Once it became clear that Mr. Johnson had attended the parties in question, he stated that nobody told him he was breaking the rules. Though he may remain as Prime Minister, there is a far higher authority than Sue Gray or the Metropolitan police to whom Mr. Johnson, and we all, will one day have to give account. The Bible states:
“it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 ESV),
and,
“each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12 ESV).
The teaching of the Bible is clear, though increasingly unpopular in many quarters, that there is a God, and that we are accountable to Him. The concept of accountability does not appeal to us as humans, and we try to squirm out of it as best we can. We say there are no absolutes and there is therefore no right or wrong to account for; we say this universe grew out of chaos and there is no God to give account to. The Bible refutes both:
“he has put eternity into man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV),
and,
“They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:15 NLT).
God has placed deep within us a yearning for what is eternal and divine. We try to fill it with everything this life has to offer, and we still come up empty. That emptiness tells us there is something more, someOne more. You cannot claim, “nobody told me there is more to life”, when the yearning of your own soul is telling you if you’ll only pause and listen.
God has also given us a conscience, something that sets mankind apart from any other living thing. You may never have read one word of the Bible nor uttered a single prayer in your entire life, yet still you cannot say, “nobody told me I’m a sinner”. Your own heart knows innately what is right and what is wrong and declares that you are guilty. Only the God who made you, and gave His Son to redeem you through His sacrificial death on a cross and subsequent resurrection, can deal with that guilt. “Ah,” you say, “but nobody told me there is a God, in fact there is no proof of Him at all”. Again, the Bible emphatically disagrees:
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known . . . their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-2,4 NLT),
and,
“They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:19,20 NLT).
God has stamped Himself not only on our hearts and our consciences but across the very skies we live below each day and sleep beneath each night. No matter who you are or where you are on this planet you will have seen the sky and its glory that speaks of the One who made it and you. You cannot plead, “nobody told me”, when the very universe tells you each and every day of your life. So, listen to what creation, God’s Word and your own heart all tell you. Don’t plead, “nobody told me”; instead, plead for mercy. Confess yourself a sinner and accept God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as your only way of salvation. Or try to wriggle out of it, using any excuse you can to ignore what God is telling you. If that is your choice there will come a day when you will face Him as Judge and you will not have any excuse to offer – least of all, “nobody told me”.
Photo credit: 10 Downing Street, Wikimedia Commons
