The hardest truth of all

Few if any will heed what I am about to say. That is a given. The cost is far too great for most. Nevertheless, these truths are essential for us to come to terms with since they lie at the heart of the human condition. How do we develop a far more sophisticated idea of what constitutes evil since what we are witnessing today is evil on a global scale for perhaps the first time in human history? The evils of the First and Second World Wars and the subsequent conflicts of the twentieth century were the result of ideologies colliding which cannot peacefully coexist. But at the heart of those ideologies lays something far deeper, a sense of what constitutes the fallen nature of man. To understand this, we must first understand our own fallen nature. To many if not most the concept of original sin will seem archaic and outdated. And this is the great dilemma humanity faces. For 1500 years the idea of original sin resided at the very heart of Western philosophy which in turn defined our need for redemption. In the case of the West that redemption was to be found at the Cross where the blameless offered Himself up for the sin of the world. This was not to save the world collectively but rather to save every individual who became aware of their sinful nature to find salvation in Christ through a revelation of the finished work of His Cross.

But therein lies the problem today for to develop a more sophisticated idea of evil we must first confront our own wickedness. In this sense everything that happens is in some way my fault since the sin which others commit are the same sins which reside in me. Arrogance, ignorance of our own failings, false pride, narcissism, covetousness, lust, envy, projection, malice, the carnal desire for power and control, laziness which are summed up by the seven deadly sins of pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. These sins stand in opposition to the seven capital virtues of chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. Church teaching focused particularly on pride since it is believed to be the root of all sin because pride turns the soul away from God; and, on greed and covetousness as both of these underpin all other sins.

So, the price you will pay for developing a more sophisticated concept of evil comes at the certain knowledge of our own carnal nature. And out of it a coal from off the altar of God will change forever our conversation to focus on our Redeemer. Once we see ourselves in the blinding light of God’s Holy presence, we will know who and what we really are. In this revelation we will also discover why those is power today are completely unaware of the depths of their own prideful wickedness. They have rejected the need for the Divine and in doing so emulate the false pride and vanity of their father who claimed that he would make his throne ascend above that of God’s. And the Western Church today is largely failing in its Divine mission to lead mankind to repentance even as it adopts apostate false doctrine in complete contradiction of Scriptural truths. And so the West falls to the very toxic ideologies which make man his own god.
And the result of this Apostate ideology can be found in the book of 2 Timothy 3:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

This is a pretty accurate description of the world today; lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, and despisers of those that are good. The West has entered very dark times indeed and who among you are willing to pay the cost of discovering your own fallen nature in the light of the redemption of Christ which would allow you to understand why we are here and what can be done to solve our crisis of conscience?