My friend Dave asked “Are people basically good or basically evil?” one evening while I was waiting for him to finish brushing his teeth.  I had not ever thought about it before; I guessed people are good.  He bolted out of the bathroom saying, ”Oh, no! That is wrong!”  His tone of voice and the foam around his mouth made quite an impression.

I offer two more substantial pieces of evidence that people are basically evil.  First, the Bible is clear about the subject.  “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14.3, quoted in Romans 3.12).  Second, consider whether you would like to have the last hour of the images in your mind’s eye – your thoughts and imaginings – displayed on a screen for the entire world to see.  What greed, murder, lust, and corruption would be projected?

Consider what we deserve as basically evil people.  The question “why do bad things happen to good people?” does not address the situation correctly; it assumes our good actions merit positive interventions.  But turning it around, a question that better fits man’s nature would be “why do good things happen to bad people? “ The answer lies in God’s mercy and grace keeping us from being as bad as we could be.  The sovereign and providentially good creator of the universe protects us from being the Hitler or Stalin we all despise (most of us, anyway).

Knowing our nature is vital in order to understand our  need for a savior and our inability to save ourselves.  Jesus’ call to repent and believe starts with a realization and admittance of our wretched state.  Acknowledging the truth of the creator’s plan allows one to turn to the One who proclaims, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”  Basically evil men can be redeemed by Jesus’ redemptive act on the cross.