“Anyone who abuses another human being – whether it is the sexual abuse of a minor or the sexual, physical, verbal assault or harassment of an adult – is exposing the contents of his/her own heart and mind,” says Diane Langberg, PhD.
What doesn’t make the abuse any easier to bear certainly validates the effects of the abuse as being heinous.
Not only is the person who is propagating the abuse exposing the contents of his or her heart and mind, they continue such a grave exposure in attempting to cover their trail. This is the worst kind of blasphemy against God, which means that abuse is the height of offence against God. Not just the initial abuse, but the addition of an abuse that redoubles trauma by denying it happened, or by gaslighting the victim.
Abuse is always double barrelled. It involves the abusive act (or acts) in and of itself (themselves). But then when an attempt is made to expose the abuse, the perpetrator runs for some sort of cover or they go on the attack, usually by some smear campaign. It is all so predictable.
As if the first event of abuse weren’t already bad enough, the secondary nature of abuse brings further heat not only on the victim – the survivor of the abuse as they live out their trauma – but in the eternal realm further heat is brought on the perpetrator. They have blasphemed God by harming one of the Lord’s creations.
Nobody who abuses another human being gets away with it. The only reparation this side of eternity is to admit the attack specifically in detail, acknowledge the hurt, apologise sincerely, accept the consequences of severed trust and possible criminal liability, and to ask for forgiveness (without expecting to be forgiven). Such action can only be the work of God on a perpetrator’s heart.
But will the abuser do this? No, they will not. The same contents of a mind and heart that were poured out in the initial and the subsequent abuse are being poured out in their abject lack of repentance.
This is where the blasphemy becomes unforgivable on God’s account.
Their debt to us, the survivor, is now transferred to God, and God repays in judgement that is unimaginable; certainly, far worse than anything on this earth.
The person of sensible mind will experience fear. They’re convicted of their wrong and repent. Not the person who does not believe God; for no matter who the person is, and they could be steeped in the ‘ministry’, their deeds of cosmic insolence reveal them as being non-believers, for they smite God in this life by denying God’s power in the next life.
But God is never smote. Perpetrators only smite themselves.
The fruit of salvation is always repentance – that ability to reflect, to confess, to turn, because of a heart and mind set on God.
It doesn’t matter if the abuser claims to be Christian. If they refuse to engage in the debate of their alleged wrongdoing, they condemn themselves. They condemn themselves not only in our sight, but in the courts of God where they now stand, bearing false testimony in full view of the Almighty. “A net is spread in vain when it’s done in full view of the birds.” (Proverbs 1:17) God sees all.
How despicable and sorrowful that is!
We ought to lament that humanity is capable of such onerous sin. So, it helps us be reminded that God sees all and nobody gets off scot-free.
Now’s the time for fessing-up, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!
Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash
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