Are we good or evil?

How one views human nature may seem an insignificant matter to most, but it is of monumental significance in so many areas of life. Basically, the question boils down to this: Is man basically good with evil being the occasional exception? Or is man basically evil with even his best works tainted by evil intention?

If you ask most people, you are likely to hear the fi rst answer. They view people as basically good, with evil being the anomaly. The evil, they would say is the result of a bad environment and bad influences on one’s life and not the result of an inherent evil nature.

The Christian and Biblical view is that man was created good but fell into sin and evil, and all of mankind since that fall are born into this world inherently evil and incapable of truly doing good (Read Genesis 1-3; Romans 1-7). This is not to say that people cannot do good things, but even the good they do is tainted by evil and is imperfect. This view says that all people, since the fall, are born into this world turned in upon themselves and all their actions are tainted by this selfish inclination to do and say what they deem to be in their own interest.

However, even though people might like to think of man as basically good, they are forced by reality to live consistently with the view that man is inherently evil and self seeking.

Our own government, with its three branches and system of checks and balances, was so designed because our founding fathers recognized this inherent evil in man and knew that rulers, if left unchecked, would use their power for their own gain rather than for the good of the people.

We have large armies and weapons of war tokeep our enemies from coming in and taking our lives, land and property.

Criminal codes in our states not only prohibit activities generally prohibited in the Ten Commandments but add penalties because law makers know that penalties are needed to keep people in check.

Indeed, how many people would pay any attention to speed limits if there were no fines and penalties or no police offi cers checking speeds and writing citations? How many citizens would gladly and willingly pay their taxes if there were no audits and checks and no penalties for failure to follow tax codes.

Businesses and companies hire managers and bosses to oversee their employees because, if they didn’t, employees would often not do what they are paid to do.

And, yes, even schools have rules and penalties and report cards to keep students in line and studying hard so they will not fail and fl unk out.

You see, if people were basically good, we wouldn’t need all the law books and big governments and police offi cers. People would just do what is good and right. We wouldn’t even need speed limits because people would drive safe and prudent speeds without anyone checking on them.

Businesses and companies could train their workers how to do a job and be confident that all would be done and no one would sluff off or do shoddy work. Teachers could just teach and guide students to knowledge and students would study and learn without any threat of bad grades, trips to the principal’s office or not making it in life or in college.

If people were basically good, what a differentworld it would be! But it ain’t so. Things are just as the Bible describes them. We are all turned in upon ourselves and inclined to do our own thing and seek what we think will gratify our own wants and desires, and then we excuse and justify our own thinking and actions.

To pretend or even deceive ourselves into thinking we are basically good doesn’t change the truth of the matter. And those who would deny this truth and imagine that people are not self-gratifying, greedy, power hungry and self-honoring, are in for a rude awakening when they are used and abused by others.

My point in this rambling about human nature? It’s basically twofold:

1. We need to face up to the truth about our fallen human nature and live accordingly. We can’t and shouldn’t imagine that ridding ourselves of weapons will stop the violence. We can’t and shouldn’t imagine that we can keep our freedoms by giving them up to government leaders. We can’t and shouldn’t imagine that children will learn all they need to know because they love to study and learn. We can’t and shouldn’t imagine that we, as individuals, are above corruption. Nor can we or should we imagine that we can meet God’s criteria for good and be pleasing to our Maker.

2. Since the Biblical teaching about man’s corrupt and fallen nature is evidently true and is borne out in life all around us, as well as in each of us, we ought also consider the Bible’s teaching about the solution in Jesus Christ. He took on human fl esh and blood, fulfi lled all righteousness, suffered all punishment and rose again in triumph that He might also raise us up and restore us to what God originally created us to be: good and without sin and evil!

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer and may be contacted by email at [email protected].