I always try to discern underlying causes of contemporary issues in order to find Biblical solutions. The Scriptures will always identify these same causes, because God knows our hearts. He always provides the remedies.
In the case of riots, and petulant elected supposed representatives who refuse to administer the Constitution and govern lawfully, the root lies in early Genesis. After the Fall, Adam and Eve did not know how to parent a sinful child. With his sinfulness in full control, Cain grew up an entitled, spoiled brat, ready to throw a tantrum whenever he thought his selfish sensibilities felt unfulfilled.
Remember, because sin is natural and we all suffer from it, its effects are readily communicated, like a viral pandemic. Cainist religion is never satisfied. After nearly two thousand years of pre-Flood history, no one remained uninfected by the infantile and murderous Cainist religious contagion except Noah and his family. Noah walked with God.
For the past near century, state schools, attended even by the vast majority of Christians, have purposed and increasingly manifest absolute humanism, a return to the Cainist religion. Humanism systematically indulges and encourages natural sin. One important tool of this system is affective psychology. That is, schools no longer train reason and the consideration of causes and consequences, but encourage giving into raw emotion—including Cainist tantrums. Try listening to your neighbors. Odds are they will speak not of what they believe or know, but of what they feel.
Today, we appear to have come full circle back to Cain. Antifa and Black Lives Matter (organization, not the valid principle) represent the universal, sinful Cainist religion. Likewise, the French Revolution principle, Socialism, Marxism, anarchy, and revolution for revolution’s sake. The 1960s’ rebellious movement is now mature, and the inmates are in charge.
Innate sinful Selfishness demands not only equality but superiority and advantage. Lazy and slavish sinners submit to ambitious and slavish sinners. They’re both slaves to unbridled appetite, as infant appetite is unbridled. The infant doesn’t really know what it wants. I have a toy. My brother has a toy. I want both. Irrationally, I want to hurt my brother to make myself feel better.
Riots, theft (including stealing from fellow black lives), property destruction and murder characterize the new Cainist religion. What is the end? As always, whatever nebulous and undefined ostensible purpose, such as black lives matter (which they do), loses out to insane revenge against a poorly defined and therefore universal enemy.
What is the answer? The Christian faith in the past now many decades has centered selfishly on eternal salvation, perhaps with a personal but limited, cloistered pietism. The pietistic religion has not produced much effective counter to the Cainist religion.
The Bible suggests two prongs in a debased age. One is external. One is internal. In Nehemiah’s time, Israel rebuilt the city with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. Moses told ancient Israel in several places that the purpose of God’s Law was to purge evil from their midst. Just so, God requires His children to stand for justice, the externalization of righteousness—the same words in Biblical Hebrew and Greek.
But any political action is only a temporary defense against the onslaught of Cainist religion. Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God. He emphasized that His kingdom is essentially internal, building character for self-government by the power of the Holy Spirit by faith. But then He expects us to present ourselves living sacrifices to produce an outward expression. Since everything belongs to Him, we must take every thought (and action) captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Good salt and light will impact everything. If science is corrupt, displace it with a restored science based on historically tested Biblical view of knowledge. If journalism is corrupt, displace it with journalists trained in journalism schools based in Biblical truth. If the tech giants systematically cancel Christian thought in social media and search engines, displace them with honest technology offerings. If self-serving big business sinfully seeks to leverage government to protect themselves from competition through encouraging and practicing the bullying Cainist religion, let Christians learn godly business and displace them. Reform civil government to efface evil influences in it. Likewise, law, the arts, entertainment, manufacturing, farming, everything. A godly republic is a do-it-yourself affair, as America’s founders understood and expected.
Ultimately, the power of restoration lies with the blessed Spirit of God given by His grace once more. He is ready to give His power for good by His grace to the formerly Christian West and the rest of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). God Himself carries the load, but gives us a part. Christ expects us to grow up, to resist and displace the Cainist religion by faith. He Himself will bring the increase.
An original of this essay first appeared on Ron Kirk’s Thy Will Be Done Facebook page. Go here to buy Ron’s Nordskog Publishing title Thy Will Be Done.
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