“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Mark 7:21-23
Jesus is telling us here that sin is not an environmental problem, it is an internal problem. Sin is part of the human condition. The problem is located inside of us.
Imagine gathering with some church friends for a night out. After snacks and chatting, you start playing a game where one person answers a multiple-choice question, and everyone else has to guess which answer he or she chose.
The first question is: “By nature are people good at heart, bad at heart, or somewhere in between?” One of your friends, who regularly attends the church, circles the answer, “By nature, people are good at heart.”
The question stimulates some good conversation, but this friend who loves Jesus, reads the Bible, attends church, and is engaged in ministry believes that people are good at heart. How is that possible?
Many Christians are unrealistic about what we’re up against when it comes to missions and evangelism. That may be why we are weak on prayer. We think we can do evangelism through good organization. Attending a few church programs will put Johnny right, won’t it? Not if you’ve heard and understood the nature of sin.
How do you think Jesus would answer the multiple-choice question? What do you think His answer says about Him?