The sin and Consequences of Malice

The Sin and Consequences of Malice

In Proverbs 18:10, the Bible says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Satan is aware of this fact and has devised means to make men fall outside the canopy of God’s protection. Without this, they cannot be able to destroy men. In 1 John 4:20, Apostle Paul explained that, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” The Bible has also recorded in Genesis 1:27 that, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Malice against our fellow man or woman could therefore be taken to mean malice against God Himself. Just like a neighbor cannot keep malice with your children and claim to love you, we cannot also claim to love God and yet keep malice with His creations. Jesus has even asked us to love and pray for our enemies. (Matthew 5:44).

Malice, foolishness, disobedience, lust, hate, anger, gossip are some negative characters God detest. Apostle Paul in Titus 3:3 acknowledged this fact. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” As Christians, we are no longer fools that deny the existence of God. (Psalms 14:1). It is only those who doubt the existence of God that can afford to do things those in the world do. Jesus Christ says in John 18:36 that His kingdom is not of this world. As His followers, we cannot be different. It means that we must reconcile ourselves with God by jettisoning all anti-Christ-like traits such as malice, foolishness, disobedience, lust, jealousy, slander, hate, anger, gossip, and stealing among others. These are the things that will deny us heaven- the ultimate destination of every true Christian.    

Out of ignorance, many have overestimated their natural wisdom and attempted to diminish God’s supernatural nature. They have tried to cover their spirit of malice with deceptive appearances. (Proverb 26:26). Note that we can only deceive our fellow human beings- not God. Since God is omnipotent, what is the wisdom in wasting precious time trying to deceive Him? The Bible says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). If we sow malice, we would reap malice in return. This is the reason why many of us are suffering malice in our homes, places of work, neighborhoods, communities, and even in Churches. Let us thank God for this revelation, as it will help us overcome the sin and consequences of malice.