Avizandam. In Scots law, this term describes the careful consideration given by the judge before an important decision. Join me each week as we explore various topics from a spiritual perspective and take matters. Avisandum. I've just read the book Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alec Thompson.
The subtitle is President Biden's decline, its cover up, and his disastrous choice to run again. It is a fascinating and easy read. I recommend it. I read it when I was recently at the beach with our grandchildren, and thoroughly enjoyed it. But it is a sad indictment of the political system in the United States.
As a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I found it fascinating that Tapper and Thompson chose Original Sin as the title. They're right. The original sin of election twenty twenty four was Biden's decision to run for reelection. followed by aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment. And then came the June 27 debate against Trump, when Biden's decline was laid bare.
Before the world. The authors give the evidence for the original sin of the cover-up of Biden's decline. and the subsequent misinformation, if not downright lies, by his inner circle. At one level these events may be surprising, but at another level they're not. We're used to cover ups by our Presidents and politicians.
Although Tapper and Thomson write about original sin as it relates to politics, there's a deeper and more fundamental concept of original sin. I know that some people argue that there is no such thing as original sin. They believe we are inherently good. It's only our environment and our surrounding circumstances which prompt us to do evil and self serving actions. When I was studying law at Edinburgh University in Scotland, in my last honours year I chose criminology as one of my subjects.
I found the course in study to be fascinating. The professor gave us the assignment, To what extent is our society criminogenic? He wanted us, among other things, to deal with the Sociological aspects of crime, recidivism. the philosophy of incarceration, etc. In writing a paper, I mention the concept of original sin, which has been long held by the Christian Church, including in the teaching of Augustine.
The professor was scathing in his critique of that part of my paper. He wrote across it No one believes in original sin. Not even the church. This was a bold assertion by an academic criminologist. No original sin.
Was he blind? What did they make of the evil in our society? The horrors of World War One And two. the increase in crime in spite of people's living conditions becoming better and better. Do they really believe that human beings are naturally inclined to do good rather than evil?
What about all of the evidence?
Well, what do you think? Is there such a thing as original sin? The scriptures make it clear. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah writes, All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone.
to his own way. And quoting the Old Testament, the Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans. None is righteous. No, not one. No one understands.
No one seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become worthless. No one does good, not even one. In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul describes the Ephesian Christians in their unconverted state as being dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work.
and the sons of disobedience. To some ears, this scripture may sound very old-fashioned, archaic, and totally inappropriate for our sophisticated world. My response is Listen to the evening news. Take a look at Hollywood. Look at our politicians, including our Presidents.
Take a look at your city. Your street, your home, your family. Your own heart. All of us have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. In the author's note in the book Original Sin by Tapper and Thompson, they write.
George Orwell once wrote that we are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue. And then When we're finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time. The only check on it Is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality? usually on a battlefield.
He was writing about World War Two. But he could have been riding about any time. Any era. The Germans and the Japanese lost the war quite largely because their rulers were unable to see facts which were plain to any dispassionate eye. Orwell went on To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle.
I'm saying In front of our noses? is original sin. But it is at this point that the glorious gospel shines. When our Lord Jesus came into this world, He didn't come to judge or condemn us, but that through Him We may live. He comes to redeem us, to forgive our sins, to indwell us with His Spirit.
And the closer we follow Jesus, the more will become like him. Avazander. You're listening to the weekly Avizandam podcast from The Verdict, featuring Pastor John Monroe. John is Senior Pastor at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Listen to John's daily program, The Verdict, on broadcast radio or major podcast platforms.
For more information about the Verdict Ministry, visit us online at calvarychurch.com/slash the verdict.
