LCMS World Mission Blog

This update was shared by GEO* missionary Rev. Michael Parris, who serves in Macau.

“‘Abraham settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord’ (Gen. 13:12-13).

“‘Wicked? What does wicked mean? Why were the people of Sodom wicked?’ These were the questions posed by my students at a recent Friday night English Corner session as we were studying about the patriarch Abraham. The lesson was about the separation of Lot and Abraham recorded in Genesis 13. Near the end of the chapter, the text mentions that Lot settled in the fertile plain of the Jordan Valley. In this same valley were many cities, including Sodom. According to the text, the people of Sodom were wicked and great sinners against the Lord.

“Some of my students were unsure as to the definition of wicked. It was explained that wicked means to be sinful, evil. But there was still puzzled looks, ‘Wicked? Sinful?’ Finally, we explained that wicked is ‘bad.’ At that, everyone understood. The people of Sodom were bad! But why?

“The discussion then turned to the scriptural teaching on sin. According to the Word, we are all sinful, or wicked. Abraham was sinful, Lot was sinful, the Sodomites were sinful and so are we. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:11-12).

“The class then questioned why Abraham was not listed as wicked and against God. We talked about the role of faith in our lives. Abraham trusted in Jesus. Even though Jesus had not come yet, he knew the Father would send a life-giving Savior. Abraham had faith in Jesus and it was counted to him as righteousness. We explained to the class that, even though Abraham had witnessed God’s love to the Sodomites, the Sodomites had rejected God’s Savior. It is always emphasized in the English Corner class that we are saved by grace through faith. Abraham daily confessed his sins; he was forgiven. The class was reminded that grace is offered to all of us as well — to Americans and to Chinese people alike!

*Note: GEO missionaries are globally engaged in outreach and serve in locations around the globe for one- to two-year terms.

• Learn more about LCMS witness and mercy ministry in Macau.
• Learn more about Michael’s work and how you can support him.