{"id":12954,"date":"2020-06-11T05:02:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T05:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/?p=12954"},"modified":"2020-06-11T05:02:30","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T05:02:30","slug":"am-i-my-brothers-keeper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/11\/am-i-my-brothers-keeper\/","title":{"rendered":"“Am I my brother\u2019s keeper?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Bible says (in the book of Nahum):<\/p>

\u201cThe Lord is slow to anger but great in power; He will never leave the guilty unpunished.\u201d<\/p>Nahum 1: 3<\/cite><\/blockquote>

A lot of people laugh.<\/p>

Those people look around, and see riots, and fires, and hapless government leaders without solutions. They certainly do not see the guilty \u2013if they actually believe there actually are<\/span><\/em> any\u2013punished.<\/p>

The Bible (in Genesis 4) tells us that Cain killed his brother, Abel. Why did he do it<\/em>?<\/p>

The answer is there, in Genesis 4.<\/p>

\u201cSin is crouching at the door\u2026\u201d<\/p>Genesis 4:7<\/cite><\/blockquote>

What does that mean<\/em>?<\/p>

If you believe the Genesis account is moral fiction, just mythology, as Jordan Peterson does, then sin<\/em>\u2013as a concept\u2013becomes a nothing more than a metaphor for chaos <\/em>(contrasting with order<\/em>).<\/em><\/p>

But the Bible (in the book of Ecclesiastes) says:<\/p>

\u201cThe hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts\u2026\u201d<\/p>Ecclesiastes 9:3<\/cite><\/blockquote>

So, sin <\/em>is the normative human condition.<\/p>

This is confirmed in the book of Jeremiah:<\/p>

\u201cThe heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick\u2026\u201d<\/p>Jeremiah 17:9<\/cite><\/blockquote>

Racism is sin. Murder is sin. Rioting and looting are sin. Hating your brother is sin.<\/p>

How do we fix the human heart<\/em>?,<\/p>

The book of Hebrews in the Bible was originally written to Jewish Christians, who knew the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, and it quotes from the 31st chapter of that book:<\/p>

\u201cBehold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant\u2026 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke\u2026 For this is the covenant that I will make\u2026 I will put my law within<\/span> them, and I will write it on their hearts<\/span>. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people\u2026\u201d<\/p>Jeremiah 31:31-33<\/cite><\/blockquote>

In other words, God will, through His Spirit\u2013living within individual Christians\u2013empower<\/em> them to overcome sin, a feat that is otherwise impossible to humanity.<\/p>

The book of Romans says:<\/p>

\u201cNone is righteous, no, not one\u2026 no one does good, not even one\u2026 By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight\u2026\u201d<\/p>Romans 3:10-20<\/cite><\/blockquote>

So, the rioters in the streets are wasting their time. The people in Minneapolis who are disbanding their police force, they\u2019ve got it all wrong.<\/p>

Then what\u2019s the answer?<\/p>

\"\"
1941 movie, \u201cSergeant York<\/a>\u201c<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cOn the way down the mountain trail, in the middle of a storm, Alvin (York) meets his God, in the form a lightening bolt, which melts his gun, and throws him from his mule. From that moment on, Alvin becomes a transformed man of faith, apologizing\u2026for his former behavior\u2026 Under the leadership of the Pastor Rosier Pile (Walter Brennan) Alvin starts living his life according to Biblical teachings, growing his faith in God and His word.\u201d<\/p>Howard Hawks\u2019 \u201cSergeant York,\u201d 1941<\/a><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>

Alvin York, medal-of-honor winner from World War I, is a real life example of a man who learned to be a contributing member of society by becoming a Christian.<\/p>

Another example is Desmond Doss, a medal of honor recipient from World War II.<\/p>

\"\"
Desmond Doss, hero of 2016\u2019s \u201cHacksaw Ridge,\u201d receiving medal-of-honor<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

According to People Magazine:<\/p>

\u201cDoss\u2019s faith and courage were forged growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia\u2026 He was particularly intrigued by a illustration of the Sixth Commandment, showing Cain murdering his brother Abel.\u201d<\/p>\u201cThe True Story of\u00a0Hacksaw Ridge\u00a0and Desmond Doss: the Medal of Honor Winner Who Never Fired a Shot<\/a><\/em>\u201c<\/cite><\/blockquote>

The article goes on to say:<\/p>

\u201cPrivate Desmond Doss walked into the bloodiest battle of World War II\u2019s Pacific theater with nothing to protect himself save for his Bible and his faith in God\u2026\u201d<\/p>\u201cThe True Story of\u00a0Hacksaw Ridge\u00a0and Desmond Doss\u2026<\/a>\u201c<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>

And heroics still happen in Lynchburg, VA:<\/p>

\n