Winning the war between good and evil within

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

When Robert Louis Stevenson published his Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde it quickly became an international bestseller. Dr Jekyll concocts a potion that turns him into the depraved and deformed Mr Hyde. The story depicts extremes of good and evil in the one person.

“Jekyll is a dreadful thing . . . ,” wrote Stevenson to a friend, “but the only thing I feel dreadful about is this damned old business of the war in the members.”

The “war in the members” comes from Romans 7:23 (KJV) where Paul speaks of the war between good and evil within. We all have a Hyde inside—to some extent.

In Romans 7, Paul wants freedom from a life influenced by evil. Then he exclaims: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25, NLT). Through Jesus there are victories, but before the ultimate victory (the Second Coming) the Hyde inside remains.

When Stevenson settled in Samoa in 1890, the locals called him “Tusitala,” “Teller of tales.” That’s how he’s best remembered—he wrote the classics Treasure Island; The Master of Ballantrae; and Kidnapped.

I once walked to the top of the not-so-high Mount Vaea on Samoa to Stevenson’s grave (he died in 1894, aged 44). It’s an impressive tomb—with a great view. His Requiem is inscribed on it:

“Under the wide and starry sky,/ Dig the grave and let me lie./ Glad did I live and gladly die,/ And I laid me down with a will./ This be the verse you grave for me,/ Here he lies where he longed to be./ Home is the sailor home from the sea,/ And the hunter home from the hill.

He’s at rest, at peace. His “war in the members” is over. But for those of us still battling the Hyde inside: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The fix? A slow-motion moral revival

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

The riots in England over the past week began after the shooting of Mark Duggan, but the cause is more complex. British Prime Minister David Cameron admitted the riots were a sign society is “not only wounded, but sick.”

The British media responded. The Sun said, “This is anarchy, pure and simple.” The Daily Telegraph called the riots a new phenomenon where “violent disorder whose sole intent is criminal. . . . The thugs must be taught to respect the law of the land the hard way.”

Yet there’s another side. After the looting of a bike shop, one of its mechanics told the media, “Can you blame [the rioters]? They’re doing something criminal, but they’re also trying to get attention. We can carry on ignoring them for as long as we like but it’s not going to fix the problem.”

Cameron says he’s committed to mending Britain’s “broken society.” He blames “children without fathers; schools without discipline; reward without effort; crime without punishment; rights without responsibilities; communities without control.”

He wants to confront what he calls the “slow-motion moral collapse that has taken place in parts of our country these past few generations.”

This is huge because it’s easier to set up a controlling police state than a nation run by moral standards. It’s easier to introduce harsher punishments as a deterrent to antisocial activity. It’s easier to merely blame the rioters.

And this can’t be a quick fix. To fix a “slow-motion moral collapse” may take a slow-motion moral revival.

Let’s hope—and pray—that in the politics of the situation and the desire for quick solutions, the moral emphasis is not lost. This is key to a long-term and lasting solution.

Excerpt: The riots in England over the past week began after the shooting death of Mark Duggan, but the cause is more complex. British Prime Minister David Cameron admitted the riots were a sign society is “not only wounded, but sick.”

Why becoming a fan of Jesus is not enough

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

When you read the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), you find Jesus says, “Believe in me,” about five times. He says, “Follow me,” about 20.

“Now I’m not saying that following is more important than believing,” writes Kyle Idleman after noting these statistics. “What I am saying is that the two are firmly connected. They are the heart and lungs of faith. One can’t live without the other.”

In his book, Not a Fan, Idleman argues an emphasis on only belief can make one a fan of Jesus, but that’s not enough.

It’s easy to be a fan of Jesus—what’s not to like? He cared for people. He challenged the pompous. He protected the vulnerable. He introduced a new way of seeing the world—through the eyes of love. He showed what sacrificial love looked like.

Here’s the problem: most fans never really get to know the star they support. They get to know about them—their career, the statistics, the triumphs and the failures, but that’s not about knowing the person. There’s rarely a relationship.

This is what Jesus craves—a personal relationship. Only in this way will He gain a completely committed follower. That’s Idleman’s point. The full title of his book is Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus. Followers are individuals who are so serious about the relationship that they follow the lifestyle and the teachings of Jesus—they become disciples.

This is the measure for we who are Christians. Those who aren’t Christians know when we don’t measure up. They have the right to ask why we don’t. They have the right to question our commitment if we are merely believers.

For Christianity to work it needs believing and following.