Shifting from FOR ME to FOR YOU
The Bible says that the root of human sin is when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This is called original sin. So what is the fundamental principle of original sin? It says, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that it tempted her to become wise” (Genesis 3:6). When Eve saw it, she ate it because it was sweet (for her). If we look at the original Hebrew text, it says that the tree attracted the desire of her eyes. Therefore, we can say that the fundamental principle of original sin is desire, and the FOR ME idea. This is a sin that is not limited to individuals, but also easily falls into by nations and companies. The fraudulent acts of Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motor Corporation are one example of this. They ignored the strict inspection results and “sold cars that should not be sold.” This was also for the profit of their own company, that is, the FOR ME idea itself. The same can be said about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, in Russia’s case, it can be said that they are habitual offenders. In the past, they invaded neighboring Finland and stole the Karelia region. That is why a Finnish teacher I know still does not trust Russia. This attitude of Russia can be said to come from the FOR ME (for me) mentality. But what about ourselves? As Paul says, “What then? Do we have any superiority? None at all…There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks God” (Romans 3:9ff.), the original sin of the FOR ME (for me) mentality extends to all people and all organizations. In particular, in the case of organizations, as the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr analyzed, the degree of sin becomes even more vicious. Russia’s war of aggression is a perfect example of this. Not only do they trample on the sovereign people of other countries, but they also treat their own soldiers as expendable. Russian Orthodox officials even go so far as to bless these wars. Not only politics but religions have also been corrupted by original sin. The only thing that can counter this FOR ME ideology that is corroding the world is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is because it is the ultimate manifestation of the FOR YOU ideology. That is why Paul also wrote, “He who believes in this will not lose heart” (Romans 9:33). Not only that, he also said, “Let us not seek our own satisfaction, but each of us should please our neighbor by doing good, so that we may improve one another” (Romans 15:1ff.). Isn’t this the FOR YOU ideology that Jesus Christ taught? Looking back at the history of mankind, individuals and groups that pursued their own interests have perished. As the Bible says, the result of sin is death. However, work that pursues the happiness of others continues to last. The reason is that God is love and wherever love is there is the eternal 4U.