Jesus Christ began his ministry with a call for repentance. Repentance is needed because the human nature is tainted by sin. It is in man’s nature to sin, to prefer darkness over light. There is a natural spirit of rebellion in him and he prefers to go his own way.

‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?’ so reads Jeremiah 17: 9.

Is it not too harsh and judgmental to view human beings as wicked? This seems illogical and unreasonable to many. They do not like to be called sinners. ‘It is a sin to call any man a sinner’ Vivekananda is reported to have opined.

What is the truth? St Paul’s letter to the Romans points out: ‘There is none righteous, no not one: There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away , they have altogether become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.’

Jesus Himself elaborated on the theme in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 7: ‘What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.’-(Mark 7: 20-23)

This is not to close our eyes to the potential for nobility and goodness in man. Well, this is not to conclude that we are to hate man because of his sinful nature. This is only caution. We are to be aware that we live in an imperfect world and the only remedy for such prevalent evil is transformation of the heart. And conversion is a means Jesus offers to renew the heart of man. It has very little to do with change of religious labels. And out of the transformed heart will flow love and peace , both needed in abundance in our troubled world.

I remember to have read about a great evangelist remarking that the daily newspaper testifies to the truth of what the Bible states. So he reads the daily newspaper and the Bible to see which prediction about man is being fulfilled. This is not only true of human nature but also of events to happen in future.

What did we read of our young men these days? Educated men with impressive CVs abduct others for ransom. The reporter points out to the possibility of your young neighbour in Delhi being a kidnapper! On May 31, a 26-year old Delhi University student and son of a doctor was held along with his three associates including an IIT staffer for allegedly kidnapping a business man’s five year old son. And he goes on to point out how kidnapping has come to be a thrilling and saleable theme of very successful films!!

The teacher of a nursery school murdered her mother along with her boyfriend when she objected to their intimacy. And then she reported to the police that some robbers had intruded into her home, killed her mother and looted valuable jewellery. On investigation, it turned out to be a gruesome crime of passion. Lust blinded the daughter’s eyes and blotted out from memory all considerations due from a daughter to mother. The teacher was found in a compromising position with a young man as she returned home after attending a kirtan (a devotional programme).

The report further stated that the mother has objected to the daughter’s “free” relationship with men.

The Bible says each one is tempted by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin ; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death, (James 1: 15)

The there was the case of a powerful Maharashtrian MP who reportedly hired two assassins to murder another MP out of jealousy. He had paid Rs 30 lakh for the accomplishing the task. The murder had occurred in Navi Mumbai on June 3, 2006. The culprit who was powerful got exposed when his hired assassins confessed to the crime in June 2009 when they were caught in respect of another case. ‘Your sins will find you out!’ declares the Bible. If only the MP concerned had the fear of God he would not have acted on the basis of natural jealousy which prodded him to act.

Then did you read of the truck driver, drunken and out of job, murdering his five children and critically injuring his wife in Ghaziabad on June 7? Or of other suicides prompted by the current economic disaster called meltdown/recession? When the heart is filled with hopelessness and despair, where is the necessary help? Well, the Word of God could have certainly provided the insights for people to refrain from acts of desperation. Yes, a desperate world needs hope and love and you have it in our power to lift up the fallen and the feeble if only you are intimate with the God of the Bible and His word. Not only the poor and the wretched but the rich and the powerful need the Word for guidance. And if there is the risk of someone charging you with attempt to conversion, so be it. The Lord will deliver from the hands of the enemy.

‘The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” reads 1 Timothy 6:10. Similar warnings about greed and covetousness abound in the Bible. Further, such ideals are dinned into the ears of the congregation week after week so that people will keep away from the deceptive attractions which bring ruin in its wake.

What happens when people do not have the benefit of such teachings or are not warned often of the pitfalls of the world’s ways? National newspapers and news channels reported how con men cheated thousands of people or millions of rupees taking advantage of their ‘get-rich-quick’ mental frame. Their greed egged them on. The divine conman of Gujarat, Ashok Jadeja along with his wife was arrested in Ahmedabad on May 31, Subash Aggarwal, who hails from Rohtak is absconding. Jadeja had promised to treble the deposits with divine aid and had earned .

A daily examination of intentions, motives and goals in the light of the word will be a good exercise for the Christian, to keep himself/herself holy. We live in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation as every newspaper will bear testimony. By all means read them to get to know what is happening ; but ensure you are not brainwashed by them. Submit yourself to God, abide in His life giving Word and you will not stray from the path of holiness and righteousness to do evil. You will not be spirited away by the powers of darkness.
 

This page is updated on June 23, 2009