Understanding Ourselves According to the Bible
When we talk about understanding the gospel—the “good news” of Christianity—it’s not just about knowing who God is. It’s equally important to take an honest look at ourselves, at what the Bible says about the nature of humanity. This part isn’t always easy or comfortable, but it’s a crucial step to really grasping what the gospel means.
What Does the Bible Say About Human Nature?
According to the Bible, humans weren’t always in trouble. In the very beginning, God made people good and upright. You can read in Genesis that God looked at everything he made and called it “very good.” But things didn’t stay that way for long. After people chose to disobey God, everything changed. The Bible teaches that, since that first act of disobedience, all people have been affected.
Morally Corrupt—What Does That Mean?
To put it plainly, the Bible says that people are not naturally good anymore. Instead, we’re all born with a tendency to do the wrong thing. Our hearts, meaning our inner thoughts and desires, are often selfish and can even deceive us. We might try to do good things, but deep down, our motives and actions often don’t measure up to God’s perfect standards.
The Bible uses strong words to describe this reality. In places like Ecclesiastes and Jeremiah, it says that while God made humans upright, we’ve chased after many schemes. Our hearts are “deceitful” and “desperately wicked”—that means we can trick ourselves and others, and we often don’t realize how far off track we are.
Examples We Can All Relate To
If we’re honest, we see evidence of this all the time—in history, in the news, and even in our own lives. There are evil thoughts, dishonesty, selfishness, and all kinds of wrongdoing that pop up in our hearts and actions. Even the best things we do, the Bible says, are like “filthy rags” compared to the pure goodness of God.
It’s not just about outward actions, either. Jesus explained that even our thoughts and attitudes can be wrong. Things like anger, hate, lust, or envy don’t always show on the outside, but they break God’s standards all the same.
Why This Matters
This might sound harsh, but the Bible isn’t trying to insult us—it’s painting a true picture of our need for help. If we don’t see the problem, we won’t look for a solution. The message is that, left to our own devices, we’re spiritually lost and can’t fix ourselves. Our natural mindset is actually in opposition to God. That’s why the idea of the gospel is such “good news”: it tells us that even though our own efforts fall short, God has made a way to rescue us.
Honesty With Ourselves
The Bible’s view of human nature isn’t just proven by reading ancient stories. If we examine our own thoughts, words, and actions, we often find that we come up short. We break God’s laws—not just the famous Ten Commandments, but also the laws of love and honesty that Jesus talked about.
So, in simple terms: The Bible teaches that humanity is in a desperate situation. We were made for good, but now we’re naturally drawn to the opposite. That’s why the gospel doesn’t just start with who God is—it also begins with an honest look at who we are and why we need saving.
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