The article for today features a story of two individuals in Houston that are facing charges of child abuse who claim involved a ‘spirit’ in the home. Such a story will no doubt cause most of us to conclude that this is simply an excuse for a despicable act. Yet, there may be some of us who may believe that maybe a ‘spirit’ was the cause of the abuse. Perhaps we can make a better conclusion if we knew that the female suspect in this case also said that she believed the injuries were a result of the child’s older sibling hitting him. Another explanation for the abuse was that the injured child was clumsy and was prone to falling. Perhaps it would help us understand what happened by knowing that the male suspect failed a polygraph test and then did admit punching the child.
Considering these factors, is there any excuse for someone to give a child multiple bruises throughout their face, head, back, penis, stomach and legs, as well as internal injuries such as a non-functional kidney? Is there any excuse for someone not to report such abuse of a child to the proper authorities, as the female suspect is being accuse of doing? Were these two suspects victims of abuse themselves? Even if that was the case, it does not make these two individuals mindless people who cannot choose. The male suspect chose to give in to his anger and the female suspect chose to ignore the reality of his action, whether in the name of love or whatever reason. That both suspects chose to make excuses for their actions rather than take responsibility tells us that they knew their actions were wrong. The only person who did not have a choice in this story was the innocent child that suffered at the expense of the irresponsibility of these two suspects.
For anyone, including psychological experts, to say that these suspects did not have a choice in their actions is an insult to the victims of such behavior. We all make choices, whether we have been victims of abuse or not. We make choices every day about what we think, what we eat, how we dress, who we associate with and even to stay ignorant of what the Bible teaches.
All real power of thought is in God’s Word. The more we master the doctrinal truth of the Bible, the more correct conclusions we will make. Mastering doctrinal truth will certainly take consistency and patience on our part, because we have to learn and apply our spiritual assets for ourselves. As in any subject, making sacrifices will be part of this process to be successful.
The Lord has given us all the freedom to make choices from our own free will and he holds us responsible for our decisions and actions. Generally speaking, human free will would have to be the most common cause of human suffering. Therefore, these suspects have no right to ask why God let this happen to them. They are products of their own bad choices (Col. 3:25).
Nobody who has reached the age of accountability is free from the law of volitional responsibility. The choices we make will always dictate the life that we will live, including those about eternity future. The Lord even gives us a choice to believe in the sacrificial work of Christ on the cross for salvation, or reject that work and be under condemnation. The choice we make about Christ will determine our eternal future (John 3:18).
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior you are free to do so now and avoid eternal condemnation. God never condemns anyone to eternal condemnation. Anyone who rejects the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross chooses for condemnation from their own free will to do so.
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