The Sinful Nature

           Calvin Jones was one of the brightest hopes in a poor town—Lake Providence, LA. At 18, he was not only an honor student and track and football star, he was a devout church-goer, taught Sunday school, and composed rap music urging younger kids to stay out of trouble.

            In January '94, his classmates and teachers selected him to be the keynote speaker for Martin Luther King Day. In his speech, he spoke on accomplishing one's goals, not falling prey to the culture, the importance of having God in one's life, and of getting an education. He urged the students to offer their best effort to meet their goals and not to become another victim to the drug culture.

            The night after his speech, Calvin got together with Charles Reed,19, a young man who was everything Jones was not: a heavy boozer and drug user filled with rage. Reed had never liked his do-gooder classmate.

            "I wanted to hurt that dude the first time I seen him. It's just something about people I have when I first see them. I just don't like them," Reed said.

            Still on that night, the two enemies got together and drank malt liquor. Then someone came up with an idea: let's torch the school! With the help of other juveniles, they did so.

            While the school burned, Calvin had the gall to return to the building to watch his handiwork. Standing among the crowd of onlookers, began to feel regret. Staring at the flames, tears streamed down Jones' face, as he thought about his father and brothers who had graduated from the burning edifice that had housed their high school.

            Three months later, Jones was sentenced to prison.

            Why did he do it? "There was no reason. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to stop it."

            I can think of no story that illustrates the sinful nature more effectively than this incident in the life of Calvin Jones. I trust that actions of attending church and demonstrating good citizenship accurately portray a section of Calvin’s heart—perhaps even the largest. Yet, there was a dark place as well.

            Here is the trap. It is easy to assume Calvin is guilty of having a sinful nature, while you and I are not. Not true. Oh, we may never burn down a school, but we have that dark place.

            I am not sure, who it was, who said, “I am not a sinner because I sin, I sin because I am sinner.” (The statement has been attributed to various people." Whoever it was, that person was right.