“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” – Genesis 6:5

“who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” – Galatians 1:4

IT IS WELL within indisputable confines, without breaching truth, that evil has been continually among us the moment sin first entered the human heart with Adam, and when the nature of sin had reached its pinnacle, society could not have gone any worse; depravity was so bad that God drowned every living thing via the flood, apart from Noah, his family and two of each kind of animal. Had it been possible for colossal abortion of unborn babies back then, it would no doubt have taken place, but all the intents of evil were there lurking and manifesting; it is that circumstances, medicines, and technology were not there in place.

Yes, we read that the thoughts of men’s hearts were only evil continually, but they no doubt incorporated action, not to mention when Jesus stated, “that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). We wrongly confine it to thoughts only, whereas God knows our hearts. Jesus was actually expounding the ten commandments, for as many believed because they had not committed the act of sin, none were therefore guilty. Jesus drove home the truth that sin proceeds from the heart; sin living in our innermost being. Either we are living under the dominion of sin, or the realm of grace; slaves to sin or slaves to Christ – there is no in-between. I am not referring to temptation here, but more so in cleaving to temptation where we entertain and fuel those thoughts until our entire being is swayed. We may not commit those ‘vile’ acts, but we may have thought it through and desired it – our wills being captivated. This is the nature of sin, not acts per se. If we’re confined to believing we are guiltless because we have not physically carried out the act, while being engrossed with them in the imaginations of our hearts, then we are no different or better off than the self-righteous Pharisees who were admired in the eyes of men but abominable in the eyes of God.

No doubt there will be some objections raised: it was not as evil back then as it is today, someone might say. To some extent there is an element of truth, but to understand the entire scenario to its core, we must always remember that God views sin oftentimes entirely different to ourselves. The power of sin, the very essence of sin had entered when Adam defied God. Sin marred the entire creation from that moment. Sin is no more evil than when it first entered the human race; its manifestation may appear more heinous at times, but its core was at its worst from the MOMENT the first human heart embraced it.

Genesis 6:5 and Galatians 1:4 were obviously at different timelines, nevertheless, the implications are there to signify that the entire age, upon sin entering our world, is evil.

What we need to remember, and once again realise, is that there is no degree of sin; we  wrongly position that gauge. It wasn’t abortion or the sacrificing of children that brought about the fall of man to where the whole of creation/cosmos was therefore subject to decay and death, it was Adam’s disobedience to God. Cosmic’s greatest crime toward God; his very own creation – man made in His own image – that must have cut to the heart of God.

Man’s GREATEST crime brought the NATURE of sin into the world, and in that was the entire package of depravity to be disclosed throughout this earth’s entire ages. That, however, does not negate the horrors of sin’s manifestation, but, we must remember the ROOT of sin that is the fuel to all evil and atrocities.

Martin Lloyd-Jones once said, “As Christians we shouldn’t be taken by surprise regarding all the evil in the world; what we should be surprised at is that there is any good left in this world.”

When we look back over time through history and we discover that life was more stable, secure, respectable with all good morals in place – friends, that was none other than God’s restraining hand upon sin for His wider purposes; that was the goodness and mercy of God manifested over and above the power of sin’s potential. I’ve mentioned it before, to quote Lloyd-Jones, that “the next greatest power to God is sin.” Well, what about Satan and all his demonic realm? Christ came to free us from such captivity – yes, BUT, it took Christ coming into this world in order to die (and rise again) for the perfectly just penalty of SIN committed by us. Behind ALL satanic activity is SIN. That is the driving force and entity.

Ralph Venning’s book, ‘The Sinfulness of Sin’ was written during the time of The Great Plague of London, but worse than a wide-spread and life-threatening disease is the plague of sin. The greatest danger is oblivion to it. If only our world reacts to sin as it did when the Covid 19 ‘pandemic’ first initiated, society would be quite different. How transformative our society would be if we would only fear God – the beginning of true wisdom – and subsequently fear sin! Only eyes opened to it by the Holy Spirit can view the world within its right context of what sin has done to the entire cosmos.

Secularists will ALWAYS have a pessimistic outlook on this world, hoping that humanity will somehow rightly reform itself, no matter what rehabilitation programmes, psychologists, psychiatrists have to offer. That is man’s futile struggle and greatest effort to right the world of all its wrongs. Our danger as Christians is to view the world with all of its atrocities in the same light – and that light is darkness; blind to the root cause, and it’s cure –  its ONLY remedy through Christ alone.

As Christians we may long and pine for years gone by when society was more stable until we find ourselves despairing just as the world. Friends, this is not right thinking; it is a way of thinking that is NOT Biblical. It is worldly to its core, and part of that is due to an incorrect understanding of the nature of sin. What is uttered from most of our church pulpits/grounds today is anything other than sound expository preaching. The Law (God’s initial requirement of humanity) is not expounded to where people see the horrors of sin, thus despairing of themselves to even attempt to right themselves with God. For all the Law does is call everyone to account, bringing every man and woman to the realisation of being slaves to sin and their inability to free themselves from it while being under the wrath of God. Thus, we stand in judgement before God and see that He is perfectly just and righteous to remove us from His presence to face eternity’s agony.

Our inner unregenerate man (prior to our spiritual rebirth) HATES such Biblical revelation and reasoning because we’re naturally predisposed to opposing God.

I often hear widespread Christians state that the law of God, recorded in the Old Testament, is obsolete as we’re now under the New Covenant; we’re under grace, not under Law. If that is the case, then why did the apostle Paul – in the New Testament – expound the law, not nullify it?! Of course we’re under the New Covenant, but we’re only within it if we’re in Christ – to where there is no condemnation.

Some of us know that the preaching of the Law doesn’t end there. Its VERY purpose is to bring us in our despairing state to Christ Himself. The Law is the final blow to self righteousness, and until we’re stripped of any hope in and of ourselves, we cannot be clothed or credited with Christ’s righteousness. That infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us follows when we cling to Christ for mercy. Christ fulfilled the Law (He was the only One Who could), and when we find ourselves in Christ, the requirements of the Law are fulfilled in us through grace and faith alone. Christ is the source, the object; faith and grace are but the instruments – unearned gifts bestowed on us by God.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” – His work on the cross, that instrument of the most barbaric death in Roman times that opened up the way for us to stand justified before God.

Friends, this is what God’s men preached hundreds of years ago, where TRUE conviction and TRUE repentance arose; this is where great awakenings and revivals ignited. God honoured His word as the Holy Spirit worked mightily to where things are impossible with man.

No wonder Isaac Watts wrote his famous hymn, ‘When I Survey The Wondrous Cross’, or John Newton’s, ‘Amazing Grace’ – yes, that hymn most people are all too familiar with. You cannot measure the grace of God; you can’t calculate it or fathom its endless depths. You can only stand eternally in awe of it – of God who stooped so low to lift us way out of the filth we were in, cleanse us, purify us, clothe us with His garment of love, and having adopting us to enjoy ALL the spiritual realities and riches in His Son – Jesus Christ.

Preach nothing but the love of God without His wrath over sin, not even half the Gospel is being proclaimed – in fact, it is another gospel; it is NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we begin understanding the grandness of God’s love if we do not first come to a knowledge of how we were once under God’s righteous judgment? No wonder there are countless false converts fast approaching hell.

Tell me, how did John Newton write his hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’ that so many professing believers roll off their tongues, no different than people under the influence of alcohol? I tell you why he wrote it. He penned such heart-felt words because he came under conviction of sin through the Law. One cannot utter such words, “saved a wretch like me” until the Law exposes our sin.

It was Adam’s sin that initiated (foreordained before Adam fell) the need for Christ coming into the world and to redeem humanity from sin. As Oswald Chambers stated that the only hope humanity has is through the redemption of Christ. That’s the ONLY reality that can fix the human race and realign the human heart.

There is no culture basis here. To be rescued – for that is literally what Christ has done – is strong language and takes the action of another who is stronger to redeem a person from grave danger – while we were weak and dead in sin Christ died (redeemed) for us.

One of the greatest needs of our day is a regaining revelation of sin, and from God’s perspective. A Biblical mindset. Without such we will always view this world with all of its atrocities that leaves us in a state of mental, emotional and spiritual paralysis; a heart that is troubled, vexed, in anguish and in despair. No wonder the apostle Paul exhorts us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), and again to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). We have the negative: don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world, and then the positive of being transformed and renewed. This conforming to the world is so subtle, and it’s not over night, but a slow – almost unconscious – digressing to the point where we find ourselves agonisingly tangled in our thoughts and emotions, until we come again to the place of rest that is found in Christ alone, where His yoke is easy and burden being gentle, soothing – the perfect balm of His peace. It’s in that place where our thinking is rightly realigned, and all our wrong preconceptions and misconceptions of this world with all of its darkness – even of God Himself – that dissipates in His awesome presence and wonderfully restores our soul.

This restoring is not escapism, or burying our heads in the sand per se from all that is taking place in this world. On the contrary, it is viewing this world aright and recognising the nature of sin that marrs everything in this world. Above and beyond that, it is recognising and perceiving God’s omnipotence overruling sin, and to where it is even subservient to God’s decrees and unfailing purposes that He foreordained before the creation of this world. Sin’s days are numbered, so is Satan’s, all his legions, and human souls that continue to defy, rebel against and blaspheme God. There is soon coming the Day where sin – the root of all evil – shall no longer be. Christ is reigning until He makes His enemies His footstool.

Remember, sin in being an enemy to you is infinitely more the enemy to God, and that fearful Day of reckoning and Final judgement is not far off.  It’s in this line of thinking – Spirit-led mindset – we come to the true realisation, that in ALL these things (in light of all evil) we are not just conquerors but more than conquerors through Christ’s love and power that eternally sustains us.

Evil’s Presence Throughout The Ages – Part 2 HERE