Q: Are people basically good? What causes people to do bad things?
15-Oct-10
Consider these Scriptures:
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes." – Rom 3.10-18
Granted, these are not very flattering of mankind, but God has a perfect perspective that is reflected in His Scriptures & man’s view is finite & tainted (see related pages at the end). But, let’s back up for a quick review of the onset of human history: A perfect & infinite God chose to create people. When He did, they were initially perfect too, yet they were finite (Gen 1.31). He gave them 1 simple rule & they chose to disregard it. God consequently cursed His creation which is also known as “the fall of mankind” (Gen 3.17-19, Rom 8.20-21). Ever since, all people have inherited a “sin nature” that desires to please itself above pleasing God & others (Rom 5.12, 16-19). So sinning is missing God’s perfect moral standard which is inevitable when we seek a standard of our own (Rom 3.23).
From the Holy Scriptures, we see that God put man in a perfect environment, but mankind’s sin messed it up. Mankind's sin is still to blame for the evil in the world today. However, there is a prevalent contrary view rooted in naturalistic / humanistic / atheistic philosophy that believes it is entirely physical causes such as their genetic makeup or one’s environment (family, peers, society, etc.) which influences people to do “bad” things. This view fatally dismisses the idea of sin (Pr 14.9) & therefore is vulnerable to corruption that stems from mankind’s real root problem (Ps 107.17, Pr 22.3). But without God, one’s idea of “good” & “bad” becomes subjective & biased. Not only so, but because that view disregards the truth, it does not square up with reality. For example, you can have people who were brought up in the same environment (good or bad), but lead entirely different moral lives. To be sure, our environment can influence us to some degree for good or evil (Pr 13.20, 1 Cor 15.33), but ultimately, it is our individual moral choices for which God will hold each of us accountable (Eccl 4.13, Heb 4.13, 1 Pet 4.5).
Furthermore, it’s important to note that man was also created in the image of God (Gen 1.27). This means we have the potential to at least partially reflect some of His personal characteristics which are truly good in the purest since. Thus, just because people sin, does not mean that they are incapable of doing any good at all. It means they will not always do good. It means they will foster desires to do what they want instead of what God wants. Nor will they be concerned for or want to learn what God desires for them (Jn 1.4, 3.19, 1 Jn 1.5-7). Commonly, some will even think their desires are the same as what God desires when, in reality, they are contrary – Scripture discloses this as the sin of idolatry because it misrepresents the true character of God.
In fact, we are so corrupted that we can’t recognize our own sin (Jer 17.9, Ps 36.1-3, Pr 16.2). This is because sin is subtle & deceptive (Heb 3.13). It’s even pleasing to us (Heb 11.25), so we will not only prefer it, but will find ways to justify it in our own minds & in defense of our actions to others. This even shows up in the initial question: Are people basically good?
By using the word “basically”, we imply that in general most people are “good”. And we want to believe that because we include ourselves in this people category. The problem is that God’s standard is perfection, not “basically good”. This means that if we foul up just slightly - and all of us have done more than that - then we fail completely (Jas 2.10). Not only so, but our sins in thought, word or deed, require the thorough justice of God to activate punishment for our sins. Many people & many religions get it wrong by trying to be “good enough” (how do you know when you achieve that?) & utterly fail to deal with a Holy God’s justice & judgment of sin. Fortunately, God graciously gives us His Scriptures to reveal our self-condemning sin to us (Jn 3.16-17, 18-19, Rom 7.13)! And thank God that He did send us His only acceptable solution to our problem in the work of Christ!
Therefore, we need God to help us recognize our sinful state. He will do this by leading us to His Scripture in the Bible & to His people who can explain this (like this website!). Then, we can seek His forgiveness for our rebellion & escape His judgment (see related pages below). Here are some additional Scriptures that reveal our sinful condition:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. – 1 Jn 1.8-10
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. – Jesus in Mt 15.18-19
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes." – Rom 3.10-18
Granted, these are not very flattering of mankind, but God has a perfect perspective that is reflected in His Scriptures & man’s view is finite & tainted (see related pages at the end). But, let’s back up for a quick review of the onset of human history: A perfect & infinite God chose to create people. When He did, they were initially perfect too, yet they were finite (Gen 1.31). He gave them 1 simple rule & they chose to disregard it. God consequently cursed His creation which is also known as “the fall of mankind” (Gen 3.17-19, Rom 8.20-21). Ever since, all people have inherited a “sin nature” that desires to please itself above pleasing God & others (Rom 5.12, 16-19). So sinning is missing God’s perfect moral standard which is inevitable when we seek a standard of our own (Rom 3.23).
From the Holy Scriptures, we see that God put man in a perfect environment, but mankind’s sin messed it up. Mankind's sin is still to blame for the evil in the world today. However, there is a prevalent contrary view rooted in naturalistic / humanistic / atheistic philosophy that believes it is entirely physical causes such as their genetic makeup or one’s environment (family, peers, society, etc.) which influences people to do “bad” things. This view fatally dismisses the idea of sin (Pr 14.9) & therefore is vulnerable to corruption that stems from mankind’s real root problem (Ps 107.17, Pr 22.3). But without God, one’s idea of “good” & “bad” becomes subjective & biased. Not only so, but because that view disregards the truth, it does not square up with reality. For example, you can have people who were brought up in the same environment (good or bad), but lead entirely different moral lives. To be sure, our environment can influence us to some degree for good or evil (Pr 13.20, 1 Cor 15.33), but ultimately, it is our individual moral choices for which God will hold each of us accountable (Eccl 4.13, Heb 4.13, 1 Pet 4.5).
Furthermore, it’s important to note that man was also created in the image of God (Gen 1.27). This means we have the potential to at least partially reflect some of His personal characteristics which are truly good in the purest since. Thus, just because people sin, does not mean that they are incapable of doing any good at all. It means they will not always do good. It means they will foster desires to do what they want instead of what God wants. Nor will they be concerned for or want to learn what God desires for them (Jn 1.4, 3.19, 1 Jn 1.5-7). Commonly, some will even think their desires are the same as what God desires when, in reality, they are contrary – Scripture discloses this as the sin of idolatry because it misrepresents the true character of God.
In fact, we are so corrupted that we can’t recognize our own sin (Jer 17.9, Ps 36.1-3, Pr 16.2). This is because sin is subtle & deceptive (Heb 3.13). It’s even pleasing to us (Heb 11.25), so we will not only prefer it, but will find ways to justify it in our own minds & in defense of our actions to others. This even shows up in the initial question: Are people basically good?
By using the word “basically”, we imply that in general most people are “good”. And we want to believe that because we include ourselves in this people category. The problem is that God’s standard is perfection, not “basically good”. This means that if we foul up just slightly - and all of us have done more than that - then we fail completely (Jas 2.10). Not only so, but our sins in thought, word or deed, require the thorough justice of God to activate punishment for our sins. Many people & many religions get it wrong by trying to be “good enough” (how do you know when you achieve that?) & utterly fail to deal with a Holy God’s justice & judgment of sin. Fortunately, God graciously gives us His Scriptures to reveal our self-condemning sin to us (Jn 3.16-17, 18-19, Rom 7.13)! And thank God that He did send us His only acceptable solution to our problem in the work of Christ!
Therefore, we need God to help us recognize our sinful state. He will do this by leading us to His Scripture in the Bible & to His people who can explain this (like this website!). Then, we can seek His forgiveness for our rebellion & escape His judgment (see related pages below). Here are some additional Scriptures that reveal our sinful condition:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. – 1 Jn 1.8-10
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. – Jesus in Mt 15.18-19
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure. Who can understand it? – Jer 17.9 All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD. – Pr 16.2 |
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death. – Pr 16.25 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. – Eccl 12.14 |
Related Pages
Good enough for heaven?
Is Christ the only way to heaven?
How can anyone stand in the presence of Almighty God in heaven?
Can I be good without God?
Is Christ the only way to heaven?
How can anyone stand in the presence of Almighty God in heaven?
Can I be good without God?