The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.
He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly. ~Proverbs
5:22-23
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. ~Galatians 5:19-21
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ~Romans 3:21-24
We’ve been hearing the word “holocaust,” a lot lately. That is partially due to the fact that this is the month that we focus heavily on the holocaust of the unborn. Make no mistake, it is a holocaust. Also, however, it is the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, which revealed unspeakable crimes against humanity through concentration camps, the pinnacle of anti-Semitism.
When we read about these things, and believe me, there are more atrocities that I could have named, but I’m assuming that you already know, it’s easy to think that it has little to do with us. We read about being ensnared by evil and then we see the characteristics listed and we give ourselves a pass because our struggles are so small in comparison. Remember, a few days ago we talked about small steps that lead astray. What is mentioned here may be where the roads of temptation lead, but we’re not there yet, so it’s easy to give ourselves a pass. But even our small steps in the wrong direction highlight the fact that we are all sinners and our sinful nature needs to be dealt with.
Instead of saying any more myself, I’d like to share with you a portion of a BreakPoint commentary that I heard the other day that says what I’m trying to get at better than I will. If you don’t know, BreakPoint is a daily commentary on current issues, from a Christian Perspective, which was begun by Chuck Colson and continues today by others. It’s about a three-minute read, or listen, that you may wish to consider checking out. Nevertheless, here is a portion of the commentary from January 27, for your consideration.
In his 1993 Templeton Prize address, Chuck Colson described the realization that came to Holocaust survivor Yehiel Dinur at the trial of Adolf Eichmann: “Dinur entered the courtroom and stared at the man ... who had presided over the slaughter of millions. The court was hushed as a victim confronted a butcher. Then suddenly Dinur began to sob and collapsed to the floor. Not out of anger or bitterness. As he explained later in an interview, what struck him at that instant was a terrifying realization. ‘I was afraid about myself,’ Dinur said. ‘I saw that I am capable to do this . . . Exactly like he.’”
Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote about the Eichmann Trial in her book Eichmann in Jerusalem. She found Eichmann neither “perverted nor sadistic,” but “terrifyingly normal.” She called this the “banality of evil.”
Hidden evil flourishes. Throughout history, evil has often hidden in plain sight, enabled by its terrifying normalness and the moral blind spots we self-inflict. And it continues today… Consider how the world is mostly silent as China sends Muslim Uighurs to concentration camps.
Or, why the voices of so many victims of sexual abuse in Hollywood, in corporate America, in homes, and churches are only now, decades later, being heard? Just last Friday, hundreds of thousands of people marched, for the 47th time, to draw attention to the government-subsidized slaughter of millions of pre-born babies.
Hans Scholl, who, along with his sister Sophie, was executed in 1943 for founding an anti-Nazi student group called the White Rose, once described his struggle to understand evil. Marveling at the beauty of the German landscape he wrote in a line reminiscent of the Psalmist, “Does God take us for fools, that he should light up the world for us with such consummate beauty . . . And nothing, on the other hand, but raping and murder?”
Then Scholl asked a question we should all ask: How ought we respond to evil? “Should one go off and build a little house with flowers outside the windows … and extol and thank God and turn one’s back on the world and its filth? Isn’t seclusion a form of treachery of desertion? I’m weak and puny, but I want to do what is right.”
In Christ, God entered the world in order to confront, and ultimately defeat, evil. He calls us to confront evil as well, but let’s be clear: The world Christ entered was this world. The evil He confronts is the evil we too are capable of. As we remember, [the holocaust and other evils,] let’s be sure to remember that.” ~Publication date: January 27, 2020 https://www.breakpoint.org
Prayer: Oh Father, as a new creature in Christ, I do not have to be a slave to sin or evil. Keep me from the evil one and his influences. Forgive me Father for the ways I am still drawn to the desires of the flesh, and strengthen me in Christ to resist the devil, so he flees from me and I rest in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed”
Casting Crown’s “Jesus, Friend of Sinners”
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. ~Galatians 5:19-21
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ~Romans 3:21-24
We’ve been hearing the word “holocaust,” a lot lately. That is partially due to the fact that this is the month that we focus heavily on the holocaust of the unborn. Make no mistake, it is a holocaust. Also, however, it is the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, which revealed unspeakable crimes against humanity through concentration camps, the pinnacle of anti-Semitism.
When we read about these things, and believe me, there are more atrocities that I could have named, but I’m assuming that you already know, it’s easy to think that it has little to do with us. We read about being ensnared by evil and then we see the characteristics listed and we give ourselves a pass because our struggles are so small in comparison. Remember, a few days ago we talked about small steps that lead astray. What is mentioned here may be where the roads of temptation lead, but we’re not there yet, so it’s easy to give ourselves a pass. But even our small steps in the wrong direction highlight the fact that we are all sinners and our sinful nature needs to be dealt with.
Instead of saying any more myself, I’d like to share with you a portion of a BreakPoint commentary that I heard the other day that says what I’m trying to get at better than I will. If you don’t know, BreakPoint is a daily commentary on current issues, from a Christian Perspective, which was begun by Chuck Colson and continues today by others. It’s about a three-minute read, or listen, that you may wish to consider checking out. Nevertheless, here is a portion of the commentary from January 27, for your consideration.
In his 1993 Templeton Prize address, Chuck Colson described the realization that came to Holocaust survivor Yehiel Dinur at the trial of Adolf Eichmann: “Dinur entered the courtroom and stared at the man ... who had presided over the slaughter of millions. The court was hushed as a victim confronted a butcher. Then suddenly Dinur began to sob and collapsed to the floor. Not out of anger or bitterness. As he explained later in an interview, what struck him at that instant was a terrifying realization. ‘I was afraid about myself,’ Dinur said. ‘I saw that I am capable to do this . . . Exactly like he.’”
Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote about the Eichmann Trial in her book Eichmann in Jerusalem. She found Eichmann neither “perverted nor sadistic,” but “terrifyingly normal.” She called this the “banality of evil.”
Hidden evil flourishes. Throughout history, evil has often hidden in plain sight, enabled by its terrifying normalness and the moral blind spots we self-inflict. And it continues today… Consider how the world is mostly silent as China sends Muslim Uighurs to concentration camps.
Or, why the voices of so many victims of sexual abuse in Hollywood, in corporate America, in homes, and churches are only now, decades later, being heard? Just last Friday, hundreds of thousands of people marched, for the 47th time, to draw attention to the government-subsidized slaughter of millions of pre-born babies.
Hans Scholl, who, along with his sister Sophie, was executed in 1943 for founding an anti-Nazi student group called the White Rose, once described his struggle to understand evil. Marveling at the beauty of the German landscape he wrote in a line reminiscent of the Psalmist, “Does God take us for fools, that he should light up the world for us with such consummate beauty . . . And nothing, on the other hand, but raping and murder?”
Then Scholl asked a question we should all ask: How ought we respond to evil? “Should one go off and build a little house with flowers outside the windows … and extol and thank God and turn one’s back on the world and its filth? Isn’t seclusion a form of treachery of desertion? I’m weak and puny, but I want to do what is right.”
In Christ, God entered the world in order to confront, and ultimately defeat, evil. He calls us to confront evil as well, but let’s be clear: The world Christ entered was this world. The evil He confronts is the evil we too are capable of. As we remember, [the holocaust and other evils,] let’s be sure to remember that.” ~Publication date: January 27, 2020 https://www.breakpoint.org
Prayer: Oh Father, as a new creature in Christ, I do not have to be a slave to sin or evil. Keep me from the evil one and his influences. Forgive me Father for the ways I am still drawn to the desires of the flesh, and strengthen me in Christ to resist the devil, so he flees from me and I rest in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed”
Casting Crown’s “Jesus, Friend of Sinners”
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