THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT

What Makes Us Good or Evil?

THE pages of history are filled with accounts of hatred and bloodshed. Yet, from the ruins of tragedy often arise extraordinary acts of human kindness and self-sacrifice.  Why does one person become a cold-blooded killer and another become a warmhearted humanitarian?  Why do animalistic traits sometimes surface in human behavior? 

Imperfection and Conscience

The Bible frankly states:  "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." (Genesis 8:2, Revised Standard) Thus, children are bent toward mischief. (Proverbs 22:15)  From birth, all of us are inclined to do wrong.  (Psalm 51:5)  To do good requires effort, like rowing upstream against the current.

Nevertheless, we are also endowed with a conscience.  This inborn sense of right and wrong influences most of us to act within the bounds of human decency. For this reason, even those with no moral training may be known for their benevolence. (Romans 2:14, 15)  However, as noted above, our inclination toward wrong doing can cause a conflict  to arise within us. What else may influence us in our struggle between good and evil?

Next time: THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT-Tainted Environment

From the AWAKE! magazine, 2010