OK, let's say we set up a scale, where 0 is the most evil person ever, and 10 is the best (goodest?) person ever. For Christians, Satan would pretty much be 0 by definition, and Jesus would really kinda have to be 10; He was God afterall. (For any non-Christians, feel free to add your own deities to either end.)
People at the top end are probably hard to come by. Maybe Mother Theresa would get a 9 perhaps. I'm sure there's more, but they're hard to think up. On the other end, it's almost a no-brainer. Hitler is probably the first to come to mind who might get a 1, for instance. You could make cases for Pol Pot, Stalin, and probably a few others.
My question though is this: do these evil people know they're evil? Or are they just misguided. Or maybe we're misjudging them (doubtful though!) For instance, I'm told that Hitler himself loved puppies and children. How bad could he be? If he were evil, wouldn't he be evil to everybody? Hmmm..... Not sure.
Now in the movies, it's easy. Evil guys KNOW they're evil in the movies. Think of every single James Bond bad guy. He KNEW he was evil, but loved being that way. Even Scar, in Lion King, knew he was a really bad guy.
But in real life, I'm not so sure. For instance, I think I'm a pretty decent guy. I try to live right, set a good example, and I try to always do the right thing. Sounds like I should rate at least above 5. Yet I know there are people who are convinced I'm no higher than a 2.
So anyway, where do you think you rate? I can't imagine any real, flesh and blood person, would ever say "Yeah, I'm about a 1.5 on the evil scale. I pretty much don't ever do anything that one could consider good." No, nobody's going to say that.
Well anyway, where do you think you rate? I wonder if we'd agree.
For the Christian, grace means that Jesus has gotten rid of the scale entirely. Martin Luther says that we are at the same time saint and sinner. So all of us fall anywhere on the scale all over the map simultaneously. Jesus came to earth to redeem us by his cross because the rating scale will always be a futile exersize. All humans have mixed motivations no matter how saintly they appear. No one is pure in heart and no one is probably pure evil, save Satan himself. The rating scale will always condemn us. So that's why forgiveness depends on trusting in Christ's death and resurrection to save us because the rating scale never will. (bet you can guess who this is from...)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see that. Wasn't that basic Martin Luther's point? That we can't climb that scale, no matter how hard we try?
ReplyDeleteCheck out this week's 1 Corinthians lesson. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. The foolishness of humans is to believe there is a scale. God's foolishness is to say he doesn't judge the way humans judge, therefore the idea of a scale is irrelevant. "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is low and despised in the world...so that no one might boast in the presence of God."
ReplyDeleteI wish it was as simple as placing someone on a scale. That way, they knew if they were evil or not. Maybe then, they would know and have the chance to change. Or maybe we would be aware of the evil ways and could plan ahead for what they might do. But, it doesnt work that way. People who are doing "evil" acts are thinking that they are helping. Take Hitler, he thought he was creating a perfect race of people. He thought that by getting rid of the bad specimens, he would be able to create a perfect race and then the world would be better. He even had followers that believed what he was doing was a good thing. An evil man doing evil in our eyes, but in his and his followers, he was a good man.
ReplyDeletePlus, who would be in charge of this scale and judging people on who was evil and not and where they should be placed. Its a good thing that God doesnt work that way. That through his grace, we are all saved, no matter what number we are at. For that, we should rejoice!