Chapter 17 –The Truth About Crime
Crime - An act which violates a law, divine or human; an act which violates a rule of moral duty; an offense against the laws of right, prescribed by God or man, or against any rule of duty plainly implied in those laws. A crime may consist in omission or neglect, as well as in commission, or positive transgression. (Webster’s Dictionary of American English 1828)
Notice in the definition above that crime is “an act which violates a law, divine or human.” Too often we view crime as breaking man’s law, but seldom do we consider the fact that it is also breaking God’s law. When the term “God’s law” is mentioned, most people immediately think of the Ten Commandments, which, by the way, most people do not know, much less attempt to keep. However, God’s law goes much deeper than just those ten commandments which were given to Moses by God. There are actually over six-hundred points to God’s law given in the Bible. Needless to say, no one is capable of keeping all of them, other than Jesus Christ.
Notice also that there are crimes of “omission”, which means there was something you were commanded to do that you didn’t, as well as crimes of “commission”, which means there were things that you were not supposed to do, but you did them anyway. No man keeps the law perfectly. Driving one mile per hour faster than the posted speed limit is technically breaking the law. I don’t think anyone would have an issue with the fact that we all have broken the law; thus, we have committed a crime. Where does the desire to commit a crime come from? Some crimes are planned over a period of time, while others just happen. For instance, the person who intends on robbing a bank or store usually will consider everything that is involved such as security, how to get away, etc. This planning can take much time. Other crimes are committed without much thought being given to them, such as speeding. Most times the speed of your vehicle is not even considered until the flashing lights appear in your rear-view mirror.
What is the source of crime, both intentional and unintentional? Breaking the law, both man’s law as well as God’s law, began with the very first human being God created – Adam. God gave Adam just one law to obey, and he could not keep it.
Genesis 2:15-17 And the LORD God took the man [Adam], and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Emphasis mine)
The first law given to man was a very simple one. Out of all of the trees in God’s majestic Garden of Eden, there was only one tree that was forbidden to eat. That seems like a very silly law for God to give in light of the fact that there was an abundance of trees to eat from. Why did God restrict Adam from that one particular tree? Did God want to show His superior power over Adam? Did God want to tempt Adam, knowing that he would want to eat of that tree out of curiosity? Absolutely not! God prohibited Adam from that tree because it was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God’s love for Adam was greater than anything a human being can ever experience, and out of that great love God was protecting Adam from great harm. Up to that point in Adam’s life, he had only known “good!” Once he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would have the knowledge of evil within his life. In other words, he would know what sin was and would then be subject to the consequences of his decision; “In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surly die.” The penalty for his decision was also something Adam had never experienced, death.
We can see from this first account of the first law given, as well as broken, the reason for laws today, and why they are broken. Laws, regardless if they are man’s laws or God’s laws, are all meant to keep us from danger and harm. Laws are not written to ruin our day, or to keep us in some state of constant misery. Laws are given so we are aware of what has potential danger towards us. I can hear someone questioning that statement right about here with a remark concerning the tax laws in this country. “How do they protect us from harm? All they do is take more and more of our hard-earned money, and line the pockets of some greedy politicians.” Admittedly, there is corruption everywhere you look, but when you consider the basic law itself, not the abuse that comes with it, those laws are there to raise enough money for the government to run this country in a manner we have become accustomed to. Fuel tax goes to keep our roads and infrastructure in safe operating order. When you drive over a bridge, you do not stop before you cross it to see if the bridge is safe. Our tax dollars go to employ people to make sure the bridge has been inspected and properly maintained for your safety, which is a massive undertaking within this country.
Civil laws are also for our safety. A person who decides to ignore a civil law is a danger to others around him, as well as to himself. In my years working with those who are incarcerated, the statement I hear more than any other from inmates is how thankful they are that “God stopped them” before they hurt someone, including themselves. So, if civil laws are in place to protect us from harm, why is it that there are those who disobey those laws? That can usually be summed up in one word; greed. Someone wants something someone else has, so instead of earning it, they just take it. That applies to money, property, people, as well as something as simple as the place someone else is occupying on the road. Instead of earning what it is they desire, they simply decide to take it.
Consider once again the account of Adam in the Garden of Eden. He desired to eat of the forbidden fruit when it was offered to him because he thought God was withholding something from him. Instead of going to God and talking it out with Him as to His reasoning for the restriction, Adam simply believed the deception of Satan and took it.
Genesis 3:5 [Satan said] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Do you see the deception? Their eyes were opened to see the very thing God was trying to keep them from. Satan uses the same tactic with man today, tempting him to go against the law to obtain what he thinks he must have. While Satan is presenting thoughts in your mind of how to get what you desire, it is never mentioned about the penalty you will be required to pay for your actions. Had Adam known the horrible, sinful mess his decision has cost the entire human race, he may have rethought his decision. However, once the temptation is yielded to, and greed takes control of reason, it is too late to undo the actions that result.
You can ask any of the inmates who are sitting in county jails, state prisons, or federal detention facilities, and every last one of them can honestly tell you that obeying the temptation placed in their thoughts by Satan was definitely not worth it. Someone once said that sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go, will keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and will cost you more than you were ever willing to pay.
Now for the good news! Even though a person yields to the temptations of greed placed in their thoughts by Satan, God can turn things around. How can God do that? How can He take the things that are so messed up in your life, and turn them into good things that will bring honor to Him? The way God can do that is because of His unconditional, infinite love for you.
Jeremiah 31:3 “… Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
God’s love for you and me is to a depth we as human beings cannot understand. God hates the sin we commit and allow to control our lives, but there is never a moment that He hates the one who sins. We can see this same principle within our family. While a child may go astray, and allow things to control his life that are against how he was raised, there is never a moment that his parents stop loving him. If one of my children, or grandchildren, chooses a path in life that is opposite of how they were raised, going contrary to the values which were established, I will be very grieved, and will do everything I can to show them the consequences they are bringing upon themselves as a result of their choices, but I will never stop loving them.
It is because of the love I have for my children and grandchildren that I will try to correct wrong choices in their lives. It is because God loves us so intensely that He will allow consequences into our lives to bring us back to Him. Satan will try to convince you that God hates you for what you have done, and that God’s love for you has lessened because of the things that are happening to you. But that is another one of Satan’s lies to try to get you from realizing God’s continuing love for you.
In the book of Genesis, we read of the account of a man named Joseph who was hated by his brothers because of their jealousy. They went so far as to sell Joseph into slavery in Egypt just to get rid of him. As the years passed, Joseph was accused of things he never did, was imprisoned, and had to deal with all that goes with that. But God had a plan, and was working out that plan in Joseph’s life during those very difficult days. Through a series of events, Joseph was brought out of prison and was made the second in command of the entire nation of Egypt, second only to the ruling Pharaoh (Genesis 41:40). As Joseph looked back on the events that had taken place over his years of captivity, he made a statement to his brothers, the same ones that caused all of the difficulties in his life.
Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Joseph was not going through all of the difficulties he endured because God hated him and had abandoned him. Joseph went through the trials because God loved him and had a purpose for him which brought much honor to the Lord. Joseph realized it was all within God’s purpose. Those who commit crimes and go away from the direction and leadership of God in their lives have certainly offended God, but God’s plan will be accomplished. He will use the consequences of your actions to get your attention and to demonstrate His unconditional love for you, if you will allow Him to do so.
Brad grew up in a family that was very dysfunctional. His Dad left when he was a baby, and he had not seen him or heard from him since. His Mom worked two jobs and sometimes three just to make ends meet, so she wasn’t home much. Brad’s grandma lived just down the street from his house, so he spent most of his time at her house. Grandma was a good lady who was always there when he needed her, and she was always helping the neighbors when they had difficulties in their lives. Grandma’s kitchen seemed to always smell of things cooking, most of which she gave to others to help them out.
As Brad grew into his teenage years, he spent more and more time with the kids from school, and less time with grandma. One thing she insisted upon was that he go with her to church on Sunday, which he did mostly to please her. There were times when what the Pastor spoke on touched his heart, but he didn’t allow God to get too close. His mind was on the things he was enjoying with the kids from the neighborhood. Brad had a part-time job after school, and during the summer at the neighborhood grocery store. It was his job to keep the store clean, to assist the customers who needed help getting their groceries to their car, and to do deliveries in the neighborhood with his bicycle to those who could not come to the store due to health reasons.
One day the kids he hung around with told him that to continue being a part of their group, he needed to bring them things to eat. Brad wanted to be accepted, especially since he was younger than the rest, but he didn’t have enough money to buy food for them. They suggested he steal some out of the grocery bags he delivered to customers. After all, they reasoned, these were old people who would never know the difference. Immediately Brad knew this was wrong, but he really wanted to be accepted by the guys. He struggled for a few days with the thought of taking food that didn’t belong to him, but the pressure from the others was great. One day as he was riding his bike to make a delivery, a pack of snacks were sitting at the very top of the bag, and the bag was open just enough that he could slip them out easily.
As he did, he had the feeling that everyone was watching him, and he almost put them back, but didn’t. To his surprise, nothing was said when he returned to the store. He expected his boss to say something, and he would lose his job. It seemed like he had gotten away with it, and it seemed almost too easy. That evening he gave the snacks to the others as they had demanded, but now they wanted more. Not only had Brad stolen to gain their acceptance, but he had to do it again to satisfy them. He reasoned within himself that as long as he didn’t take from the same person more than once, he should not be noticed. It was all too easy, so he decided to keep it up.
The summer ended, and it was back to school, which meant quitting his job. He was not going to work in the evenings since he wanted to play on the school football team, and work would interfere with his practices. Nothing was ever mentioned about the missing food, and in his mind, he reasoned that no one complained, and that the older people probably could not remember what they had ordered. Old people tend to forget a lot of things, just like his grandma. Brad didn’t make the football team, which was a very difficult thing for him, so he went back to the owner of the grocery store to see if he could get his job back. The owner didn’t seem as friendly as he had been, and he told Brad that he had hired another person to take his place.
Deep down, Brad knew that the owner knew what he had done but was not wanting to push the issue because he and his grandma had been friends for a very long time. If grandma found out it would hurt her badly, and Brad didn’t want that to happen. However, every time he was around his grandma, he had the feeling that she knew what he had done. She never said anything, but Brad just felt like things were different between them.
Just before Thanksgiving break, the guys he hung around with told him to meet them in the park after school. They had something they wanted to show him. As he approached them, he noticed they were all standing close together, as if they were hiding something. When he got near to them one of the boys pulled a small plastic bag out of his jacket pocket that looked like it had white powder in it. He also noticed the rest of the guys were acting very strange. Some were laughing louder than normal, and others were just standing there as if they didn’t really know what was going on. Brad reasoned that it must be some kind of drug in the bag, and they must have taken some of it. Brad didn’t want any part of that even though they offered some to him. He stayed for a very short time and then walked away. The one with the bag shouted as he left to not tell anyone or they would hurt him really bad.
Two weeks before Christmas found Brad still looking for a job after school and weekends, but it seemed like no one was interested in him. It was as if everyone in town knew what he had done when he stole the groceries, and were avoiding him. He needed to get a job so he would have enough money to buy grandma some nice Christmas presents. But everywhere he went the answer was the same; no. After school one day, one of the boys approached him and told him how he knew he was looking to make some money for Christmas. The boy had a job for Brad if he wanted it. He would pay him twenty dollars if he would go across town on his bike to meet someone in the parking lot of a restaurant, and bring a package back from him. When Brad asked what was in the package, the boy said it was a Christmas present for his mom. He didn’t want to go himself because his mom worked at the restaurant and he didn’t want her to see him and ruin the surprise. It all seemed harmless, and Brad did need the money, so he agreed to run the errand.
Everything went as planned. The package was delivered and Brad was paid twenty dollars. Over the course of the next few days, he was asked to do the same thing for the same amount of money for each trip. It wouldn’t take too many trips, and Brad would have enough money to buy grandma some really nice stuff for Christmas. On one of the trips to the meeting place, which always changed for some reason, Brad got curious as to what exactly was in the bag he was given. It was just a normal plastic shopping bag like you would get at the grocery store, and it felt like it had clothing in it, or something soft. He pulled his bike into a parking lot and decided to open the bag, which was only tied at the top. Inside were two normal looking shirts that did not look new, one folded on top of the other. As he pulled the shirts out of the bag, a small plastic bag dropped onto the ground that looked like the one the boys had in the park, complete with the same white powder. Suddenly reality set in. Brad had been delivering packages of drugs to the boys. He was shocked, but decided to put everything back into the bag, and complete the delivery to avoid getting beat up.
Over the next few days, he thought about what he should do. The right thing would be to tell the police what was going on, but he feared for his safety, as well as his grandma’s. Then the thought came to him about how easy it was to steal the groceries and seemingly get away with it. Since the bag was not sealed, nothing would stop him from taking a little bit of the drugs each time out of the bag and sell it himself. The twenty dollars he got from each delivery was nothing compared to what he could make selling the drugs. He could get grandma some really nice things, as well as things for himself; mostly for himself. The thought of getting caught never occurred to him since his mind was totally focused on his plan.
It wasn’t difficult to find someone who was willing to buy what he had stolen from his deliveries. It seemed like a man he never met before was in his neighborhood a lot, and one day approached Brad as to the availability of drugs in the area. Brad seemed to have found his buyer. They agreed to meet at a certain time and place for the transaction, and Brad was excited to see his plan come together. However, as the man took the bag of drugs and handed him the money, another man who he did not see approached from behind and grabbed him around the chest. He was a very big, strong man. Brad could not move regardless of how hard he struggled. It was then that the man he received the money from informed him that he was a police officer, and that Brad was under arrest for the possession of drugs, as well as the sale of drugs. Fear gripped him, and all he could do was stand there and cry.
Brad was taken to a detention center, and over the course of the next few days was introduced to a man who was the Chaplain of the facility. He was a big guy but spoke very kindly to Brad. He had prayer with him, and also agreed to visit his grandma, since she was devastated with what all had happened. The Chaplain gave Brad a Bible and over the next week or so visited with him several times. As they talked, the Chaplain began to explore what it was that motivated Brad to do what he had done. Brad began to realize it was his own greed that took control of his thoughts. The Chaplain explained that his thoughts control his actions, and how important it is to guard what he thinks about. As Brad had kept thinking about the money he would make, and the things he could buy which would impress other people, those thoughts resulted in his actions.
The Chaplain showed him how Satan will place thoughts into a person’s mind which triggers the sin nature that is in all of us. It is our sin nature within us that causes us to do wrong things, but it is Satan and his demons who place the thought of doing them into our mind. We have a choice who we listen to, God or Satan. But if we don’t know what God’s Word says, how can we make a right choice? That is where the Chaplain told Brad that he needed to spend as much time as he could reading his Bible and learning God’s Word so he can make the right choices instead of always giving in to Satan.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
On another visit, the Chaplain showed Brad that he had not only broken man’s law but had also broken God’s law with his greed. He explained that greed in the Bible is called “covetousness.” One of the ten commandments teach us that we are not to covet (desire something someone else has) anything.
Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Not only had Brad broken man’s law and must deal with the consequences, but he had broken God’s law and would need to deal with the consequences God requires. Breaking God’s law is called sin, and sin must be punished according to God’s Word.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What sin will require of you is an eternity in hell paying for your sin. But God, in His great love for you has given His own Son, Jesus Christ, as a Substitute for you. Jesus has paid for all of your sin with His own blood on the cross, and all you need to do is accept the “gift” He is giving you. You accept that gift by placing your trust in Jesus Christ to have paid your sin debt completely.
As the Chaplain spoke, and showed him the things from the Bible, it became very clear to Brad that he needed to turn from his sin, and to place his trust in Jesus Christ as his Saviour. Admitting that what he had done was sin, not just something he was forced to do, not blaming others for his decision to sin, but admitting that it was his decision to sin was the first step in placing his trust in Jesus. That day it seemed as if the weight of the world was lifted from him. Jesus had paid for his sin, and he was now free to serve God with his entire life. The cycle of greed, lying, stealing, and sinning against God and man did not need to continue. He was free to make the right choices as he learned God’s Word.
The Chaplain told him there would be times when he would do something wrong, or say something he shouldn’t say, but those are times to learn the right way from God’s Word.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.