GS: The Human Condition
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Oct 7, 2025, 8:54:46 AM (13 days ago) Oct 7
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The Human Condition
It should be obvious to anyone with any experience in life that people are characteristically sinful. Alexander Pope said, "To err is human". But more accurately in Biblical terms, it's human nature to sin. Why is it that children need to be taught to be good, but don't have to be taught to be bad? That just comes naturally to us all. This is not to say, as some do, that the fact that our human nature tempts us to sin itself makes us guilty of sin. It would be unjust, and therefore sinful itself, to reckon guilt to those who didn't actually COMMIT sin, simply because they were being tempted to sin. Even Jesus would have been reckoned guilty in that case. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet was without sin." Heb 4:15 (For "Jesus Christ our Lord, was born of the seed of David according to the flesh" Rom 1:3 And "every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God" 1Jn 4:3a) Jesus partook of the same nature as we have, being subject to the same kinds of temptations inherent in that nature.
Yet apart from Christ there is no one who hasn't complied with their sinful nature and committed sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rom 3:23 The Bible is filled with examples of human wickedness. It's one of the major themes of the Bible taking up vast amounts of its content. For example it portrays the people of Israel constantly sinning. All the prophets speak of this. Criticize Jews today and you're labeled anti-semitic. If that's the case, God is the greatest anti-semite of them all. For He's constantly criticizing them in the scriptures. (Though today it seems, as a people who reckon themselves religiously superior to everyone else, the Muslims have far outdone the Jews in wickedness.) But one reason God chose the Jews was to demonstrate what is characteristic of all people. Would people be better if God were to do great miracles, if God were to miraculously provide for their needs, if He were to speak directly to them and give them explicit instructions, would they be better people. The Bible proves they wouldn't end up being better people. The Bible proves that such things have no impact on getting people to stop sinning. God's purpose in introducing the Law of Moses was for people to be aware of just how sinful they are. "Through the law we become conscious of sin." Rom 3:20b And it is essential for people to come to the conviction of their own sinfulness if they are to realize the relevance of Jesus Christ. "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Gal 3:24
Speaking to the Christians in Ephesus Paul writes, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." Eph 2:1-3 That's just human nature at work.
It should be obvious to anyone with any experience in life that people are characteristically sinful. Alexander Pope said, "To err is human". But more accurately in Biblical terms, it's human nature to sin. Why is it that children need to be taught to be good, but don't have to be taught to be bad? That just comes naturally to us all. This is not to say, as some do, that the fact that our human nature tempts us to sin itself makes us guilty of sin. It would be unjust, and therefore sinful itself, to reckon guilt to those who didn't actually COMMIT sin, simply because they were being tempted to sin. Even Jesus would have been reckoned guilty in that case. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet was without sin." Heb 4:15 (For "Jesus Christ our Lord, was born of the seed of David according to the flesh" Rom 1:3 And "every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God" 1Jn 4:3a) Jesus partook of the same nature as we have, being subject to the same kinds of temptations inherent in that nature.
Yet apart from Christ there is no one who hasn't complied with their sinful nature and committed sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rom 3:23 The Bible is filled with examples of human wickedness. It's one of the major themes of the Bible taking up vast amounts of its content. For example it portrays the people of Israel constantly sinning. All the prophets speak of this. Criticize Jews today and you're labeled anti-semitic. If that's the case, God is the greatest anti-semite of them all. For He's constantly criticizing them in the scriptures. (Though today it seems, as a people who reckon themselves religiously superior to everyone else, the Muslims have far outdone the Jews in wickedness.) But one reason God chose the Jews was to demonstrate what is characteristic of all people. Would people be better if God were to do great miracles, if God were to miraculously provide for their needs, if He were to speak directly to them and give them explicit instructions, would they be better people. The Bible proves they wouldn't end up being better people. The Bible proves that such things have no impact on getting people to stop sinning. God's purpose in introducing the Law of Moses was for people to be aware of just how sinful they are. "Through the law we become conscious of sin." Rom 3:20b And it is essential for people to come to the conviction of their own sinfulness if they are to realize the relevance of Jesus Christ. "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Gal 3:24
Speaking to the Christians in Ephesus Paul writes, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." Eph 2:1-3 That's just human nature at work.
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