Can you trust the Bible? - Man & Morality
The Bible claims that people were created special & separate from animals. One of the ways we are different from animals is that we have a moral capacity – the ability to know right from wrong. We’ve been given something called a conscience which means “with knowledge” of such morality. We create laws because we have a since of justice which assumes that what is right must be maintained. When someone is mistreated, we want the criminal to get justice. When justice isn’t maintained, there is chaos, distrust & fear. But why?
Why are you afraid when you’re in a dark, secluded area? Apart from fear of wildlife, why are you afraid to go to certain parts of the world? Why are there bad parts of town? Why do you lock your car or your house? Why must there be internet security & passwords? If you left your wallet in a public place, why might it not be there when you return? Why are you afraid for your children? Why can’t they visit certain websites? What makes something good or bad? Why are certain people, places & things good or bad?
It’s easy to broadly question the morality of others & distrust humanity in general. But we must understand that in doing so, we should distrust ourselves too. Often in a given scenario, we know we might be tempted to do wrong & unknowingly transfer that same moral liability to others. While many may give lip service to the idea that all people are “basically good”, we know deep down that’s not the whole picture. That’s why we insert the “basically”. That’s why we still lock our doors.
We also say “basically good” partly because we want people to be good. And since we are people, we like to think of ourselves as good. I suppose it’s more pleasant than saying people are “partly bad” which would, of course, include ourselves. But what’s the whole picture? What makes the most sense of the human condition? What is real?
Not surprisingly, the Bible gives us the true & whole picture of humanity. It explains how people can do some of the most brilliant, beautiful & compassionate things while at the same time people can do some of the most horrible, ugly & brutal things – and sometimes these occur in the same people. So let’s understand God’s big-picture view of humanity & then hold mankind’s behavior (including our own) up to it & see if it fits. Of course, verses will be provided, so you know I’m not trying to do you wrong.
This really isn’t that difficult. Essentially, God first created mankind perfectly in a perfect world & when He was done, He even said it was “very good” (Gen 1.31). People are made in His likeness (Gen 1.27) which means a lot of things, but is where our capacity to do anything good comes from. Also part of God’s perfect design was to make us free moral agents (Gen 2.16-17). Being free to make moral decisions means being free to do right or wrong. God calls wrongdoing sin – violation of His law (1 Jn 3.4). When Adam & Eve - the first people - sinned, the whole of humanity inherited this “sin nature” – the tendency to do what is wrong (Rom 5.12). This part explains why all people have the capability of doing wrong & why you don’t have to necessarily teach them to do so. This was no oversight of God’s; He always has a larger, all-encompassing plan (Dt 29.29, Isa 55.8-9) & didn’t want to make us robots, puppets or whatever other lifeless figure you can envision.
Thus, God highly values us & at the same time identifies us all as guilty because we've all sinned against Him by violating His moral law (1 Jn 1.10, Rom 5.8). This is why a thief can steal from someone, yet still be kind & compassionate to his grandmother. This is why people can fornicate, yet be very honest employees. This is why church leaders can minister to many needs, yet still succumb to various temptations. This is why people who love you very much can also hurt you very much. And this is why you can do the same. So from our human perspective, good & bad exists in everyone. Reality confirms this. And the fact that we even have an idea of good & bad confirms the existence of our moral conscience (Rom 2.14-15).
However because of our sin nature, our understanding of what is truly right & wrong gets warped – our conscience is numbed (Tit 1.15, 1 Tim 4.2). The basis of our sinfulness is pride which, among other things, promotes self-interest above others & justifies our wrong actions. So much so that we don’t like being accused of any wrongdoing & are usually offended by the notion – even if we know we’re actually guilty. But even this self-deception about our condition further affirms the reliability of Scripture. For the depravity of our sin nature is so bad that it inhibits our ability to detect our sin (Ps 36.1-4).
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. – 1 Jn 1.8
Such pride is not merely about wanting to be more right than others as much as it is about wanting to be above others – or at least above enough of them to mask our guilt. When we think of someone seemingly “really” horrible, our sins seem more palatable by comparison or sometimes even “normal”. But it is unwise to use such a corrupted & shaky moral standard because we are comparing ourselves to other sinners who also try to mask their condition (2 Cor 10.12).
We still go on to tell ourselves “I’m not as bad as so-and-so” or “Everybody does it” or “I’m only human”, yet these thoughts don’t tell us that we’re innocent, but that everyone’s guilty. Thus, when the Bible tells us we have all sinned against a holy God by violating His absolutely pure moral standard (sinless perfection), we know deep down that it is undeniable & that we have all failed.
There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. – Eccl 7.20
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Rom 3.23
If you believe you are sinless & have not violated God’s perfect moral standard or are not sure if you have, please click here: www.areyouagoodperson.org
Meanwhile, there is certainly evil in this world. And you can be sure of this: where there is evil, there is sin; and where there is sin, there is mankind. But how do you know evil when you see it? Isn’t it because you understand that things have fallen short of what they should be? There was a standard of goodness that wasn’t met; a standard that was betrayed.
While we may not be aware of our own sin, we definitely are aware when others sin against us or someone we can empathize with. When someone steals something of ours, when we are lied to, when our friend is betrayed, when people are senselessly murdered – we sense the injustice. Yet when the tables are turned, we can always find ways to justify our own situation. Now, I invite you to take part in an exercise I like to call “Whose sin is it anyway?”
Why are you afraid when you’re in a dark, secluded area? Apart from fear of wildlife, why are you afraid to go to certain parts of the world? Why are there bad parts of town? Why do you lock your car or your house? Why must there be internet security & passwords? If you left your wallet in a public place, why might it not be there when you return? Why are you afraid for your children? Why can’t they visit certain websites? What makes something good or bad? Why are certain people, places & things good or bad?
It’s easy to broadly question the morality of others & distrust humanity in general. But we must understand that in doing so, we should distrust ourselves too. Often in a given scenario, we know we might be tempted to do wrong & unknowingly transfer that same moral liability to others. While many may give lip service to the idea that all people are “basically good”, we know deep down that’s not the whole picture. That’s why we insert the “basically”. That’s why we still lock our doors.
We also say “basically good” partly because we want people to be good. And since we are people, we like to think of ourselves as good. I suppose it’s more pleasant than saying people are “partly bad” which would, of course, include ourselves. But what’s the whole picture? What makes the most sense of the human condition? What is real?
Not surprisingly, the Bible gives us the true & whole picture of humanity. It explains how people can do some of the most brilliant, beautiful & compassionate things while at the same time people can do some of the most horrible, ugly & brutal things – and sometimes these occur in the same people. So let’s understand God’s big-picture view of humanity & then hold mankind’s behavior (including our own) up to it & see if it fits. Of course, verses will be provided, so you know I’m not trying to do you wrong.
This really isn’t that difficult. Essentially, God first created mankind perfectly in a perfect world & when He was done, He even said it was “very good” (Gen 1.31). People are made in His likeness (Gen 1.27) which means a lot of things, but is where our capacity to do anything good comes from. Also part of God’s perfect design was to make us free moral agents (Gen 2.16-17). Being free to make moral decisions means being free to do right or wrong. God calls wrongdoing sin – violation of His law (1 Jn 3.4). When Adam & Eve - the first people - sinned, the whole of humanity inherited this “sin nature” – the tendency to do what is wrong (Rom 5.12). This part explains why all people have the capability of doing wrong & why you don’t have to necessarily teach them to do so. This was no oversight of God’s; He always has a larger, all-encompassing plan (Dt 29.29, Isa 55.8-9) & didn’t want to make us robots, puppets or whatever other lifeless figure you can envision.
Thus, God highly values us & at the same time identifies us all as guilty because we've all sinned against Him by violating His moral law (1 Jn 1.10, Rom 5.8). This is why a thief can steal from someone, yet still be kind & compassionate to his grandmother. This is why people can fornicate, yet be very honest employees. This is why church leaders can minister to many needs, yet still succumb to various temptations. This is why people who love you very much can also hurt you very much. And this is why you can do the same. So from our human perspective, good & bad exists in everyone. Reality confirms this. And the fact that we even have an idea of good & bad confirms the existence of our moral conscience (Rom 2.14-15).
However because of our sin nature, our understanding of what is truly right & wrong gets warped – our conscience is numbed (Tit 1.15, 1 Tim 4.2). The basis of our sinfulness is pride which, among other things, promotes self-interest above others & justifies our wrong actions. So much so that we don’t like being accused of any wrongdoing & are usually offended by the notion – even if we know we’re actually guilty. But even this self-deception about our condition further affirms the reliability of Scripture. For the depravity of our sin nature is so bad that it inhibits our ability to detect our sin (Ps 36.1-4).
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. – 1 Jn 1.8
Such pride is not merely about wanting to be more right than others as much as it is about wanting to be above others – or at least above enough of them to mask our guilt. When we think of someone seemingly “really” horrible, our sins seem more palatable by comparison or sometimes even “normal”. But it is unwise to use such a corrupted & shaky moral standard because we are comparing ourselves to other sinners who also try to mask their condition (2 Cor 10.12).
We still go on to tell ourselves “I’m not as bad as so-and-so” or “Everybody does it” or “I’m only human”, yet these thoughts don’t tell us that we’re innocent, but that everyone’s guilty. Thus, when the Bible tells us we have all sinned against a holy God by violating His absolutely pure moral standard (sinless perfection), we know deep down that it is undeniable & that we have all failed.
There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. – Eccl 7.20
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Rom 3.23
If you believe you are sinless & have not violated God’s perfect moral standard or are not sure if you have, please click here: www.areyouagoodperson.org
Meanwhile, there is certainly evil in this world. And you can be sure of this: where there is evil, there is sin; and where there is sin, there is mankind. But how do you know evil when you see it? Isn’t it because you understand that things have fallen short of what they should be? There was a standard of goodness that wasn’t met; a standard that was betrayed.
While we may not be aware of our own sin, we definitely are aware when others sin against us or someone we can empathize with. When someone steals something of ours, when we are lied to, when our friend is betrayed, when people are senselessly murdered – we sense the injustice. Yet when the tables are turned, we can always find ways to justify our own situation. Now, I invite you to take part in an exercise I like to call “Whose sin is it anyway?”
Whose sin is it anyway?
You might think the responses to the scenarios above are just narrow-minded. And you’d be right because the standard is God’s own moral perfection. That may be especially difficult to accept for those who have been influenced by a fleeting pop culture that teaches each one can create their own personal morality. Yet this exercise again highlights the fact that, even in hypothetical situations, we still have a way of rationalizing our actions. Perhaps because we have even done them in real life. But isn’t this what you would expect if we really were sinners going our own way & away from God with our prideful hearts & numbed consciences failing to recognize our own sinful condition?
I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. - Ps 36.1-3
Maybe you’re thinking that times have changed & the ideas in the Bible don’t apply today. Consider this: God is absolutely holy & perfect. Therefore, His standard of morality (righteousness) is utter perfection because it flows from His own perfect character. And when something is perfect, it cannot change because it has no need to – it doesn’t wear out & never needs improved. It is also quite silly to think that sinful human beings could ever concoct a standard of morality that could supersede that of their infinitely wise Creator. In fact, while mankind may make many technological advances resulting from the accumulation of knowledge, we still have the same basic sin problems but merely have new ways to exercise them (Rom 1.29-32).
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. – 2 Tim 3.1-5
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. – Ps 2.1-4
God is holy; we are not. God is the authority; we are not. His is the only standard that matters & the only one by which all actions are judged. Moral perfection is beyond narrow; it’s impossible for mankind. And this is man’s huge moral predicament: We can live our lives however we want with seemingly little consequence in this life, yet there are tremendous implications in the afterlife.
God certainly is a God of justice. In fact, if someone committed a heinous crime & went before a good judge, that judge wouldn’t just let them off because of anything good they had done – or even if that person had done many nice things for that judge. Because God is perfect in every way, His justice is perfect & absolute - nothing gets by. This means that a single sin against an eternal God will require eternal punishment. You must understand that if God didn’t punish sin then He would be violating His own holy character – He would be a liar which is impossible (Heb 6.18).
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. – Heb 4.13
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. – Ps 51.3-5
But God does love us. He loves us more deeply than we know. He doesn't want us to suffer eternal punishment apart from Him. That is why He made a way. We never could overcome the penalty for our sin. We would never escape God's just judgment. To satisfy both His justice & His love for us, He sent His Son – Jesus Christ – to live a perfect, sinless life. And yet, He came to die a gruesome death to take the full punishment of all our sins. But we have to trust Him.
God tells us that if we confess to Him that we're sinners in need of His forgiveness, repent (turn from sin & to God) and trust that Jesus died for our very own sins & rose again to give us eternal life, we will not only escape His wrath, but become adopted into His family, know Him as our Heavenly Father & have eternal life! This is why God gave us the Bible & this is why I go to the trouble to write about such things. Don't miss the Bible's main message of Jesus & His life-giving Gospel (Good News)! You can trust the Bible & you can trust Jesus Christ!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – Jn 14.6
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. – 1 Jn 5.13
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. – Jesus in Jn 3.16-18
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Rom 6.23
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. – 1 Pt 3.18
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. – Rom 10.8-11
I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. - Ps 36.1-3
Maybe you’re thinking that times have changed & the ideas in the Bible don’t apply today. Consider this: God is absolutely holy & perfect. Therefore, His standard of morality (righteousness) is utter perfection because it flows from His own perfect character. And when something is perfect, it cannot change because it has no need to – it doesn’t wear out & never needs improved. It is also quite silly to think that sinful human beings could ever concoct a standard of morality that could supersede that of their infinitely wise Creator. In fact, while mankind may make many technological advances resulting from the accumulation of knowledge, we still have the same basic sin problems but merely have new ways to exercise them (Rom 1.29-32).
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. – 2 Tim 3.1-5
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. – Ps 2.1-4
God is holy; we are not. God is the authority; we are not. His is the only standard that matters & the only one by which all actions are judged. Moral perfection is beyond narrow; it’s impossible for mankind. And this is man’s huge moral predicament: We can live our lives however we want with seemingly little consequence in this life, yet there are tremendous implications in the afterlife.
God certainly is a God of justice. In fact, if someone committed a heinous crime & went before a good judge, that judge wouldn’t just let them off because of anything good they had done – or even if that person had done many nice things for that judge. Because God is perfect in every way, His justice is perfect & absolute - nothing gets by. This means that a single sin against an eternal God will require eternal punishment. You must understand that if God didn’t punish sin then He would be violating His own holy character – He would be a liar which is impossible (Heb 6.18).
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. – Heb 4.13
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. – Ps 51.3-5
But God does love us. He loves us more deeply than we know. He doesn't want us to suffer eternal punishment apart from Him. That is why He made a way. We never could overcome the penalty for our sin. We would never escape God's just judgment. To satisfy both His justice & His love for us, He sent His Son – Jesus Christ – to live a perfect, sinless life. And yet, He came to die a gruesome death to take the full punishment of all our sins. But we have to trust Him.
God tells us that if we confess to Him that we're sinners in need of His forgiveness, repent (turn from sin & to God) and trust that Jesus died for our very own sins & rose again to give us eternal life, we will not only escape His wrath, but become adopted into His family, know Him as our Heavenly Father & have eternal life! This is why God gave us the Bible & this is why I go to the trouble to write about such things. Don't miss the Bible's main message of Jesus & His life-giving Gospel (Good News)! You can trust the Bible & you can trust Jesus Christ!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – Jn 14.6
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. – 1 Jn 5.13
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. – Jesus in Jn 3.16-18
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Rom 6.23
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. – 1 Pt 3.18
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. – Rom 10.8-11