A Message For Every Good Person

“The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.”
Proverbs 21:10

Who are “the wicked?” Those who commit murder? Rape? Fraud?

The wicked - is all of us. Every person born from Adam is born in a fallen human nature.

The world tells you you’re born with a blank slate and that you become whatever influences occur in your life to shape you. But that’s not true. We are not born “good,” and we are not born with a blank slate. We are born in a fallen, sin-prone nature. If you doubt that, put two toddlers together in a room with one toy, and watch. Self-will is embedded in our fallen human nature. Tell your child, “No,” and what comes next? The fallen human nature becomes apparent.

Here’s what the Word of God says about it:

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked...”
Jeremiah 17:9

The human heart is not just wicked, it’s desperately wicked. That’s what we’re born into.

“...verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.”
Psalm 39:5

That’s why one must be born again.

You can’t change a fallen human nature. You can’t teach it, you can’t argue with it, you have to surrender it. One might ask, “then how are there good people?” And the answer is that as a person grows, he learns which behaviors will produce which results. A person learns to avoid the behaviors that bring bad results in the eyes of people. He hasn’t changed his fallen nature, he’s learned to control parts of it for his own purposes. It stays fallen. His motives are rooted in what will bring him the good things he desires. But he remains in pride and self-centeredness. Take this good person and criticize him, insult him, reject him, and his fallen human nature will race to the surface. He will immediately begin defending himself and fighting back. That’s common to all of us, not only to the ones we would call wicked. Some have learned more effective ways to get what they want more than others.

The soul of the wicked desires evil by nature. Sometimes that evil goes by another name. A proud person will work hard to advance himself and the world will call that good, but the Word of God strongly condemns pride. There is no getting away from it, we are born into a fallen human nature and that fallenness is going to be behind most of what we do. Pride. Self-ambition. Self-justification.

This is why Jesus stressed so strongly that you MUST be born again. It’s not a suggestion, it’s absolutely necessary.

“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he CANNOT enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You MUST be born again.’”
John 3:5-7

If you have not been born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God and you are not headed for heaven. Get down on your knees, bow before the Lord God, confess your sin, your fallen human nature, acknowledge that it is evil, humble yourself and ask the Lord that you might be born again. Be willing to surrender yourself and your life to him, asking him to take ownership and become your Lord. Only then will your eyes be opened to see the truth.

In your fallen human nature, you cannot see the truth, you will make excuses and twist any situation to see it your way. When you are born again, as your eyes are opened the Word of God will become the truth to you. The pleasant truth, and the unpleasant truth. You have to see both.

And then wait. Any birth produces an infant, and that infant has to grow up. It takes time. A lot of time. You will fall occasionally, but eventually you will mature and learn to walk in truth.

Spend time with the Lord every single day. If you have time to watch tv, you have time to spend with the Lord. If you have time to spend on Facebook, you have time to spend with the Lord. If you have time for sports, you have time to spend with the Lord. You will make time for what is important to you. But this has to be the most important thing you will do in life.

Get yourself a Bible, not a “modern” version, almost all modern versions are not accurate, get a King James Bible or even a New King James Bible, and start reading it. Daily. As you take in the Word of God you will grow. He will show you things from his Word, things you never knew before, as he begins the process of growing you up to be the mature believer he desires you to be. Do not fear it, it is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a human being, and you will never regret it. You’ll find a joy you’ve never known before and a peace that goes beyond all understanding.

“Call to me, and I will answer you,
and show you great and mighty things,
WHICH YOU DO NOT KNOW.’
Jeremiah 33:3

MORE:
“Born Again.” What Does That Mean, Really?