Thursday, April 19, 2007
THE MONSTER OF SIN
The recent massacre at Virginia Tech has caused me to reflect on what the Bible says about the human condition.
The biblical witness is clear that sinful behavior--such as the horrific murders by the crazed gunman in Virginia--is more than a voluntary act; wicked deeds spring from a heart that is intrinsically sinful (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:1-3). In other words, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice. Though people are bearers of the image of God, that image has been grotesquely disfigured and marred by sin.
While the doctrines of original sin and total depravity may be hard for some people to accept, the Bible teaches that the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve had far-reaching consequences. We have all been affected and infected by it.
In this regard, the English writer Somerset Maugham once said about himself, "If I wrote down every thought I have ever thought and every deed I have ever done, men would call me a monster of depravity."
As offensive as it may be to our belief in the innate goodness of human beings, the Bible reveals that Maugham's monster dwells in every person ... and the monster's name is sin.
But there is Someone who is stronger than the hideous monster of sin. Praise the Lord for the monster-slayer, the Lord Jesus Christ! In the words of the apostle Paul: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).
The biblical witness is clear that sinful behavior--such as the horrific murders by the crazed gunman in Virginia--is more than a voluntary act; wicked deeds spring from a heart that is intrinsically sinful (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:1-3). In other words, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice. Though people are bearers of the image of God, that image has been grotesquely disfigured and marred by sin.
While the doctrines of original sin and total depravity may be hard for some people to accept, the Bible teaches that the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve had far-reaching consequences. We have all been affected and infected by it.
In this regard, the English writer Somerset Maugham once said about himself, "If I wrote down every thought I have ever thought and every deed I have ever done, men would call me a monster of depravity."
As offensive as it may be to our belief in the innate goodness of human beings, the Bible reveals that Maugham's monster dwells in every person ... and the monster's name is sin.
But there is Someone who is stronger than the hideous monster of sin. Praise the Lord for the monster-slayer, the Lord Jesus Christ! In the words of the apostle Paul: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).
