Beloved in Christ, we're back with "A Word from the Vine." I'm Pastor Loren Christensen. As we seek to understand the darkness of bullying, we must turn inward and confront the root of evil that lies within the human heart. It is a somber truth that our fallen nature is inclined towards sin, and it is from this inner brokenness that acts of bullying can emerge.
The Gospel of Matthew provides us with profound insight into the human condition:
Matthew 15:18-19 - “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
These words of our Lord Jesus Christ reveal that the words we speak are a reflection of our inner selves. Bullying—manifested through harmful words and actions—is not merely an external problem; it is an outpouring of the internal strife that plagues our souls.
The evils that Christ enumerates—murder, adultery, theft, false witness, slander—are all too familiar in our world. They are the fruits of a heart that has strayed from God’s path. And while bullying may seem less severe when compared to these transgressions, it is, nonetheless, a symptom of the same disease: sin.
Why do we bully? It is because our hearts are not yet fully conformed to the image of God. We are works in progress, vessels marred by sin but being reshaped by the Potter’s hands. The impulse to demean others is a sign that we are still in need of God’s transforming grace.
Let us, therefore, not despair, but rather take heart. For we serve a God who is in the business of changing hearts. Through His love, mercy, and forgiveness, He can cleanse us from within, removing the dross of sin and filling us with His Spirit.
As we confront the root of evil within us, let us also extend grace to those who bully. For they, too, are in need of the Savior’s touch. Let us pray for them, that they may experience the redemptive power of Christ’s love, which alone can turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
May we all be granted the wisdom to see beyond the actions to the heart, and the compassion to lead even the bully to the foot of the cross, where all are equal and all are loved. Amen.
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