“Evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts“ (Luke 6:45).
The eighteenth-century puritan firebrand preacher, Jonathan Edwards, is often saddled with the quote: “The road to hell is paved with the skulls of unbaptized babies.” Whether he ever said it, or not, one can’t be sure, but there is little doubt that he believed it. You would be surprised at the list of denominations that believe in hereditary sin. Begin with those that practise Christening and you will quickly run into the hundreds of millions. And sadly, you will also have to add in most of the Reformed Churches, though some do not Christen their babies.
If a person believes that they are born spiritually corrupted, it should not surprise us that such a person has serious issues with God—after all, they might have a case to deny responsibility.
A person does not have to be born sinful to one day find themselves in a sea of wickedness. The kingdom of darkness is an attractive place for those looking for the thrills of this world.
The human conscience, our God-given witness of right and wrong, pulls our minds Godward. A man who fights against his conscience long enough will either fill his life with distractions, or he will, like his hypocritical religious counterparts “have his conscience seared as with a hot branding iron” (2Tim.4:2).
It is not hard to see how a heart is so easily made into a storehouse of godless treasures. I have met more than one man who has prided himself on punishing those who look with jaundiced eye upon their corrupt practices. Practices disguised as helpful and wholesome, but obviously from hearts filled with evil intent.
The righteous observer knows the difference between good and evil. However, evil is attractive, plentiful, cheap, and easy to store. The faithful make no room for evil in the storehouse of their heart.
John Staiger
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