Answer: God created us in His own image (Genesis 1:27) and allows us what is called “free will,” which means that we can choose to do right or wrong. The Bible details many people who did what was right in God’s eyes, but it reveals many who did evil. Even the main author of the Bible’s New Testament, Paul the apostle, admitted that trying to do right was a constant struggle!
“For I do not understand my own actions. I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh [my natural state]. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…” Romans 7:15-25
Humankind doing evil is nothing new. The Bible records that long ago things became so bad that God was sorry He ever made people. He destroyed almost all living things in a worldwide flood and started over with Noah’s family. (Genesis, chapters 6-8)
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was widespread across the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5
People are capable of being generous and loving, but we witness too much of the opposite in the daily news headlines. Most crime and injustice can be traced to selfishness, or thinking only of one’s self and not what will help others.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” Jesus in Matthew 15:19
So – born good or born bad?
The answer to the question is, we are born with the tendency to turn away from God and act stubbornly and willfully, which leads us to make many wrong choices.
Even as we sometimes try to live as Jesus commanded and help other people, we still fall short of God’s standard of perfection. From our birth, we err in making wise choices. It is just not possible without the guidance of God through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. God sends His Spirit into us as soon as we believe that He sent His Son Jesus to shed His blood and die on a cross as punishment for our sins.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Due to our selfish nature, God knew we could never live up to His standard of goodness that Jesus demonstrated during His brief life on earth. The Bible describes that Jesus willingly died to take the punishment for our rebellion against His authority that we deserved. His goal was to make us right with God; so, when God looks at us, He sees that Jesus has paid our sin penalty for us.
Is your relationship right with God? Or, are you living apart from Him? You can put your trust in Him, and He will begin to transform your life through His great, miraculous power!
Jesus explained in John 14:6 that He was (and will always be!) the only “Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father [God} except through Me.” When you tell Jesus that you accept Him as your way to God, God accepts you. Say something like this:
Dear God, I have lived in many ways that have grieved you, and I am very sorry. I ask you to forgive me. I realize now that I cannot save myself from punishment for my sins in Hell, and I want to get my heart right with you. I understand from the Bible that there are no good works that I can perform to cancel out the sentence of punishment I deserve after my death. I know now that Jesus is your son who died to pay the huge debt for my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus to do this! I ask you to send your Spirit into me to guide me and help me every day from now on. I trust you and place myself in your loving, merciful hands. Amen!
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” I John 1:9
