Sin and Evil

The differences between what the Bible says and what our culture says are not incredibly different. Most people believe basically in the same values and beliefs. For example, almost every person, Christian or not, believes it is wrong to murder. They believe that a child should respect their parents regardless of situation. And nearly everyone values human life. But for everything similar, there is a contradiction. One thing that Christians are taught is that all humans are sinful from birth. The biggest problem for anyone (including Christians) in believing this statement is that by saying that humankind is sinful from birth you are including ALL of humankind. This includes men, women, and children, tiny babies. No one wants to think that the newborn that they are holding is a sinful creature. How can something that tiny, innocent, and defenseless be a sinner like me? From this stems the thinking that not all of man is sinful. Something happens that makes them that way. The man that abuses his children was abused himself. He doesn’t know anything different, which is why the cycle continues. I watched an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit that exemplifies this thinking. In the episode, a man was charged with the rape of five different women. They had solid, undeniable evidence (he had videotaped himself raping the women to put on a website), yet he pleaded not guilty for reason of mental defect. His defense? Porn made him do it. He was addicted to porn and because of the addiction he felt that he was lead to believe that the women he raped wanted it to be that way. Regardless, he was still found guilty and faced the maximum charge, but the fact that he even used that defense shows how off track our society, our culture, has become from what God has shown us and revealed to us through His word. We are all, every single one of us, sinful in nature.

            I think the other main problem people have with believing that they are sinful in nature is that they believe that sin means evil.  Having a sinful nature does not mean having or being evil in nature. They are two different things. I’m a sinful person. I was born that way, and although I try not to, I sin every day. My biggest sin is letting my temper get the best of me. My three month old son has my same temper and shows it every day. However, this does not make us evil. There are those who believe that drinking alcohol is a sin, but does it make you evil? Of course not! But our culture dictates that, instead of sin, anything that’s not good is evil. There is no middle ground, it’s only black or white. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. To a Christian, good is from God, the middle ground is sin (humanity), and evil is of Satan. You can be good and still sin. Everyone on earth is inherently sinful. No one is inherently evil.