I don’t think we need rain anymore.

Water comes right out of faucets and showerheads now. Bottles full of water are available at gas stations, grocery stores, and vending machines. We don’t have to wait for precipitation to fall from the sky. Whenever we need H20, it’s at our fingertips. We just turn a handle!

“John, you moron! Rain is the source of water! Without rain, your faucet and showerheads would be useless!! Read a book, you dummy!”

Thank you! It’s absurd to suggest that we can have water without rain and I’m happy that you pointed out my error. It’s good when my flawed thinking is corrected. Allow me to return the favor and point out a major flaw in your thinking.

You don’t think we need Jesus anymore.

You think humans are basically good. Everywhere you look there are people doing selfless things for others. Benevolence, generosity, compassion, and love are displayed by millions of people who don’t acknowledge any formal religious beliefs. Folks who’ve never been to church or opened a Bible are fountains of altruism. Like water from a faucet, kindness pours from the hearts of all mankind.

Crediting humans with providing goodness is like crediting faucets with providing water. We not the source of the values, ethics, and morality that we display. Every drop of moisture we’ve encountered came from rain, whether we believe it or not. Every decent act you perform or selfless urge you feel is coming from Christ, whether you believe it or not.

It is a mistake to think righteousness comes about by ‘cultural ethics’ or ‘American values’ or ‘human virtues.’ Those are empty bottles and no act of will has the power to fill them. Societal norms are the idols of secular religion.

Christians: Stop letting pagans tell you that water comes from the faucet. You know better. No faucet functions without rain. Nobody is good without God.

(Romans 3:9) What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”