Are you a good person?
There is not a week that goes by that I don't hear the phrase "I'm not that bad, I have never killed anyone, I've never been in prison, I'm not racist, overall I'm a good person."
This seems to be the perspective of many, it was with me at one time. But yet we are sinners and we are born that way. David affirms this in Psalm 51 when he declares: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (vs. 5, ESV).”
Psalm 58 says this of “the wicked,” which we can easily apply to every man, “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies (vs. 3).”
Scripture says a lot more:
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. -- Genesis 6:5
The heart is deceitful above all things,and desperately sick; who can understand it?
-Jeremiah 17:9
10 as it is written:“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” --Romans 3:10-18
These verses expose our desperate condition that we are sinners by nature from the day of our birth. Not only are we sinners, but every intent of the thoughts of our hearts is only evil all the time. Our hearts are so desperately wicked that they cannot be known truly by anyone but God.
We would chose our own selfish desires at every turn. We do not do any good; we are lying, deceitful, cursing, violent, blasphemous, people who have no fear of God at all.
So, in light of the biblical texts just sighted. I ask the question again. Are you a good person?
by His Grace Alone,
Bill
