March 15, 2013

Are humans born good or evil?

Instead of a verse, I decided to answer a question, in my opinion, that was brought up in one of my bible study groups.  One argument in my group that humans are born inherently evil was the verse Genesis 8:21 “…’I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” That verse does say from youth.  One is born not knowing the difference between right and wrong because of Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge.  Contrary to the argument, that doesn’t necessarily categorize somebody as evil.  We all sin, but that doesn’t make us all evil.  Yes, there are those born psychotic and with evil on their minds.  However, that is so that the glory of God can be seen. In John 9, Jesus’s disciples asked Jesus about the blind man whether ’twas him or his parents who sinned that would have caused his blindness. Jesus answered in verse three, ‘”It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”‘ Additionally, the few born like this is not sufficient enough to categorize the entire human population as evil.  Furthermore, Genesis 1:27 states “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  God is omnipotent and we are made in his image. Hence, we were created and born in the image of good.  This shouldn’t even be a question.  In conclusion, we were born into sin, not evil.  Although sin is bad, that doesn’t make us evil.