DEPRAVITY

Yes, humans are totally depraved. There is no goodness in them. I went through a short period where I believed that the remaining goodness in a person could coax them back to the God who created them; that the light that brought them into this world would somehow draw them back to that original light through works of righteousness. I was wrong.

I have a friend who has a large tattoo on his back. It is a scale, and weighed in the balances are the words "good" and "bad". The "good" side of the scale weighed more than the bad, showing that his "goodness" outweighed his "badness". When I asked him if he thought he was basically good, he said "yes, I am mostly a good person. I've never done anything too horrible". This same man says the most crude and horrible things I've heard come out of a man's mouth. He also breaks every commandment of God Almighty, and boasts about doing so. Yet, he seems to believe that his goodness outweighs his evil.

I stand with what the Bible says. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). I can say completely truthfully and with my whole heart that nearly every unsaved person I work with is wicked and does no good. Romans 3:10-13 says "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:"

I can vouch for the truthfulness of every statement in this section of Scripture.

- None righteous. Not one person I know follows God's Law, or has a heart to love God.

- None that understandeth. Not one person I know understands spiritual things, nor do they desire to.

- None that seeketh after God. Unless they are hiding something, I don't know one of them who actively pursues God. None seek the true God. They are too busy seeking entertainment.

- Open sepulchre. A sepulchre is a tomb or grave. The words of their mouth are deadly, and hearing it everyday is poison to my soul, and the souls of those around them, sending them to death.

- Deceit and poison. This is what flows from their mouth when they speak. I rarely hear an encouraging word from any one of them. Their words are poisonous and they are deceitful, trying to cause others to stumble and fall and sin so they may not feel anyone is better than them.

This may sound rude, but this is just the way it is. If people think that judgement day will prove them just and good men because they were "basically good", they have another thing coming. They will be judged for their works, and their works will be filthy rags, and their horrible sinfulness will condemn them.

There is ONE CURE. The Lord Jesus Christ has made atonement for those who repent from their sins and turn to him for forgiveness. Trust in Him fully for redemption and justification and begin a new life. Don't wait to come to God until you are perfect; that day will never come. He wants you just as you are, as sinful and dreadful as you are. He will completely justify you and make you a new person.