The idea that people are naturally bad? I think that's pretty much through the whole book.
Adam had his apple, and mankind was wiped out for wickedness in Noah's day. AFTER the flood, God said, "man's heart is evil from his youth." After that we have Israel making an idol at the base of Mt. Sinai and receiving the Law, which they then proceed to fail to keep for basically the rest of the Old Testament. John is beheaded, Jesus is crucified, and Paul says "all have sinned" and speaks of the evils of the "natural" man. This one is kind of a slam dunk... Are there Christians who don't believe that mankind does evil as his natural state?
Since Peter warned his fellow Christians about the devil seeking to devour us as his prey, as stated above to @Wrangler… we cannot let our guard down.
The apostle John wrote….
“We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”
I do not see where this situation was rescinded…..the power of the wicked one is still very evident in human behavior.
The depths of depravity and a craving for violence, bloodshed and immorality are evident in a world that is sinking to the same depths as those in Noah’s day….Jesus said it would be the same situation again when he was to return. (Matt 24:37-39) We are seeing it with our own eyes.
We often hear the word “inhuman” when these despicable acts are carried out upon fellow humans…what does “inhuman” mean? It means that it is not inherent in human nature to behave this way….IOW, it’s “not human”…..it comes from outside of humans to act in such a depraved manner. Sin is in us, but used by the devil to encourage us to go further that any human would or should….the line is blurred.
Who were responsible for the inhuman behavior of those in Noah’s day? It was the demons who influenced the humans back then, forcing God to take drastic action. It resulted in the whole of the human race at that time being wiped out. We are facing the same situation today as Jesus is about to take up his position as judge of all. He said that “few” would be found on the difficult road to life, whilst the majority would stay on the easy road, not realizing that it is a dead end. (Matt 7:13-14; 21-23)
When I look at the state of the world, I don't see that all that is wrong is because of the devil. People appear to be the cause of most wickedness.
The devil is still a “roaring lion” and as humans are born into the world, he is active in influencing them through his propaganda machine to behave in a way that is alien to Christ’s teachings.
At this point in history, mankind has never been more depraved…with less excuse…..there is no moral compass to guide anyone since our youth have been trained from infancy to follow the world.…and to disregard every decent thing that God promotes in his word. (1 John 2:15-17)
With the invention of social media we can see that he has an educational tool ‘par ecellence’…..used very effectively to influence our youth before they even have a chance to grow up and evaluate things for themselves…..they are coerced into compliance because those who are ‘different’ are ostracized, and bullied. How many young ones commit suicide because such a life is not worth living?!
The devil’s influence is still very much in evidence.
Don’t ever think that the devil will ever give up on leading us astray….his mission will only end when he is placed in confinement for a thousand years…..and only after he is released one last time to test the redeemed human race, will he be eliminated from existence, along with all he can ensnare at that time….to join those who failed to pass the test that will shortly take place, between the “sheep and the goats” In our day.
We can never let down our guard.
