Sins versus sin.....

Things are not happening in our country (or the world) as they “should”—anyone can see that. And if you look around you, you’ll probably note the same disappointment in our neighborhoods, families and even in our mirrors. But what frightens me is that for the life of me I am not seeing “progress”. Quite the opposite, things to be going in the wrong direction all around me. Is something wrong with my eyes and ears, or are things getting worse? With all our technology, medical marvels, world-wide social connection, etc, how is that darkness seems to be taking over light?

I have watched recently how our leaders and abroad have responded when they are accused of wrongdoing or when they have their character challenged. Sometimes it’s quite obvious that the arrogant, corrupt and criminals should be challenged, but at other times I can imagine (first hand) the frustration of being wrongly accused of having no integrity or being morally bankrupt when, in fact, they are truly trying to be godly. But the tantrums, outbursts and dishonesty—on both sides of aisle—-is something I have not seen before.

In my own little world, it’s the folks that have good reason to be upset with me that are the most gracious and those that have little or nothing to be upset with that are the nastiest and least gracious.

And I have seen that it is the meanness of others brings out the meanness within me! Those who are kind, trusting and optimists, tend to treat me like I am the same—they judge me as having good intentions. But those that are shrewd, dishonest, lacking in trust and negative about life, seem to think that I am same as they are —-and they speak to me and treat me accordingly. We are witnessing attacks against good people in a way I have never experienced in our culture, and yet seem to wink at things we would find reprehensible with folks of questionable character a generation ago.

It’s been said that every other religion focuses upon “sins”, while only Christianity focuses upon “sin”—that is, the fallen nature (sin) within all men.

And that’s the rub, I think, in learning to live in a fallen world. People can avoid a sin or many sins, but no one can avoid their very nature. Only supernatural intervention or the miraculous infusion of a new “soul” can change our nature, instincts and “spiritual DNA”. That’s precisely what the Christian faith represents: God intervened and did for me what I could not do for myself (i.e. change my total way of living, thinking, dreaming, hoping, et al) and He did the miracle of allowing me to be “reborn” into a new creature.

We’re in for more of the same in our world unless the good news of regeneration reaches not only the masses, but those in leadership and those that entertain us.