One Of The Penetrating passages of scripture is Hebrews 3:13: “Exhort one another daily, while it is called to day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” From personal experience, we all know the human ability to justify doing something wrong; sin is a deceiver. That fact, combined with the capability of the human conscience to become hardened almost beyond appeal, makes a very dangerous combination. Through Ezekiel, God said of Israel, “The house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are stiff of forehead, and hard of heart” (Ezk. 3:7 KJV mg.).
Bro. Carter’s comments
In 1958, Bro. John Carter toured ecclesias in Australia assisting in the uniting of members of two fellowships who, for years, had been at odds over matters relating to the atonement. In the course of a frequently-given lecture on this topic, he provides a most apt description of the danger we face.
“If anyone of us sins, it leaves its mark upon us. A man may be guilty of a little sharp practice in his business and he experiences a sense of shame. But the second time he does it, the shame is not so keen and after repeated acts, he comes at last to rationalize. He rationalizes the process and justifies what, at the beginning, caused him a sense of shame. Thus it is that we sometimes behold the spectacle of a man who was once upright in his dealings, gradually falling away from the standard of right until at last, we read of him being in the court, having been guilty of some serious embezzlement or some other crime. But it’s been a gradual decline in many cases, through the lowering of a standard.
“Why is it? It is because sin has a peculiarly blinding effect upon us. Sin distorts the view of righteousness. Sin deceives.”
Relating another example, Bro. Carter illustrates how sin becomes part of the person. “William James, in one of his books, tells the story of a man who had repeatedly given way to drink, and he repeatedly said, as he yields once more, ‘I will not count this one.’ And James comments: ‘He may not and a merciful heaven may not, but the cells of his brain are recording every lapse and every lapse that comes makes the next one easier.’ Which means that sin, in its out-working, becomes at last a part of the individual himself.”1
In our society
We can easily relate to the second example, for we live in a society riddled with addictions to alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography and violence, to name a few. All of us have been touched either directly or indirectly by such addictions. Husbands get away with one angry reaction after another until rage becomes part of their personalities. The sexual content of TV programs and movies continues to become more pervasive and explicit until we find our child practicing the promiscuity he has absorbed almost by osmosis. A young person is introduced to the mind-altering effects of drugs or alcohol and, after gradually more frequent use, finds himself hooked.
Bro. Carter’s first example, sinning with respect to money matters, may at first seem more remote to those not in business. But consider the student coming from a developing country who is a first shocked and repulsed by the worship of materialism which permeates our society. Everywhere he looks people are pouring their money into large homes, expensive cars, designer clothing, lavish furniture, exotic vacations and adult toys of every description, while back home, his parents are struggling to stay warm for the winter, with barely enough food to get by. The student disdains such materialism and resolves to live at a modest level, sending any excess to help those in need. As the years go by, however, he slowly begins to treat himself just a little better until, finally, he too struggles to find room for all the toys he’s acquired and no longer has funds to send back home.
While materialism may not be the worst sin we can imagine, it certainly is the most pervasive in our society. Most of us can’t see it because from childhood, we’ve been raised with abundance and have never known need.
Recognizing our condition
If sin deceives the heart, blinds the eyes and becomes part of the person, what chance do we have of ever seeing ourselves as God sees us? Some times we have an opportunity. It may be a severe illness or family tragedy which causes us to take a serious and penetrating look at ourselves. Our Bible reading or an exhortation may strike home at an opportune moment. Or there may be something more dramatic: the drug addict overdoses and almost kills himself; the heavy drinker loses control and totals his car or he gets a ticket for driving under the influence; children stumble across our hidden magazines; in a fit of rage we strike our partner as our children watch in incredulity. Or, alternatively, like Bro. Michael Jennings (see “Youth Speaks”), we spend several weeks with our brethren who live at subsistence levels.
From reports of those who spend time in the mission field, what Bro. Michael has been through will have a permanent impact on the heart and conscience. If we let it happen, one’s sense of values can be forever affected: we’ll be aware when a grasping spirit rises in our hearts; we’ll ever after be able to distinguish between wants and needs and we’ll be keenly aware that materialism can rob us of a generous, sharing, unselfish spirit. As a community, we would do well if we ensured all our young people shared an experience like Michael’s.
Changing behavior
Those of us who have tried to break the grip of addictive behavior know the struggle involved. Prayer is vital, as is the consistent meditation on God’s word; fellowship with brothers and sisters can be helpful. As believers in Christ, although weak through the flesh, we have access to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. But, although we know the strength of Christ is greater than any power of sin, sometimes, because of our own weakness, we need to take advantage of professional assistance or group therapy with those who share our problem and are also seeking to conquer it. Thankfully, we have some in the community who can help in this regard (for example, see following “News and Notices”).
With respect to materialism, we are specifically told how to break its grip: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt. 6:21). At first, our hearts will rebel because we’re accustomed to indulging ourselves. But our Lord tells us that if we act as if we’re generous, unselfish people, considering the needs of our brethren, even in distant places, as being as important as our own, then gradually our hearts will follow our actions and we will, in fact, become generous, unselfish disciples of our Lord.
Nobody is more unselfish than Jesus Christ. During the days of his mortality, although he was a king in training, he acted like a servant, giving constantly of himself to benefit others. And even now, from the Father’s right hand, he works daily seeking our salvation that, in the end, he may share with us what his Father has given to him (Rev. 2:26,27; 3:21).
If we work with him using every method at our disposal, he’ll work with us to overcome the numbing power of sin in all its deceitful forms, for “Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One