Wired to Cheat

In the wake of the New York governors' revelations of prostitutes and extramarital affairs, the national news media has presented a story claiming that human beings are wired to cheat. In fact, they went so far as to say that the only truly monogamous species on Earth is a flatworm that lives in the gills of freshwater fish! Now I don't know much about flatworms, but I think I know quite a bit about humans -- especially human behavior. I consider myself somewhat of an expert since I have been one for almost 46 years. When I first heard the news story, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My fight response kicked into gear. How dare they try to provide another excuse for marital infidelity and sexual immorality. Based on evolutionary (false) standards, I am sure that most scientists could come up with an excuse for every behavior. Then I thought about it a little and realized that I preach the same story almost every Sunday. Human nature, since the fall of Adam and Eve, has had a bent toward sinful behavior, not the least of which is sexual in nature. It is because of this inherited sin nature that people naturally do sinful/evil/wicked things. That's why the apostle Paul said to the Christians in Corinth, "You were once like this" (1 Corinthians 6:11). Like what? Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners. Why were they like that? Their sin nature. Because of the fall, mankind is "wired to cheat" and steal and lie and .... On and on we could go but suffice it to say that sinful man sins because he is sinful man. Using the vernacular of the church: Lost people act like lost people because they are lost. Please don't misunderstand. I'm not making excuses for any of this behavior because as soon as we have the ability to choose to act in these ways, God gives us a knowledge of right and wrong. He has given us a hunger to know Him. And when we choose to know Him, when we choose to accept His gift of forgiveness and eternal life, He "rewires" us. Oh, the sinful nature still rears its ugly head from time to time. From time to time we get "short-circuited" and go back to old habits. The good news is that He loves us too much to let us get away with it, so He is constantly reminding us of who we are as His children and calling us back to right behavior. So Governors Spitzer and Patterson, the question I have for you is, "Are you still wired to cheat, or have you let the Master Electrician bring you up to code?"