Any Person is Capable of Any Sin

I’ve long-held that any person is capable of any sin.  I don’t suppose that this is an original thought on my part, because Justin Martyr said that “Every created being is so constituted as to be capable of vice and virtue.”  Jeremiah, a Prophet in the Old Testament said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9

Jesus said, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. Mark 7:21,22

In light of today’s events and comments like “I don’t understand how any one person can be so evil,” or “I don’t understand how any person can do something so horrendous,” I’m convinced that for the most part, humanity has not embraced its own depravity.  Ultimately, this problem can not be pinned to pistols, poverty, or politics or any other secondary causality.  It’s a heart issue.  It’s sin.

When I first read today’s news, I wept.  It broke my heart.  Not because I don’t understand, but because I understand all too well.  Having seen up close the consequences on a loved one from the death of a child, I simply could not bear the thought of that multiplied by 20+.  I won’t say that I don’t understand how any person can do such a horrendous thing because Like I said in the opening, I believe any person is capable of any sin.  

Am I wrong?  

Please don’t mistake me for a cynic or a prophet of doom.  To the same degree that I believe any person is capable of any sin, I equally believe that the Gospel is the solution.  We can attempt to control people’s behavior with some short-term and limited success, but only the continually proclaimed gospel gets to the heart issue.  

For related posts, see:

 

Is Jeremiah 17:9 for Believers?

 

 

 
CommentsI've been a journalist for over 30 years and have covered lots ... by Dan B.as did Jesus, we know what the mind/thoughts of man are ... by MarshallRelated StoriesPoverty as a Lack of Freedom to GrowTheology Precedes Practice, Vice Versa, or Something Else?The Lord Jesus (The Logos) and His Teachings (The Logos) are One!