Our modern victim culture teaches that people are corrupt because society is corrupt. In other words, people are products of their surroundings. Good societies produce good people. Evil societies produce evil people. We are not at fault. We are basically good people in bad environments. We are victims.
While that idea makes us feel good about ourselves, it is the polar opposite of what God’s word teaches. Consider Genesis 6.
Verse 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence (Why was the earth corrupt and violent? Read the next verse. . .)
Verse 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, FOR ALL THE PEOPLE on earth HAD CORRUPTED THEIR WAYS.
Did you get that? The earth became corrupt because the “people had corrupted their ways.” Societies are corrupted by corrupt people, not the other way around. We are not victims of corruption; we are perpetrators of corruption. We are the root cause.
If God wanted to put an instant end to evil and corruption in the world all he would have to do is kill every man, woman, boy, and girl. Get rid of the source and the corruption problem is solved.
We are the reason for all corruption.
We are also the reason he came to earth in human flesh, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, rose from the grave, and now offers the free gift of eternal life.
Thank God for the gospel that frees us from the temporal chains and eternal consequences of our own corruption.
