When I first learned to ride a bicycle, I was
let loose on the streets of my neighbourhood and almost immediately came into
conflict with another user. My problem was a very simple one; I was riding on
the wrong side of the road as the other user testily informed me.
My
father had not taught me the first rule of the road—to ride or drive on the
left (that was in England of course). A moment’s thought reveals to us the
chaos produced without this one simple and basic rule.
When
it comes to human nature, most are poorly informed of the one simple rule that
governs all human behaviour, and must be taken into account in any process of
governing: that is our total depravity.
This
very definitely goes against the grain, especially as it suggests that we have
nothing good in us. But it simply means that everything we do is somehow
infected with sin; we act with mixed motives and engage in undesirable
fantasies.
Society
assumes the ultimate good in all, a mistaken notion that contributes as much to
society's ills as sin itself, by applying incorrect notions. Sin is regarded as
a correctable defect rather than a terminal disease. Compare the name of Canada’s
prison system: Corrections Canada!
By
contrast the Bible teaches that we are all infected by sin and need inward
cleansing by our Creator. The first line of defence for our children is a
commitment to Jesus Christ, responding to their recognised need of cleansing
and forgiveness; first as an initial experience of salvation, and then as an
ongoing need in daily life.
Unfortunately,
these are so basic that we take them for granted and forget to clearly instruct
our children of them—as my father forgot to inform me of the first rule of the
road.
