Monday, October 27, 2008
Psalm 14:2-3 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
WE'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER
Every so often someone commits a horrible enough crime that it's the only story you hear about on the news for a few days. Making headlines in America we've had the "BTK killer" and John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo who were arrested for numerous murders. A few years ago there was Timothy McVeigh, the man who bombed the Oklahoma City federal building.
Strikingly, whenever such crimes come to light there is always someone who says, "I just can't believe that a human being would stoop to such things!" When I hear that, I say to myself, "I can't believe there isn't more!" The world has a rather rosy perception of itself -- too rosy. Popular social teaching is that deep down everyone is really good inside; that at our core we are kind, loving, and considerate of one another. Nothing could be further from the truth according to the Bible.
When God looks down on the sons of men, He finds corruption, deceit, and unbelief. He finds men, women, and children who have turned away from His precious word, followed idols and the songs of the devil. Even we Christians look at ourselves and see weakness, sinful tendencies, hatred, and malice making their daily appearances. We're all in it together. We're all sinful, living in a sinful world. We are all condemned by the same Law of God which reveals our wickedness with utter clarity.
What's more, even Jesus Christ is in it with us. For didn't He become our brother in the flesh? Wasn't there was a time when God looked down from heaven and saw corruption, deceit, and wickedness in His own Son? Yes, indeed! And therein lies our hope and comfort. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
