A Small Reminder of a Despicable (but still true) Doctrine
There is a very simple but unpleasant theological truth which changes everything about our worldview: the depravity of man. Believing people are inherently evil rather than inherently good changes the way we think about reality, understand art, trust leaders, make rules, depend on governments, and even temper our own behavior. All of those topics deserve extended attention off the point of this post.
One thing that changes when we comprehend our moral condition is how we interpret unpleasant circumstances.
Suppose circumstances are bad. Anything from Monday’s (Sunday night’s) earthquake in Italy to my daughter’s car failing inspection will suffice for an example. In other words, it doesn’t matter how bad a situation is, just that it is something we don’t like. Whether we break into full-bore complaint is not at issue, although the frequency with which we do so simply makes the point more obvious. When things are bad and we are unhappy with those things, we are presuming that things ought to be better, that somehow we do not deserve the problems associated with the circumstance. The truth is, though, that when things are bad for us, they ought to be worse. But God restrains His judgment. The middle verses of Psalm 103 make this point.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
If we actually understood our moral condition, we would always regard our circumstance as far better than it ought to be. I understand the difficulty of saying those words in the light of some excruciatingly painful circumstances with which people can be faced, but that difficulty itself rests only in our mitigated understanding of our condition—a state of understanding which itself then mitigates our grasp of just how magnificently and persistently merciful God really is.
Sphere: Related Content
The story about Robison Crusoe is my favorite thing to read. At one point he is complaing to God about his situation and something, his conscience perhaps, responds and says, what about those other guys that were on the ship with you? What happened to them, hmmm? Sometime after that in the story poor Robin realizes that the deliverance he needs is not just to get off the island but real deliverance from his sinful life. Have great day
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