Bitterness or Betterness...
A girl from our Kansas Youth group, now in college (yuck I remember attending her 10th Birthday party), wrote this as her "Status" on Facebook this morning: "How [can] people really believe Humans are "basically good?" Yesh... that and my broccoli can talk."...
Immediately another friend congratulated her on her growing Cynicism (As though that were a good thing) There is a lot of Cynicism going around. I'm fighting a good bout of it myself.
The dictionary defines Cynicism as "having a cynical Character or attitude"...which doesn't help much...Cynical, therfor is best defined as :
"having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: as a : contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives <those cynical men who say that democracy cannot be honest and efficient — F. D. Roosevelt> b : based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest <a cynical ploy to cheat customers> " (cynical. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynical)
Now by this definition any mistrust of human motivation would be labeled "Cynical" and by even the tone of the dictionary, not a desirable trait....
But what if it is true...Are we all self motivated. Are we not basically Good. If you believe the bible maybe it is not cynicism after all but a basic point of the Christian worldview.
Romans 3:9-12 says:
9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better[a]? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."[b]
More insight comes from Jeremiah 17:9
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Presbyterian and Reformed Christians have long held this view, that there is nothing naturally in us that compels God to Choose us we are "Totally Depraved" and God's election (free choice) to save us is "Unconditional" based not on our goodness but on His Love and choice to save us. The Faith Essentials and Covenant of the Biblical Presbyterians Network concisely puts it this way.
"Salvation is wholly of God and is purely grace from first to last, without any merit in us. "
Now in days of Health Care debates, Bonuses for failed CEO's, War, Scandal and myriad other aggravations it would be easy to take the reality of depravity and turn it into a cause for bitterness. Except for one thing. In among this bad news we have good news. We can say yes people are not basically good. Yes they seek their own power and pleasure first. Yes there is a need for limited government to protect against tyranny (our founding fathers believed in Total depravity by the way). But..
And this is a big deal...
God does not leave us depraved and bitter. He makes us Better. He sent Jesus to mend our fallen state.
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Romans 5:6-11 adds
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
So rejoice! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and You are no longer stuck in the same condition as the rest of the World! You join the saved, justified, regenerated, born again, reconciled, always being sanctified, Saints who are being made better than before, and who are now assured by Christ that you are no longer lost and doomed to live forever in a world dominated by self interest and tyranny.
Jesus conquered sin, depravity, and...the Grave itself!
Happy Easter!
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark
--
May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only. Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family. Any misuse of this information is prohibited.
Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"
