Depraved much?

Hey y'all! It has been awhile. I hope you all have been doing fabulous so far in 2025! There is a topic that has caused me to really pause and think lately and I want to discuss it with you for a minute. How do we view man? When I say man, I am meaning mankind as a whole, not the gender. :) Taking it another step deeper, how do we view ourselves? From a Christian perspective, how am I different from before I was saved and now? Some thought provoking questions for this Thursday. :)

In the current culture, we are bombarded with advertisements, marketing strategies, books, blogs, even sermons designed to make you feel good about yourself. But did you know, you are/were actually depraved? Dictionary.com lists depraved as corrupt, wicked, or perverted. As much as that goes against the world's view, I believe it to be correct. Now, I don't believe it because of a website. I believe it because God's word says it.

Do you ever see a news story or video about some horrific shooting or some other terrible event and think "how could someone do that?". I know how. Romans Chapters 1 through 3 are all about how mankind is depraved. Chapter 3:10-12 states it clearly - as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." The Bible only has to state something one time for it to be true, but you can see the same idea in Psalm 14:1-3 "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." Ouch right? There are many other examples in Scripture that speak to the depravity of man.

So what's the point? Why do you care? How should this shape your thinking? First, it is important to remember all are sinners (Romans 3:23). We each came into the world like the Scripture describes above. We each are born depraved and hopelessly lost. Romans 1:24-25 states - "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." Did you notice that? God gave them up to the lusts of their hearts. This is why there is evil in the world. It is because each person is following the desires of their heart. Our heart, without Christ, will never decide to do good. It can't. We can't. God has to intervene.

Secondly, when we realize this, the gracious gift of salvation through Christ becomes so much more amazing. It changes our thinking and allows us to realize that our salvation had nothing to do with us. We never would have chosen Christ on our own. Our hearts were wicked apart from Christ (Jeremiah 17:9). God had to draw us to Himself with His Holy Spirit to enable us to believe. Anyone who thinks they deserve some credit for their salvation, is very much in error. God made His plan for the salvation of His elect before the foundation of the earth(Ephesians 1:4). This just makes me want to shout "Thank you Jesus!" This thinking allows us to be extremely grateful for what God has undeservedly done for us as believers.

Lastly, from a Christian perspective, rightly thinking about the depravity of man, allows us to see lost people differently. When faced with difficult situations, we can respond in love and kindness knowing that only Jesus can change them. That is where our hope comes from. That is the only hope there is; Jesus and His finished work on the cross on our behalf. I think we put to much stock in what others think of us, but when we realize who we were apart from Christ, and who He has made us to be in Christ, the opinions of the lost don't quiet hit home like they used to. It allows us to love freely, proclaim the Gospel openly, and earnestly pray for the Holy Spirit to draw them to Himself. What peace and contentment!

Bad people are going to do bad things. Evil will be present. On this side of Jesus coming back, that will never change. We were all bad people at one point, but if you are a believer, God has washed, sanctified, and justified you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11). As believers, we still struggle with our sinful tendencies, yet we now have the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us. That allows us to fight those lusts of the heart and instead choose to be more like Jesus each and every day. So, as believers, we need to remember who we were apart from Christ, be thankful for the merciful saving grace He has bestowed on us, and live in light of eternity, not being surprised by the evil in this world. When we fully trust in God's sovereignty, we can face whatever comes our way knowing God is in control and not surprised. That is where a believer's peace comes from. Not in our own abilities, but in understanding man biblically (including ourselves) and trusting in God's promises. Till next time. I love you.