(Part 2 a series of posts)

So there is major construction on Chicago Avenue near our house.  There are “Road Closed” and “Detour” signs everywhere.  Despite the clear signage, many people still blast on by the signs and ignore the detour signs.  All day long there are cars lost in our little neighborhood.

This really highlighted the obvious signs God has given us to point to Himself.  Most of us blow on by them, as if they did not mean anything.  But obeying these signs is important.  Our life depends on it.

A very clear sign in the road. This truck blew right by it. But look what's around the corner...

Around the corner... indeed the road IS actually closed! Wow, what a surprise! And there's a van turning around because he ignored the sign.

Sign 2:  Our Conscience

Isn’t it amazing that almost every culture in the world agrees upon the basic morals?  They happen to coincide with the interpersonal laws in the 10 commandments:  honor your parents, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, and do not covet what is not yours.

The Bible tells us that God put His law in our hearts as a sign.  We see that in Romans 2:

14 For when Gentiles (non-Jews), who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them (Romans 2:14-15)

Here, the Apostle Paul is telling us that every person has an inherent sense of right and wrong, what we often call our conscience.  This conscience is meant to “accuse” us, telling us of our sin and helping us repent and seek Jesus.  Not all people obey the law, but everyone knows when they break it.  I have a friend who is a compulsive liar.  He feels no shame about lying.  However, he does know when he lies and he also knows that lying is wrong.  He has chosen to “excuse” himself from that, ignoring the clear sign God has put in his heart showing his sin.  Doing so leads to death, as we see in James:

4 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:4-5)

So right now we just see the sign, which is our conscience telling us of our sin.  But around the corner is death.

Related Posts:

• Obey the Signs: The Bible (part 3)