The reality of man’s sin has become antiquated, or at least politically incorrect. With all the recent shootings, including the massacre in Newtown , Ct.
The origin of how the human race began is absolutely essential to understanding criminal behavior. As a boy in public school, our teacher opened the Bible each day and read passages like, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” I also learned that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;” that the “wages of sin is death…and that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” In a word, man is born a sinner before God, and is responsible for his actions; he will one day stand before God in the judgment, giving an account for his sins.
But she didn’t stop there; she said that this same God made a remedy for man’s sin, explaining the real meaning of Christmas. It’s found in capsule form in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
That wasn’t considered “religious” teaching in school, but rather the Facts! Charles Darwin and his evolutionary theory was just that---a “theory,” or “educated guess.” In place of acknowledging the God who created all things seen or unseen, his teaching relegated things as evolving totally through secular means, dispelling anything divine. Simply put, he inferred that we began as a piece of Goo, eventually ending up in the Zoo, and now it’s You! How asinine is that? There’s no limit to where sinful man will go to deny God’s existence. Indeed, to embrace evolution takes more faith than believing the Biblical account in Genesis 1:1! Nevertheless, this theory has become “fact” in academia, and explains much of the mess we’re in today.
If evolution is true, then how do we understand the universality of sin? Where and when did the Fall of man occur? Where did conscience come in to play---that inner moral voice in every human soul? Have we “evolved” to the degree that we don’t anticipate a future judgment? Those who are murdering others, with or without guns, will one day stand before God’s all-seeing eye, and be condemned accordingly. David said, “The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psa.9:17) As a nation, we have declared war on God and His Word, and we wonder why violent crimes continue to escalate.
Is a man a thief because he steals, or does he steal because he’s a thief? Is one a murderer because he murders people, or does he murder because he’s a murderer in his heart? It’s about time we get real and face this issue. Jesus said that it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart. He said, “out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts, adulteries…murder, thefts, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, (and) foolishness” (Mk.7:21,22). Yes, we have a problem with dope and booze, but they are eventually expelled from the body. The biggest problem is the cesspool of man’s wicked heart and steady stream of corruption that flows from it. A man isn’t going to Hell because he drinks or snorts Cocaine; he’s going there because of his rebellious, unbelieving heart, and simply gets drunk on the way.
If somehow a new heart (spirit) can be transplanted into a man, then good things will begin to flow; because “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2Cor.5:17). There will be new “habits” overriding the old; divine “control” will not only prevent murder, but will enhance the believer’s desire to celebrate life in others. God’s love, “injected” into the heart, results in fulfilling God’s law. A person under God’s control will not rob or murder his neighbor. Guns, knives, hammers, and wicked hands do not kill of their own; but people do—people with murder in their hearts. Let’s get off the “gun control” kick, and place the blame where it really belongs. We need to get back to legitimate marriage, strong homes, child discipline, Biblical catechism, accountability, reverential fear for God and those in authority, swift justice, integrity, etc. It’s time to return to the Basics that made us a great nation. We need to take personal responsibility for our actions, and stop “passing the buck.” May God give us grace to face the truth.
I welcome your comments —Bilfinn@yahoo.com
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