If you want to feel good about being a human being, don’t read the news today. It features such items as elephants being abused at a very famous circus, a video revealing a woman who died on the floor of a hospital while employees did nothing but watch and walk past her for thirty minutes. And there are more gruesome pictures from Abu Ghraib prison showing stomach revolting scenes of prisoner abuse.
The disturbing question is, “Are these exceptions?” Most psychologists would tell us they are not. Instead they become the rule when we humans are given absolute power over others. Something happens to that nice kid next door when given free reign. Worse something happens to us when we are given free reign over others. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time for us to shed our veneer of civilization and get to the core of our selfish being. But given the right circumstance each of us has incredible potential for evil.
I’m most uncomfortable even mentioning it. It is so much nicer to think of ourselves as gentle, generous, self-sacrificing creatures. It is true there are some among us who really are that way. However, there are not as many as we would love to think. All this brings me to why in the whole universe does God care about us? In Ephesians 2 Paul wrote, “It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us.”* The next time you are tempted to think God saves you because you are so good, forget it. We are saved purely by grace.
*The Message Paraphrase by Eugene Petersen
Written by Roger Bothwell on May 27, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org