Inventors of Evil Things

Romans 1:28-32 (NKJV)

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

From time to time I come across Romans 1 with the extensive list of sins committed by many people, and always wondered of that one sin mentioned in verse 30 “inventors of evil things” or in other translations “they invent new ways of sinning or doing evil”. That’s one hellish invention!

I believe the most common example of that sin – in massive scale – in our society today happens in most financial institutions such as in banking and investment institutions, insurance companies, public utility and service providers, and many other industries where massive financial transactions and decisions are made. A single tweak in one of the financial parameters can result into massive increase in profit. Fine prints in multiple-page agreements can contain traps and loopholes that can result in the eventual lose of money in unsuspecting investors or clients.

Many investment, financial, and service providers invent hooks and traps that can capture large number of clients and bound them with terms and conditions that can cost them hundreds of dollars if they want to leave or get away from contracts. Or, if they stay, they will eventually be in the losing end for unwanted modifications in contracts or hikes in fees – but always favoring the “big” companies.

And yet, people who do such things never have contentment even after amassing huge wealth, eventually resulting in creating even more divisive ways to rip-off and punish many people financially. Lately, financial and accounting scandals yielded Bernie Madoff’s ponzi (or pyramid) scheme, AIG investments, Enron scandal, Allen Stanford’s ponzi scheme, Satyam computers, and many other greedy scandals. I wonder what those guys are made of.

As Christians, we can always fall into such schemes and eventually get ripped-off or may had been ripped-off already, and even multiple times with multiple companies and providers. But take courage because we know we have a righteous and just God watching over us who does not sleep nor slumber (Psalm 121:3). The Lord knows everything and all evil things will eventually be punished. As of now, we can pray for wisdom so that we can be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16), and not be another victim of people who invent ways of doing evil.