The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Traci B. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Research - Nature of Man
Would one call himself good or evil? Depending on whom this individual might ask would change the out come. However if we were to turn to the Bible says it would be extremely different from if one was to use the scale of the world. When we measure ourselves to the bible, God gives us a way to escape our sinful nature.
If one looks at the world and measures himself to what Television, Magazines, and Newspapers say is good or bad they would more then likely say they are good. The world looks at one intention instead of what is actually going on in the individual's heart. If he was to say, "Well I was planning on going to church today, but something got in the way", people would say, "That is okay, they thought about going to church." The world loves to get people to measure themselves to the person standing next to them. The world likes to say "Well look at him you are definitely better then him" then one takes this statement and makes it to what he want to hear which might be "Yes I am good I do more then him". In Galatians 5:19-20 it states some acts of the sinful nature such as sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, envy, and drunkenness. We might be able to go through these and pick out a couple that we have not struggled with such as witchcraft and drunkenness, but I am sure most has struggled with at least done one of these things. This shows us that we do indeed have a sinful nature.
The sinful nature that we are talking about is what we were born with as it says in Genesis 8:21c "... Every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood." Then we might ask how we are supposed to get away from our sinful nature if we are born with it or as it explains to us in Romans 7:14-19 "sin lives in us and it over takes us." God does give us a way out. God gives us grace, even though we are sinful, Ephesians 2:1-10 explains to us, that God has given us a choice, if we want to live for our life, for our sinful nature or for Him. God will punish us when we do not live for him but if we do live for Him, He will bless and increase our lives as it is stated in Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Even though we follow God, it still does not mean that our sinful nature will leave us. God will keep giving us our own free will. He always gives us a way and never more then we can handle.
"No Temptations has seized you expect what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way our so that you can stand up under it" 1Cor 10:13
So even though we have a sinful nature with God's help and grace we can over come it as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works so that no one can boast."
We cannot do any of this by our self or by works we need God and his Grace.
When man measures himself to the world he might be able to call himself good but when we measure ourself to God and what the bible says is evil. God did give us a way to over come our sinful nature. Without him we will always be evil.
