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The
Nature of Man
written by Dave Lowe
In the 1980’s movie Trading Places, two
wealthy, elderly brothers engage in the age old debate concerning the nature of
man. One brother argues that man is corrupted by nature, while the other brother
believes that the corruption of man is the result of environmental factors.
With each brother equally convinced that his position
is correct, they agree to an experiment to decide the matter once and for all.
With a $1 bet as incentive, they embark on a plan to completely ruin the life
and reputation of their sophisticated Wall Street executive assistant played by
Dan Akroyd. At the same time, they exalt a crooked street bum, played by Eddie
Murphy, to Akroyd’s former position. Only after seeing how each person
responds can they settle the bet and the debate.
Not long after being promoted to a position well beyond
his education, Murphy begins to become the sophisticated, educated person that
his position requires. At the same time, Akroyd, having lost it all, begins to
turn into the common criminal that Murphy once was.
The movie ends up portraying a view of man that is
commonly believed in society today—that man is basically a product of his
environment. Yet this view is in stark opposition to what the Bible says about
the nature of man.
The Bible says that man was originally created in the
image of God (Gen. 1:26, 27). The phrase "image of God" refers to our
ability to reveal and represent what God is like. Exactly how man reveals the
image of God has been debated over the years. However, many believe that two
categories which reflect God’s image in man are man’s ability to make moral
decisions, and the dominion that was given to man by God.
Before Adam & Eve sinned, the "image of
God" in man was perfect. Man walked with God, man had dominion over the
earth and every decision man made was morally representative of God’s nature.
This is because man was completely dependent on God for moral direction and
guidance.
However, when Adam & Eve sinned, this image became
corrupted. Specifically, man was corrupted in several ways.
- Intellectually, man’s mind became depraved.
(Romans 1:21,22,28)
21 For even though they knew God, they did not
honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their
speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.22 Professing to be wise,
they became fools,…28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God
any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which
are not proper, (NASB)
- Emotionally, man became perverted. (Romans 1:24, 26)
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of
their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among
them…26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for
their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural (NASB)
- Volitionally, man’s will became enslaved to sin.
(Galatians 5:17)
17 For the flesh sets its desire against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one
another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (NASB)
Though none of these verses demonstrate man’s condition
when he’s born, the Bible clearly communicates that man is morally depraved
from birth. David said in Psalm 51:5: "Behold, I was brought forth in
iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Similarly, in Psalm
58:3, David said, "the wicked go astray from the womb, they err from
their birth, speaking lies."
Paul agrees in Ephesians 2:3 where he says, "we
are by nature children of wrath."
Clearly then, the idealistic Star Trek world where
man’s goodness evolves over time is but a myth. The Bible clearly teaches that
man was originally created in God’s image. However, that image was corrupted
when Adam and Eve sinned. Every person since Adam and Eve, with the exception of
Jesus, has inherited a corrupted sin nature that exists within the person from
birth. To argue otherwise is simply to deny the clear teaching of the Word of
God.
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