Clarifying the Problem
Though the 2021 data has not been released, there were 21,570 murders in the USA in 2020. The rising trend of violent crimes and homicides is alarming, as the recent mass murders in Buffalo, Houston, and Uvalde so grievously reveal. On biblical grounds, Converge Heartland condemns this deadly violence and we extend our sympathies to those suffering from wounds and the loss of loved ones. Though experts point to potential causes for this rise in crime, they do not claim to know the exact reasons. As these experts point toward the pandemic, racial tensions, protests, and gun violence, they primarily focus on external factors that potentially influence people toward malicious and murderous responses but decline to discuss our human depravity, our inherent sin nature, or personal responsibility. This is not new.
As mentioned in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman, the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778 AD), in a belated response to St. Augustine (354 – 430 AD), contemplated why he had stolen asparagus from another’s garden. As he reflected, his rationale was that societal structures had so oppressed his family that he was justified in stealing the asparagus. One thousand three hundred years prior, St. Augustine confessed that he and his friends had stolen pears from another’s tree. As he reflected, his rationale was that he stole pears only because he is a sinner and sin dwells in him. With which perspective do you best relate?
The challenging issue we increasingly face is that individuals primarily view themselves as victims of societal structures, circumstances, or environments and thereby do not admit wrongdoings or take personal responsibility for harmful actions. Outside of horrific mass murders such as the recent events in Buffalo, Houston, and Uvalde, our Western society is reluctant to name anything as evil. This has permeated our culture, legal judgments, and psyche. Perhaps older generations primarily relate to St. Augustine’s confession of his sinful nature, but younger generations have been mainly schooled and raised in the anti-responsibility rationale of Rousseau. In other words, the truth of our internal human depravity, inherent sin nature, and personal responsibility for choices is increasingly rejected by society and replaced by a litany of oppressive external justifications for human evil action.
Make no mistake, neither God nor sin are dead. However, this does clarify a critical need in our evangelistic efforts. Suppose a person believes that their harmful or selfish actions, words, and thoughts are justified by negative external causes. In that case, they reject their inherent sin nature and will see no need for the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29 ESV). Is not this where we are today? Are not people increasingly forming their self-serving image of a god and rejecting the biblical understanding of “Christ Jesus who came into the world to save sinners, among whom we are foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15 ESV)? Now is an excellent time to remind ourselves and others that “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 ESV).
Even though we may be surprised by horrific manifestations of evil, Jesus is not surprised, for he knows what is in the heart of man (John 2:25). Today, we must clearly, compassionately, and constructively communicate the biblical understanding of our primary human plight, namely our depraved and sinful human nature. This means we must talk about our sinful nature, preach on human depravity, and help people understand how “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We must help people make biblical sense of what is right and what is wrong, what is just and unjust, and what is evil and good. We must teach these things through the foundational understanding of what constitutes sin and what constitutes righteousness. The moral compass calibrated by this foundational understanding can no longer be assumed in our society. We must teach the broader ramifications of sinful human depravity in a way that helps people metabolize the reality of suffering in the world and understand the far-reaching consequences of sin. We must teach this truth with biblical literacy from our pulpits, within our families, among our neighbors, and through our daily conversations. Confessing our human depravity clarifies our need to be saved from the penalty of sin and causes the good news of salvation through faith in Christ to appear all the more radiant and precious.
May God grant us a fresh and contagious passion for his glorious salvation through Jesus Christ!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
