In the human life there are many problems. In addition to the problem of emptiness, there is the problem of sin. In a real sense, sin is the most troublesome problem in human life. In the course of our human life, we are all troubled by sin. When we consider our condition, the condition of the people and families around us, and the condition of today’s society, we realize that sin is everywhere.
The testimony of our conscience proves that the human life is full of sins. If we examine our conduct, we will see that we are full of offenses and unrighteousness in dealing with our relatives, with society, and with our country. If we consider our family members one by one, we will have to bow our heads and say that our family is not up to standard. If we broaden our scope and consider our society, we will be convinced that society is full of sinful and perverse things. Every day, whether in the newspapers or on television, nothing is suitable for the eyes. The movies in the theaters are filled with filth and lust, and all around us sinful activities, such as dancing in nightclubs and gambling in casinos, are taking place. This shows that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart is evil and corrupt (Gen 6:5).
Nothing is more damaging to human life than the sin within man. Although it is true that diseases are dreadful and that many people are fearful of the germs that can destroy human lives, they may not see that there is something within man that is more dreadful than disease. Sin is highly contagious and can spread rapidly. If we consider the matter of sin a little further, we will realize that sin damages man more severely than disease. Many capable youths have been corrupted by sin from the beginning of their lives, and many highly educated young people with brilliant and clear minds have not only lost their dignity but also destroyed their precious lives because of the poison and contamination of sin.
Many people realize that the mass media report innumerable occurrences of people being damaged by sin in our society. Every day sin ruins many precious young souls and destroys many happy families. Due to the invasion of sin, the harmony between husband and wife is lost, and the sweetness of love deteriorates. Some parents, having been infected by sin, display all kinds of corrupt behavior in the presence of their children and thus imprint their corrupt condition into their children. It is rare to find any family in which the parents are proper patterns to their children.
Many wives like to play mah-jongg, and others like to watch movies or go dancing or window-shopping. The wives who love to play mah-jongg often leave their children to nannies or maids and return home late at night. Those who like to go dancing rarely take proper care of their children or have adequate concern for their children’s studies. Rather, they go dancing all night long. The wives who like to watch movies often abandon their housework and leave their homes in disorder in order to seek pleasure at the movie theater. If this is the condition of many wives, how can anyone expect to have a proper family or well-trained children? In addition, some husbands do shameful and disgraceful things behind the backs of their wife and children. Over time, not only the wife but also the children learn of the husband’s corruption and immorality. This leaves the wife resentful and grieved and the children unhappy and wronged. All these examples show how much more damaging sin is to the family than any kind of disease.
Sin not only corrupts individuals and damages families but also harms society and destroys countries. Hence, in order to have a safe and peaceful society and a prosperous and powerful country, we need to not only eradicate every kind of disease and germ but also to deal with every kind of sin. How much damage and destruction have been inflicted upon our society and country by criminals and evil-doers! Sin has attacked and damaged every aspect of human life, including the life of the individual, the family, the society, and the country.
In addition to damaging man, sin rules over man and makes him a slave of sin. In John 8:34 the Lord Jesus said, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” A slave is a person who has sold himself to a master and has thereby lost his freedom. In this sense, those who sin have sold themselves to sin. The fact that the wives who like to play mah-jongg disregard their family, abandon their husband, and neglect their children and play mah-jongg habitually shows that they have become slaves to mah-jongg. They have sold themselves along with their husband and children to mah-jongg. Sin is a fierce and cruel master, and those who sin are unconsciously enslaved by it. Although people in today’s society strongly advocate freedom, no one who sins has true freedom. Rather, all who sin are slaves of sin and are under the bondage of sin.