I was talking to a friend whom I hadn’t seen in years. We disagree on several important issues, but there was one thing that she mentioned that stood out. It was the idea that every person is inherently good. I didn’t respond to it at the time, but looking back on it now I probably should have.

While I would like to think that people are born good and are naturally inclined to think and do good, this is not reality. We often use the word good to talk about someone’s character or something that they do. But what does the word good actually mean?

It means moral excellence. I don’t believe anyone has ever met someone who would be able to say that they are morally excellent. We all mess up morally in one way or another every day. We may go a day without causing an argument or treating people poorly, but our thoughts and emotions will likely tell a different story. We may not always act on them, but they are still there and can fester for a long time. If allowed to do so, they develop into darker thoughts and more extreme emotions.

Why do these kinds of thoughts and irrational reactions pop up if we are inherently good? Why is there so much evil in this world if people are intrinsically good? Let’s discuss.

People Throughout History

Throughout history, man has tried to solve the problem of evil through different approaches. Some looked at man as the source of evil while others saw outside influences as the culprit. Is God Silent When It Hurts outlines several historical movements’ attempts to resolve the problem of evil and their approaches. I would like to discuss three of the most applicable ones as their ideas are still relevant today.

The Classical Period was the age of reason. It was seen as a moral attribute and through rational good one would achieve freedom. The issue with this is that reason does not always suggest that good will be the result. Not to overuse this reference, but Hitler’s Germany, which was a highly educated society, is a great example of how reason does not solve the problem of evil.

Reason did not prevent the murder of 12 million people. It couldn’t prohibit the burning down of synagogues and Jewish-owned stores. It failed to stop the bullying tactics of the Nazi party and the killing and defaming of political rivals. Reason and education alone cannot guarantee morality. You can learn so much and gain a ton of knowledge, but this does not deal with the heart of the individual.

The Renaissance period had biblical theism as an essential source of thought, but often viewed man as the ‘measure of all things.’ Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s essay The Dignity of Man, which talks about God placing man as the centre of the universe, is an example of the mindset of this period:

We have made you neither heavenly nor earthly, neither mortal nor immortal, so that, more freely and more honorably the molder and maker of yourself, you may fashion yourself in whatever form your shall prefer. To man it has been granted to have what he chooses, to be what he wills.”

Atkins, H. S. (2021) Is God Silent When It Hurts? The Problem of Evil and Human Suffering: Answers from History, Reason, and Theology pg. 62

The section in red is problematic for many reasons. One is that it suggests that man can do whatever he sees as good, or as Scripture says, ‘Do what is right in their own eyes‘ (Judges 21:25). We live in a culture today where people believe they can create a morality of their own and try to impose it on others. Oftentimes, their own rules contradict themselves and end up hurting others.

Another is that historically, man has made choices that have resulted in dire consequences. Wars, divorce, adultery, murder, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, addictions, sex trafficking, the list goes on. Many of these choices end up physically, mentally/psychologically, and spiritually hurting someone, resulting in most victims taking years to heal. Can we really say that man is inherently good when they cause so much pain and suffering to others given a chance?

Marxist anthropology focuses on solving socioeconomic problems, which were seen as the cause of pain and suffering. It does not focus on man at all. Man is not seen as the cause of evil. This belief, however, fueled human wickedness. For instance, the Marxist revolution in Russia led to the death of 55-63 million people, including women and children. Similarly, Mao adopted the cultural identity aspect of Marxism which caused millions of his own people to be abused, killed and socially divided. People were separated into two groups, red and black.

The red group had all the freedoms, were celebrated (especially children) and were pressured to keep their status by being involved in activism. Children turned in anyone who was going against the system, including their own parents.

The black group, on the other hand, were not seen as a person or citizen. They did not have much freedom at all and were marginalized. Many were imprisoned, killed, and basically could do nothing (Letter to the American Church Documentary).

Knowing all this, can you really say that people are inherently good when their leaders ordered the torturing, killing and ostracizing of entire people groups and they went along with it?

Everyday Examples

I have a son who just turned one this week and even at such a young age I can see he is not inherently good, be as cute as he is. The funniest (and probably most annoying) thing that he does is not go near the wifi router when asked. He always looks back at me with a mischievous smile and knocks over the router. He does the same with the diaper bin!

My husband and I have never taught him to do that. Our son, without a second thought, chooses to do it, even though he knows it is wrong. He often giggles when doing it. For our son to know how to obey his parents, how to love his neighbour, how to treat people well and how to be kind, he has to be taught. They do not come naturally, whereas misbehaviour does.

You may say that people have their flaws, but they are good people because they do many good things for their communities and loved ones. People don’t ‘do good’ for moral goodness. They do it because of self-interest. Many think to themselves, ‘Will I look good if I do X?’, ‘What can I get out of this?’ or ‘If I do X then maybe I’ll be accepted.’ Clay Jones speaks about this by using the life of Gandhi as an example. He notes:

He wasn’t good. Doing a lot of good deeds doesn’t make you good. Every night he went to bed naked with his two nieces and other girls (often at the same time) and even married women (one of them married to his grandnephew). He said he did this to test his resistance, but it’s not clear how often he was able to do this.

Jones, C. (2017). Why Does God Allow Evil? Compelling Answers For Life’s Toughest Questions. pg. 68

Biblical Truth

There is no one righteous, no not one. There is no one who understands; There is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Romans 3: 10-12

At first glance, this sounds pretty harsh. But it’s true. In our natural state, we do not seek God. We normally come to the end of ourselves and then we look for God to come fix the mess we have made. I can say that this is a big part of my testimony. I had enough of the life I was living and the sins I was committing. The Lord used Scripture to speak to me and I chose Him because I knew who I truly was. An evil-hearted, bitter sinner.

One thing is true about humans that is worth mentioning. We are made in the image of God and were created for good. God created only good things. One good thing he made was free will. We have been given the choice of whether to do evil or good. We are bent towards evil due to the Fall which has corrupted God’s original design of man (Geisler, N. 2011).

That is why Jesus came. He was the only one in history who was able to live a perfect life and be good. He was all God, but He was also all man. He is our example of how to live the Christian life.

For Jesus, evil is always a matter of the heart. True Christians- those who have been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit- are changed from within. They become ‘obedient from the heart’ and ‘slaves of righteousness’ (Romans 6:17-18), which means their inner person wants to do God’s will even though they may not often choose so

Jones, C. pg 65

Following Him has been the best decision of my life. I am so thankful beyond words to have the Lord to pray to and to ask for forgiveness for my sins. I now have hope that with and through Him, my thoughts and heart can be renewed. And the hope that one day I can become finally become good.

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Evil is born when a creature decides it knows better than the Creator.

Clay Jones