When Washington D.C. reached the staggering number of 100 murders for 2021, a leading politician noted that they were striving to find the root of the problem. The major cities across America are experiencing lawlessness and crime at unprecedented rates. Daily videos highlight looting, murder, drug overdose, rape, and a host of other crimes, which have prompted many to leave the cities to find safer havens to raise their families. USA Today reports that 2020 tallied more than 20,000 murders across America, some 4,000 more than in 2019. The FBI notes this is a 25% surge in murders and the largest single year increase since records have been kept. From a Biblical perspective, what is the root of the problem?
First, a disrespect for authority. The “defund the police” movement put many officers on the defensive and encouraged aggression toward those who keep the peace. The attitude of disrespect for law officers provides a fertile atmosphere for growing crime. Not only are there less officers policing our nation, but they are also less apt to intervene if they fear for their own life. An ABC News story noted that the number of officers killed in duty this year has surged 28% from last year. The Bible says, “The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong” (Romans 13:4, NLT). When the police become the target of assault, you can bet that criminal activity will rise with it.
Second, the erosion of morality. The difference between right and wrong is blurred. The further a culture moves away from God, the less conviction they feel about violating God’s laws. The Bible speaks of people in the last days following demonic lies and deception “whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (I Timothy 4:2). As searing heat can kill a nerve, so some people’s consciences have been killed to the point that they no longer distinguish between what is morally right and wrong.
Third, a heart that craves impurity. People are sinful by nature. The natural craving of our heart is worldly and carnal. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NKJ). Wickedness in a culture naturally grows from generation to generation if there is nothing to curb it. In the days before the flood the Bible says, “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5, NIV). Humans do not naturally get better; we get worse.
The answer for our crisis is to turn back to God and His Word. He is the only salvation for an individual or a culture. We must pray for a great spiritual awakening across our land.