There are many parallels we can draw between the Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-29) and our modern culture. The people in those cities were unrepentant in their engagement in sexual sins. That characteristic is prevalent across the globe today. People not only consider sexual sins normal, but they celebrate them, much like they did in those wicked cities of old.
It would be easy to spend this entire article digging into this point alone, but there is much written about that, and I am certain you’ve heard it all before. What I want to focus on is the lifestyle of Lot. Day after day he lived among the worst kinds of debauchery and perversion, yet kept himself unstained by it (2 Peter 2:4-10). The people of those cities recognized Lot was different, and they despised him for it (Genesis 19:9). He set a great example for us to follow.
Lot was not a perfect man. When Abraham deferred to his nephew concerning which land he would choose, Lot was selfish in choosing the more fertile ground and leaving Abraham to work the more difficult terrain (Genesis 13:10-11). In his lack of humility, he was disrespectful to his uncle. Lot also showed a lack of discernment by settling in the wicked cities instead of living in separation from them. We also know he was prone to drunkenness (Genesis 19:33-35). Like all men, Lot had flaws and each of those flaws serve as a warning for our lives.
Despite his many issues, Lot remained faithful to God. We know this because if he hadn’t, the Lord would have destroyed him along with the rest of the city (2 Peter 2:4-10). Had he not been unstained by their sin, God’s wrath would have swept him away with everyone else. So concerned was Lot with preserving the holiness of God, he offered to sacrifice his daughters to the people if they would only abstain from defiling God’s angels (Genesis 19:8). We can shake our heads at all his flaws, but Lot had a deep reverence for God’s character.
We live in a world of incredible wickedness. Lust, greed, and covetousness press in on us from every side. Every day is an intense battle to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:27). But we are called to be holy, as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Living a compromised life is not an option for a disciple of Christ. Jesus was clear in saying we must set aside everything to follow Him (Luke 14:33). There can be no turning back. If we longingly glance back at what we left behind, we are in danger of suffering the same fate as Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:26; Luke 17:32). There is nothing of our old life worth returning to.
James implores us to keep ourselves unstained by the world (James 1:27). John assures us love for the world is hatred toward God (1 John 2:15). True believers will not continue in the practice of sin (1 John 3:9). Every sin is a stain on our soul and an affront to the holy and righteous God. When we immerse ourselves in the sins of this world, or even accept them without speaking out against them, we reject the authority of God’s law. There is a judgment coming when we will have to answer for how we lived the one life God gives to us (Revelation 20:12). May God find us worthy of His bringing us out of this wicked land to a place of eternal safety and peace. Let us pray to be kept unstained by the things of this world.