A Call to Remember God’s Holiness in a World of Decline

As we gathered at GBC this past Sunday, several church members were still without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. I am thankful our church braved the storm and prioritized gathering with our church family. As we pray for those most affected by Hurricane Helene, particularly the small coastal towns that have been devastated, we must remember that some will face years of rebuilding. Not to mention the people experiencing flooding almost beyond comprehension. This disaster is a sobering reminder of life’s unpredictability, highlighting the importance of gathering with God’s people. Despite great difficulty, I have always found coming to church worth it. I am always encouraged by God’s people, especially when I am struggling.

Sadly, many people have forsaken gathering as God’s people. Today, a recent Gallup poll shows that only 20% of Americans attend church every week—down from 32% in 2000—while 12% attend services about once per month.

However, there is an encouraging trend among the so-called Millennials, who range in age from 28 to 43 years. 39% report attending church every week—up from just 21% in 2019. Millennial attendance has surged since the COVID lockdowns. These numbers are much better than those of Gen Xers, who are between 44 and 59 years old. 32% of them attend weekly. Meanwhile, 25% of the Boomer generation, consisting of those from 60 to 78 years old, participate in weekly services. The Baby Boomers were likelier to attend the mainline denominations, while Millennials were likelier to participate in a non-denominational church.

We see the most significant decline in church attendance in the mainline denominations. The Baby Boom generation is leaving the church in droves. Therefore, mainline churches experience a yearly 10-15% attrition rate. Along with the increase in Millennial attendance, non-denominational churches are also a bright spot. The US religion census found 6,000 more non-denominational churches in North America. 6.5 million more people attended a non-denominational church in 2020 than in 2010. I am confident the number will continue to rise.

There is a problem for churches experiencing growth, especially among the Millennials. The exit of the older generations has left a vacuum of leadership in the church. Coupled with the constant drip of moral failures among pastors, we are left without mature spiritual leadership in churches. We need the older generations to lead the younger as they grow into responsible, high-character church leaders.

I am convinced Christ will continue to build His church despite the challenges. But I am also convinced that we must know and understand the problems. As you have listened to these statistics, you might be asking why so many Gen X and Boomers have left the church. I think some of it has been an excessive focus on building retirement accounts so people can live out their last years in comfort and security. This pursuit, coupled with disillusionment over the many scandals, has caused many to disengage from the church.

Perhaps the most significant factor has been a dramatic shift in Americans' and even evangelicals' understanding of core doctrines. I am afraid that theological liberalism continues its march through most denominations. Ligonier and Lifeway Research have teamed up to produce a survey called “The State of Theology.” Since 2014, this survey has asked questions about core doctrinal distinctives. It questioned Americans as a group and also singled out evangelicals.

LifeWay Research defined evangelicals as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements:

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
• It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
• Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

One of the most telling results among Americans has been the following statement: "The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true." In 2014, 41% of Americans agreed with that statement. In 2022, 53% agreed.

The following statement could be the most telling among evangelicals: "God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam." In 2016, 48% of evangelicals agreed with this statement. In 2022, 56% agreed.

The following statement may be the most frightening: "Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God." In 2020, 30% of evangelicals agreed. In 2022, 43% agreed. These statements reveal that Americans deny even the most basic Christian doctrines. And as a whole, evangelicals are not helping matters. The 2022 State of Theology survey reveals that Americans increasingly reject the Bible's divine origin and complete accuracy. With no enduring plumb line of absolute truth to conform to, U.S. adults are also increasingly holding to unbiblical worldviews related to human sexuality. In the evangelical sphere, doctrines, including the deity and exclusivity of Jesus Christ, as well as the inspiration and authority of the Bible, are increasingly being rejected. ~ https://thestateoftheology.com/

As dire as this sounds, I believe these are just symptoms of the actual disease. I think the following statement helps us identify and understand the underlying cause. 75% of Americans disagree or don’t know whether even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation. Among evangelicals, the number is even more shocking at 45%.

In James 2:10, James teaches that whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all (James 2:10).

I would argue that a lack of awareness of God's holiness is the root cause of this problem. This battle has raged throughout man’s history. Just before the flood, Moses tells us that Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5)

In Exodus 3, Moses turned aside to the burning bush. You may recall that God called to Moses from the bush. God's presence was so holy that the ground around the bush was considered holy to the Lord. Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God.

Then He said, “Do not come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God" (Exodus 3:5–6)

In Exodus 19, God descended onto Mount Sinai and warned Moses, “And you shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 19:12).

In 2 Samuel 6:6-7, during David’s reign, a man named Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly upset it. And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.

In Isaiah 6, God gave Isaiah a vision of His holiness on His throne. This vision was punctuated by the Seraphim calling out to one another, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3).

Isaiah responded by instantly and acutely becoming aware of his sin. In Isaiah 6:5, he cried out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.”

You may protest. That’s the Old Testament—that’s God displaying His wrath. It’s different now—we live in an age of grace. Yet, the writer of Hebrews warns us, "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).

We are quickly losing the understanding of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of sin. Therefore, our churches are not modeling reverence for God to the broader culture. The result is that we are losing the weightiness of God’s glory. The wider church has stopped proclaiming God’s holiness. And has stopped calling for people to repent. Therefore, we are seeing judgment come upon the household of God as He pours out His wrath on this nation and purifies His people in the process. As people who love God and His word, we should welcome this time of testing. In the words of the Apostle Peter: "It is time for judgment to begin with the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17).

As we consider God's coming wrath (1 Thess 1:10) and the current state of the church, we should ask the very same question: What will be the outcome for those who do not obey? This sobering thought must drive us to Exalt God, Exposit His Word, Equip the Saints, and Evangelize the Lost!