.
To bring men back to the Word of God is the work of God’s Spirit. He alone can turn the minds and hearts of men to the Bible, and He alone can seal conviction of the truth of God’s Word upon the souls and consciences of sinners. How greatly then is an outpouring of the Spirit of God needed in our day from one end of the land to the other and upon all classes of men from the highest to the lowest: Apart from a revival of true religion there appears little hope of a new attitude towards the evils so prevalent today.
The first effect of such a revival would be that men would be convinced of the evil of sin. Evil actions would no longer be looked upon as mere aberrations from too strict a rule, or explained away psychologically, but would be regarded as violations of the divine law, and therefore sins against God. The law of God itself would appear in a new light. It would no longer be viewed as too unreasonable a standard to judge the actions of men by, but as the divinely-given measuring rule — the rule of Him by whom the actions and thoughts of men are weighed. The law would be regarded as holy and the commandment as holy, and just, and good; while the transgressor of that law would be viewed as guilty, as incurring the divine displeasure by his sin, and as worthy of the severest punishment. Instead of sin appearing as something of little account, the guilt of sin would be felt by the evildoer. Because God’s law has been set aside there is little consciousness of guilt, but the restoration of the Word of God to its rightful place would restore to men’s consciences a consciousness of guilt when they violated the divine law.
The present day toleration of evil involves a setting aside of the law of God and of the claims of the infinitely righteous and infinitely holy Jehovah. Were the true character and claims of God to be recognised once again, it would become apparent, yes, as clear as the noon-day sun, that whatever should be tolerated in a nation or amongst any people, evil should not be tolerated. Men would see that the toleration of evil not only brings misery and judgment upon those directly involved in evil doing, but also upon that nation or people which tolerates that evil.
To the present day generation of radical thinkers, the reforming zeal of a King Josiah would appear as the grossest affront to men’s liberties, but not so if the Holy Spirit were to be poured out and men convinced of the rightful claims of the God of heaven. The need for such a reformer as Josiah is only too apparent today. The Lord, if He has a purpose of mercy towards our land — as we believe He has — is able to raise one up. Yes, He is able to raise up many ‘Josiahs’ to recall the people of the land to the ways of righteousness and truth. It will then be acknowledged that “righteousness alone exalteth a nation and that sin is a reproach to any people.” May the time speedily come when many ‘sons of Levi,’ zealous for the glory of Jehovah, will be raised up to purge and purify the nation from its sin.
Toleration gives men a patent to sin.
Thomas Watson.