Man’s Fallen Nature and His Propensity to Conquer and Enslave: What to Expect From Compromise
Should America's new President negotiate with terrorist nations? What will he be up against? And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead expose them (Eph.5:11).
Is man basically "good", and terrorists primarily in need of "understanding"?
What should we anticipate from man unrestrained by God's law; that is, man who follows his “human nature”?
Should we be “positive” and “optimistic” and “give the President a chance to prove himself”? Does man, governed only by his human nature, progress upward toward freedom, or downward toward tyranny?
In the Bible, Jeremiah describes the “fallen nature” of man: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked...: Jer. 17:9). Does that still apply today?
Founder John Adams (a committed Christian) wrote:
“There is no reason to believe the one more honest than the other. They are all of the same clay; their minds and bodies are alike...as to usurping others' rights, they are all...equally guilty when unlimited in power... The people, when they have been unchecked, have been as unjust, brutal, barbarous and cruel as any king or senate possessed of uncontrolled power. The majority has eternally, without one exception, usurped the rights of the minority."
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, recognizing man's fallen nature, stated in the Kentucky Resolutions of 1789:
“In questions of power…let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution”.
The founding fathers were learned men: historians, college professors, lawyers, physicians, businessmen, clergymen. Overwhelmingly they were active Christians. They considered the Bible to contain the greatest accounting of human history, and to be the final authority on God's laws of liberty, specifically the 10 Commandments. Upon those laws they formulated America’s primary instruments of freedom - the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. They considered the Bible’s expositions about the sin nature of fallen man and his propensity to conquer and enslave his fellow man, to be true without any exceptions in ancient or contemporary history, and structured our government to make possible to America's citizens the blessings of liberty, while protecting them from themselves. Thus the triune checks and balances structure of our government as executive, legislative and judicial as per Isaiah 33:22.
Historian and British statesman Edmund Burke spoke two universally acknowledged truisms:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”; and, “Eternal vigilance is forever the price of freedom.” 1 Peter 5:8 tells us what to expect: ...your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
It is worth noting that a political science professor of this author’s opened his class by stating a harsh reality: “The history of the world is a history of a gigantic slaughter bench”. What does that say about human nature?
In his classic book “Lethal Politics”, historian/professor R. J. Rummel concluded that in no century in history has more genocide been committed against men, women and children on the scale of the 20th century. In fact, Rummel concluded that three times more innocent people died at the hands of their governments than from all of the wars and battlefield deaths. In Russia alone, over 60 million perished under Stalin’s purges, including millions by mass starvation and executions. Even more were subjected to genocide in China under Mao Tse-Tung. Under Hitler and Nazi Germany over 15 million perished from genocide.
In communications and negotiations with America and our allies evil men in the 20th century displayed smiles and apparent good intentions, but they proved to be masters of deceit.
Time and again, from Genesis through Revelation, the Bible describes the nature of unredeemed men, and warns us to never let down or even slacken our vigilant guard. Why? Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes (Rom, 3:15-18). Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free...(Gal. 5:1) ; Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity ? (Ps 94:16)
Thus overwhelming historical evidence confirms that the founding fathers were right in their assessment of fallen human nature: that it does not change or "evolve" in any direction except downward; that it does in fact have a propensity toward tyranny and enslavement which cannot be changed through political negotiations, and that we contemporary citizens of America must be ever vigilant and unswerving in our defense of our priceless God-given freedoms.
What can we expect from compromise with evil? Clearly, inasmuch as evil does not change its nature, it changes only only its strategies. Therefore it is futile to attempt to negotiate with evil in the hope of "achieving a better understanding."
There is no room for pacifism in the sacred cause of liberty. In Matthew 22:37, 38 Jesus gave the First and Great Commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
What about love, which has been termed the centerpiece of the Bible? What is love? Is it passive tolerance toward evil? Not at all! This is love, that we walk after his commandments (II John 6). “Walking after” is a mandate to go into the attack mode and be ever vigilant.
Lest any person should wonder about the intensity of our mandated obedience to the Author of our liberties, Jesus drew the line: He that saith, I know him[love him -ed] and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth [Christ] is not in him (1 John2:4).
Compromise with evil equates to watered-down commitment. In Revelation 3:15,16 Christ made his action mandate to us unmistakably clear:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
The consequences for compromise with evil are undeniable. America has many enemies around the world. There must be no illusion about what they will do to us and our children should they get an upper hand in political affairs. We must clearly understand our sacred duty to defend our liberties and to pass those liberties and responsibilities to our posterity.
Note: quotation sources upon request
Is man basically "good", and terrorists primarily in need of "understanding"?
What should we anticipate from man unrestrained by God's law; that is, man who follows his “human nature”?
Should we be “positive” and “optimistic” and “give the President a chance to prove himself”? Does man, governed only by his human nature, progress upward toward freedom, or downward toward tyranny?
In the Bible, Jeremiah describes the “fallen nature” of man: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked...: Jer. 17:9). Does that still apply today?
Founder John Adams (a committed Christian) wrote:
“There is no reason to believe the one more honest than the other. They are all of the same clay; their minds and bodies are alike...as to usurping others' rights, they are all...equally guilty when unlimited in power... The people, when they have been unchecked, have been as unjust, brutal, barbarous and cruel as any king or senate possessed of uncontrolled power. The majority has eternally, without one exception, usurped the rights of the minority."
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, recognizing man's fallen nature, stated in the Kentucky Resolutions of 1789:
“In questions of power…let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution”.
The founding fathers were learned men: historians, college professors, lawyers, physicians, businessmen, clergymen. Overwhelmingly they were active Christians. They considered the Bible to contain the greatest accounting of human history, and to be the final authority on God's laws of liberty, specifically the 10 Commandments. Upon those laws they formulated America’s primary instruments of freedom - the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. They considered the Bible’s expositions about the sin nature of fallen man and his propensity to conquer and enslave his fellow man, to be true without any exceptions in ancient or contemporary history, and structured our government to make possible to America's citizens the blessings of liberty, while protecting them from themselves. Thus the triune checks and balances structure of our government as executive, legislative and judicial as per Isaiah 33:22.
Historian and British statesman Edmund Burke spoke two universally acknowledged truisms:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”; and, “Eternal vigilance is forever the price of freedom.” 1 Peter 5:8 tells us what to expect: ...your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
It is worth noting that a political science professor of this author’s opened his class by stating a harsh reality: “The history of the world is a history of a gigantic slaughter bench”. What does that say about human nature?
In his classic book “Lethal Politics”, historian/professor R. J. Rummel concluded that in no century in history has more genocide been committed against men, women and children on the scale of the 20th century. In fact, Rummel concluded that three times more innocent people died at the hands of their governments than from all of the wars and battlefield deaths. In Russia alone, over 60 million perished under Stalin’s purges, including millions by mass starvation and executions. Even more were subjected to genocide in China under Mao Tse-Tung. Under Hitler and Nazi Germany over 15 million perished from genocide.
In communications and negotiations with America and our allies evil men in the 20th century displayed smiles and apparent good intentions, but they proved to be masters of deceit.
Time and again, from Genesis through Revelation, the Bible describes the nature of unredeemed men, and warns us to never let down or even slacken our vigilant guard. Why? Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes (Rom, 3:15-18). Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free...(Gal. 5:1) ; Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity ? (Ps 94:16)
Thus overwhelming historical evidence confirms that the founding fathers were right in their assessment of fallen human nature: that it does not change or "evolve" in any direction except downward; that it does in fact have a propensity toward tyranny and enslavement which cannot be changed through political negotiations, and that we contemporary citizens of America must be ever vigilant and unswerving in our defense of our priceless God-given freedoms.
What can we expect from compromise with evil? Clearly, inasmuch as evil does not change its nature, it changes only only its strategies. Therefore it is futile to attempt to negotiate with evil in the hope of "achieving a better understanding."
There is no room for pacifism in the sacred cause of liberty. In Matthew 22:37, 38 Jesus gave the First and Great Commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
What about love, which has been termed the centerpiece of the Bible? What is love? Is it passive tolerance toward evil? Not at all! This is love, that we walk after his commandments (II John 6). “Walking after” is a mandate to go into the attack mode and be ever vigilant.
Lest any person should wonder about the intensity of our mandated obedience to the Author of our liberties, Jesus drew the line: He that saith, I know him[love him -ed] and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth [Christ] is not in him (1 John2:4).
Compromise with evil equates to watered-down commitment. In Revelation 3:15,16 Christ made his action mandate to us unmistakably clear:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
The consequences for compromise with evil are undeniable. America has many enemies around the world. There must be no illusion about what they will do to us and our children should they get an upper hand in political affairs. We must clearly understand our sacred duty to defend our liberties and to pass those liberties and responsibilities to our posterity.
Note: quotation sources upon request
posted by John Chalfant at
10:15 AM
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