I believe that every human being is a sinner. We are born sinners. Sin has corrupted our very nature. Every part of ourselves is infected with sin. Every single day we willfully choose things that go against what God wants for us (and refuse to choose things that fulfill what God wants for us). We are inclined toward sin, defaulting toward it because our sense of right and wrong is broken. Apart from the saving, transforming work of God, we humans are slaves to sin who can't stop sinning. Only after being redeemed by Jesus Christ and renewed by the Holy Spirit can humans begin to truly do what is good, and even then we continue to sin and struggle with sin all our lives.
Because human beings are sinners, everything that we design and build will be tainted with sin. Sin isn't just an individual matter; it's also a corporate, structural matter. Our governments, our economies, our creative arts, our health care systems and education systems and criminal justice systems—every part of society—will work in sinful, broken ways. If we as individuals are selfish and unjust and inclined to favor ourselves, then certainly the things we make together will have a tendency to be unjust and prone to give advantages to certain groups. My denomination, the CRC, wrote a contemporary statement of faith that puts it this way: "All spheres of life—family and friendship, work and worship, school and state, play and art—bear the wounds of our rebellion. Sin is present everywhere—in pride of race, arrogance of nations, abuse of the weak and helpless, disregard for water, air, and soil, destruction of living creatures, slavery, murder, terror, and war, worship of false gods, the mistreatment of our bodies, and our frantic efforts to escape reality. We become victims of our own sin." (Our World Belongs to God 16)
Now let's be clear. Believing that sin and evil work in corporate, structural ways, does not at all deny that sin and evil work in individual, personal ways. Sin is still in each of our hearts, and we are responsible for our own sinful deeds. Recognizing that our systems are broken and tainted by sin does not mean that we humans are not personally responsible for our actions, though it should make us understanding of and even sympathetic toward each other due to how our sinful structures impact us in different ways.
Recognizing that the structures of our society are sinful also does not mean that nothing ever goes right in our world. I believe that sin is everywhere in our world, but I also believe that because of God's grace and involvement in our world, things are not absolutely as bad as they could possibly be. Our sense of right and wrong is broken, but God's Spirit continues to point us toward what is right, and the goodness of God's original creation continues to shine through in places. All of us are capable of doing what is outwardly, morally right—speaking kind words, sharing with those in need—because God created us good and reveals Himself in our world. (However, without being saved and transformed by Christ, we won't do what is truly right with right motivations for God's glory.) In the same way, even judicial systems that are tainted by sin can still make just rulings and sin-stained economies can still reward honest efforts and promote cooperation.
Finally, our society and structures can't be fixed by human efforts. The solution to the problem of sin and evil is not us making ourselves better. As individuals, we can only be saved from sin through Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life of obedience in our place, took the full punishment for our sin in His death, and rose again to bring reconciliation with God and forgiveness and new life to all His people. Jesus calls and leads us to believe in Him, confess and turn from our sins, and strive with His help to live like Him. Our structures and society also need to be redeemed and transformed by Christ. Only He has the power and goodness to set this world right and establish true justice and heal and repair what is wrong. So we Christians lament the evil we see, witness to the wisdom and righteousness of Christ, and do all that we can with His help to live by His standards and work for reform. With God's inspiration and guidance, we can advocate for fairer housing practices and less partial laws, but that work will not be finished until Jesus returns, just like we individuals won't reach perfection until Christ comes back. And any progress that is made in our individual lives and in our structures comes from God. He can and does use us, but the work and credit is His.
In short, I think we Christians should agree that sin and evil are present both in our individual lives and in our society. But we can't fix either ourselves or our world. Our only hope is in Christ. We should trust in Him alone and ask His help to make our lives and our structures reflect Him and His ways more and more. And we should have confidence that in the end He will make everything right.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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