Humanity – December 1, 2020

The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
Genesis 6:5

Humanity

Our society bombards us with the idea that all people are inherently good and that humanity will eventually move past its difficulties. Humanity is held up as the one thing that can save us all. Movie after movie continues to tell us that good will prevail over evil and that we should trust in the goodness of mankind.

But is that reality? If mankind was inherently good, why do we continue to have so much war, murder, and crimes like rape and human trafficking? If people all have some good deep down in their souls, why is there so much yelling and screaming? Why can we not all calmly discuss our differences and work together?

The reality is no one is inherently good. The Bible says it is quite the contrary. We read in Genesis—and throughout the Bible—that mankind is inherently sinful. Our thoughts and desires are inherently sinful, not inherently good. We are by nature selfish and greedy. We want our way and do not want to listen to anyone else, let alone listen to what God has to say. That certainly is not news that anyone wants to hear, but it is true.

The good news is that there is someone who was inherently good. His name is Jesus. He is the only man to have ever walked this earth without a sinful nature. Jesus was better than good. He was perfect. As our substitute, Jesus lived a perfect life in our place and died on the cross to pay for our sins. He died and rose again to guarantee that our sins would be forgiven and that we could have the gift of eternal life in heaven. Through faith in Jesus, we have a desire to live for God and to do what is good out of love for him.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for taking my sins away and for being my perfect substitute. Filled with your love, help me to desire what is good. Help me to serve you today. Amen.