phipps
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- Dec 27, 2017
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The Bible teaches that human nature is basically corrupt.
Are people as bad as the Bible claims? What about the good people and the good things they do? How can anyone deny this?
There’s no question that human beings are very capable of good deeds, kindness, extreme selflessness, and generosity. Some people are truly considerate, compassionate, and caring.
But that’s not what the doctrine of human sinfulness is about.
Instead, it deals with the basic nature of all people—and that nature is corrupt.
It is corrupted by sin—which is the breaking of God’s law that calls us to love Him and others (1 John 3:4; Mark 12:30-31). Because of sin, we are naturally selfish, the opposite of love.
Even the worst people can have good traits and, at times, do good things. Yet no matter who they are or how good they appear, their nature is corrupt. Every person is a victim of the disease of sin and has been since the Garden of Eden.
The bible says:
- "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
- “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
- “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
- “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
These are a few of the many Bible texts that address the sinful nature of humanity. The Bible also contains many examples of this tendency. In fact, you can find just as many (if not more) examples of people being sinful in the Bible as of people being righteous.
Also, when we take a look at world history or just the news today, what do we find? Over and over, we encounter examples of just how bad humanity can be.
No, not everyone is committing horrific, tragic crimes that affect thousands of people at a time. And that’s not what the Bible teaches.
What it does teach is that everyone has sinful tendencies. Tendencies toward selfishness in the forms of greed, anger, lust, hatred, prejudice, gluttony, and so on.
People might not always act on those tendencies, but even if they don’t, the tendencies are still there. They are in all of fallen humanity—with no exceptions (Isaiah 64:6).
However, it’s important to note that we are not sinful because we have these tendencies. Rather, sin is the result of acting on those tendencies. On our own, we are powerless to resist those tendencies, but Jesus gives us the power to choose and overcome them.
Are people as bad as the Bible claims? What about the good people and the good things they do? How can anyone deny this?
There’s no question that human beings are very capable of good deeds, kindness, extreme selflessness, and generosity. Some people are truly considerate, compassionate, and caring.
But that’s not what the doctrine of human sinfulness is about.
Instead, it deals with the basic nature of all people—and that nature is corrupt.
It is corrupted by sin—which is the breaking of God’s law that calls us to love Him and others (1 John 3:4; Mark 12:30-31). Because of sin, we are naturally selfish, the opposite of love.
Even the worst people can have good traits and, at times, do good things. Yet no matter who they are or how good they appear, their nature is corrupt. Every person is a victim of the disease of sin and has been since the Garden of Eden.
The bible says:
- "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
- “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
- “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
- “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
These are a few of the many Bible texts that address the sinful nature of humanity. The Bible also contains many examples of this tendency. In fact, you can find just as many (if not more) examples of people being sinful in the Bible as of people being righteous.
Also, when we take a look at world history or just the news today, what do we find? Over and over, we encounter examples of just how bad humanity can be.
No, not everyone is committing horrific, tragic crimes that affect thousands of people at a time. And that’s not what the Bible teaches.
What it does teach is that everyone has sinful tendencies. Tendencies toward selfishness in the forms of greed, anger, lust, hatred, prejudice, gluttony, and so on.
People might not always act on those tendencies, but even if they don’t, the tendencies are still there. They are in all of fallen humanity—with no exceptions (Isaiah 64:6).
However, it’s important to note that we are not sinful because we have these tendencies. Rather, sin is the result of acting on those tendencies. On our own, we are powerless to resist those tendencies, but Jesus gives us the power to choose and overcome them.
