Are All People Basically Good?

 November 27, 2024

Wednesday

Are all people basically good or are they basically bad? Many people want to say that most people are basically good. There is some merit to that thought. After all, all of us were created in the image of God. That image is seen in His characteristics that have been imprinted into us. Thus, we have love and justice and mercy and generosity and each of the characteristics of God. But wait, there was the Fall. When mankind sinned the image of God was corrupted. Thus we have hatred and vengeance and mercilessness and stinginess. So, which is it? Are people good or bad?

Let's face it: Every time we attempt to do something universally benevolent, there are people who abuse that benevolence. Our church has a large food pantry by which we give out tons of food each week. The people drive up, tell us how many people are in their families and we give out an appropriate amount of food. It is not unusual to put food in a BMW, Lexus, new luxury pickup truck or Mercedes. Sure, they may not have the money for food because they are paying for these luxury vehicles. They have absolved themselves of the responsibility to pay for their own subsistence. Almost none of the people putting this food in their vehicles have autos as nice as some of those coming for food.

Are these people bad? Not really. They are taking advantage of a system but they aren't really breaking any laws. They may old ladies across the street and speak kindly of the Lord. 

Honestly, if people were all good, socialism would work. It doesn't because all of us are corrupted. Some will not work and others will join their lack of working when they find out they are doing all the work. Both of these stands show the corruption of our good.

So, all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  All of us have been corrupted. There is not anyone who is purely good. That includes me and you. It is not hypothetical. It is not theoretical. It is real.

Maybe this is the reason we need to always forgive others. Each of us will do something that will hurt another person whether we recognize what we have done or not. Each of us needs forgiveness for something. When someone does something that hurts us, we must remember that we aren't perfectly good either. We give mercy from the image of God imprinted in us. We forgive on the basis of the blood of Jesus too. That sin against us was paid by the blood of Jesus.

Therefore, people are not basically anything. They are all good at times and all bad at times. We and they are all sinners at times.

Romans 5:12 (NASB 2020)¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned—