The Power of A Yellow Line
Some folks might say that there is no man made object that wields more power than the “yellow line” that separates driving lanes on two lane highways and rural roads in America.
Think about it — that yellow line is so powerful that it makes it possible for vehicles to safely travel toward each other at 60, 70, even 100 miles an hour with no more than 10-15 feet separating them as they meet and pass each other going in opposite directions.
Clearly we all know that that strip of yellow paint separating two lanes of traffic going in opposite directions has absolutely no functional, concrete power. That yellow line is just that — a 3-4 inch wide strip of dried yellow paint. That’s it!
So, what then is it that actually makes that strip of yellow paint in the middle of the road so powerful that it enables drivers to travel toward each at 60, 70, even 100 miles an hour with basically no conscious concern about oncoming traffic.
I would offer the following 3 facts as the answer to what actually makes an inanimate, 3-4 inch wide line of yellow paint so powerful.
First, every person who lives long enough to achieve a condition of accountability knows that God IS – that He is who He says He is.
Second, every unbelieving person knows that judgement is imperative as evidenced by the guilt and fear they live with every day.
Third, every person ever born who lives to be 12-14 years of age knows they are going, sometime in the future, to die and experience the judgement of God. This third fact raises an inherent question — Why does man fear death?
Now, before we consider what the truth and instruction of God’s Holy authoritative word reveals related to these three “facts” identified above, I would call your attention to the meaning of the phrase “condition of accountability” referred to in the first fact stated above. Consider the following three passages.
I would offer the following definition of the phrase “condition of accountability”. Many evangelical churches erroneously believe and teach that there is an “age of accountability”. Interestingly enough, I have yet, at 82 years of age, found anyone who teaches this who can tell me what that age is. That said, the reason, I believe no one can, is because Scripture no where describes or identifies an “age of accountability”. However, Scripture does identify the principle of a human “condition of accountability”. The condition of accountability to which every human being must developmentally come to that establishes that individuals eternal culpability for his/her sin before God is reached when that individual comes personally to a mature, personally convincing understanding of his/her personal accountability to the Law of God (Romans 2:11-29; 3:1-18,19). He/she, at this point inherently becomes cognitively aware of God’s Law and of sin, grace, and salvation. Any individual who does not have the ability to comprehend and understand these truths (infants, young children, mentally retarded, handicapped adults) relating to mans culpability for his/her sin, when death comes, scripture reveals these individuals enter immediately into the loving, elected presence of God – Isaiah 7:14-16; Deuteronomy 1:39; Job 3:3,11-13; II Samuel 12:21-23; Jonah 4:11.
Consider the following three passages that reveal this “condition of accountability” principle of God’s wondrous grace – II Samuel 12:21-23; Isaiah 7:14-16 and Jonah 4:11.
First consider II Samuel 12:21-23:
21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ 23 “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
The testimony of King David in verse 23 clearly reveals two eternally glorious “facts” about God’s redeeming love and grace. First, David declared with assurance that he knew he was a child of God and would in due time enter into God’s Holy presence and, secondly, David declared with great assurance that he knew his deceased infant child was already in the presence of God and that he, David, would, in God’s predestined, foreordained order, be there with him in God’s perfect timing.
Secondly consider Isaiah 7:14-16:
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 15 “He will eat curds and honey at the time he knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
This phrase concerning our Lord, “knows enough to refuse evil and choose good”, speaks of the condition of accountability as being able to discern the difference between evil and good and know to “choose good”.
Thirdly consider Jonah 4:11:
11 “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”
God’s rebuke of Jonah in this passage is due to his contentious, uncompassionate attitude toward the people of Nineveh. God’s rebuke reveals the reality of His elective redeeming grace extending to those “who do not know the difference between their right and left hand” – in this case 120,000. There is only one collective group of the human population who consistently “do not know the difference between their right and left hand” – those who are too young (infants & young children) to cognitively comprehend such and those who physically achieve adulthood but cognitively never achieve this level of comprehension (mentally retarded or handicapped adults). Herein is yet another passage of God’s Holy, Authoritative word that identifies the principle of the “condition of accountability” that every individual must developmentally acquire, in the economy of God, to be deemed accountable for his/her sin before God.
Now, back to the three initially stated facts pertaining to what really causes a 3-4 inch wide strip of yellow paint to be so powerful. We will consider several passages of God’s word that testify to the Biblical validity of each of the three points .
First, every person who lives long enough to achieve a condition of accountability knows that God IS – that He is who He says He is ( Isaiah 44:6; Jeremiah 10:10-13; Ezekiel 39: 8).
How do we know this is true – that every man is accountable before God?
Genesis 1:26-28: 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11: 11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
Psalm 19:1-6: 1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Romans 1:18-20: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Second, every unbelieving person knows that judgement is imperative as evidenced by the guilt and fear they live with every day.
Genesis 3:1-6,7: 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
Jeremiah 17:9-10: 9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.
I Corinthians 1:8(4-9): 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Revelation 20:11-14,15: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Now the third of the three facts that reveal the real source of the power of that 3-4 inch yellow line – every person ever born who lives to be 12-14 years of age knows they are going, sometime in the future, to die and experience the judgement of God.
This third fact raises an inherent question — Why does man fear death? The indelibly clear, unambiguous answer to this question is clearly revealed in the immutable truth of God’s Holy inspired word in many passages of which we will look at the following five passages.
Genesis 2:15-17: 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
Exodus 20:19-21: 19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.
Proverbs 5:21-23: 21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He watches all his paths. 22 His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin. 23 He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.
Ecclesiastes 3:2,11,14: 2 A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.…….11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.……14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.
John 8:23-24: 23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Herein is the truth concerning why men fear death. They do so because they love their sin and know that their sin will bring God’s judgement, thus we have determined the real reason for the “power” of that 3-4 inch wide strip of yellow paint on the roads of America. In reality, just as God’s authoritative word reveals, defines, and establishes the sure certainty of death, both physically and spiritually, so in like manner does that yellow line in consort with the edge of the road define and establish the parameters of safe, avoiding death, life continuing travel day in and day out.
Psalm 14:1-3: 1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. 2 The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Romans 6:23: 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Mark 1:14-15: 14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”