The question of whether all people are born good is an age-old one that the Bible addresses in various ways. At creation, God made humans in His image and called His creation “very good” (Genesis 1:31). However, sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience and corrupted human nature (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12). As a result, humans are born with a sinful nature that inclines them toward evil (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23). Does this mean people are inherently evil from birth? Not exactly.
On one hand, the Bible teaches that people are shaped by sinful desires and tendencies from a young age (Genesis 8:21; Proverbs 22:15). Even apparently “good” behavior in children can be selfishly motivated (Matthew 7:11). Humans are corrupted by the sin they inherit, not born innocent and gradually corrupted. This may suggest people are not born morally good. However, humans also retain the image of God, though marred by sin (Genesis 9:6; James 3:9). They have a conscience and innate knowledge of God’s law (Romans 2:14-15). So people have the capacity for good, despite their sinful nature.
Overall, the Bible presents a nuanced perspective – people are tainted by original sin from conception but are not as wicked as possible. By God’s common grace, humans retain goodness from their creation in God’s image, yet they lack true righteousness apart from Christ (Romans 3:10-12; Ephesians 2:1-3). People may do “good” in human terms but fall short of God’s perfect standard (Isaiah 64:6). Only through faith in Jesus are people forgiven, redeemed, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit to bear godly fruit (John 3:3; Galatians 5:22-23). In Christ, even sinful human nature is being renewed into God’s image (Colossians 3:10).
In summary, while humans have innate sinful tendencies, the Bible does not teach people are born completely evil or incapable of any good. The fall corrupted, but did not obliterate, the image of God in people. Individuals reflect varying degrees of sinfulness in practice. But all are born under sin’s dominion, requiring redemption in Christ to be righteous as God defines righteousness. By God’s grace, sin does not have the final word for those who trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
The Bible addresses this complex question of human nature in many passages. Here is a selection of key verses that provide insight into whether people are born good:
- Genesis 1:31 – God saw all He had made and it was very good.
- Genesis 3:1-7 – Adam and Eve’s disobedience introduced sin’s consequences.
- Genesis 6:5 – Every inclination of man’s heart is evil from youth.
- Psalm 14:2-3 – No one does good, all have turned away.
- Psalm 51:5 – In sin I was brought forth; in sin my mother conceived me.
- Proverbs 22:15 – Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.
- Isaiah 64:6 – All our righteous acts are as filthy rags.
- Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things.
- Matthew 7:11 – If you who are evil know how to give good gifts…
- Mark 10:18 – No one is good except God alone.
- Romans 2:14-15 – The law is written on their hearts; their conscience bears witness.
- Romans 3:9-12, 23 – No one is righteous; all have sinned and fall short.
- Romans 5:12 – Sin entered the world through one man.
- Ephesians 2:1-3 – Dead in transgressions from birth; object of wrath.
- James 3:9 – With the tongue we curse those made in God’s image.
While a comprehensive analysis of human anthropology is beyond this article’s scope, these and other Scriptures paint a portrait of the complex interplay between human dignity, depravity, and potential. People are neither blank slates nor fully hardened sinners from birth. By God’s grace and common providence, humans retain His image despite inheriting Adam’s sin. But only God’s supernatural grace in Christ can redeem and regenerate human nature to be righteous as Scripture defines righteousness.
Some key points from these biblical texts include:
- God made humanity “very good” at creation (Genesis 1:31). People were not created evil.
- All people have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Sin is universal.
- Humans are shaped by sinful desires from youth (Genesis 8:21; Proverbs 22:15).
- Human capability for good is compromised but not absent. Conscience and God’s law remain (Romans 2:14-15).
- Outwardly “good” actions can be motivated by sin (Matthew 7:11). Righteousness is ultimately internal, not just external.
- Only God is intrinsically good (Mark 10:18). Human “goodness” falls infinitely short of His standard.
- People are dead in sin apart from God’s grace (Ephesians 2:1-3). Redemption in Christ is required.
In conclusion, the Bible recognizes remaining traces of God’s image in fallen people, while emphasizing the corrupting effects of original sin on human nature. People are not born innocent, morally neutral, or fully evil. By God’s common grace, humanity retains conscience and glimpses of natural law, so people can still do outwardly “good” things. But inwardly, all are under sin’s dominion and require new birth by the Holy Spirit. Only forgiveness and new life in Christ empower people to bear righteous fruit that pleases God.
So are all people born good? In God’s original “very good” creation, yes. But with sin’s curse, no. Yet by God’s grace, faint reflections of original goodness echo in human nature despite inherent sinful tendencies. The question thus cannot be answered simplistically. Theologically, people are simultaneously dignified as God’s image-bearers and depraved as children of Adam’s fall. God’s redemptive love in Christ offers hope for sin-tarnished humanity. For Christians, living faithfully means recognizing the complex interplay of human dignity and depravity. As the Reformer John Calvin summarized, humans have both the potential for great goods and grave evils.
This theological tension poses challenges. If people are inherently sinful, how can they do good or possess human dignity? A robust understanding of common grace and God’s image is needed – seeing the good in humanity as God’s creational intent, though marred by sin. A hopeful, grace-filled view of people as broken image-bearers invites them to discover their God-given potential in Christ. Christians can therefore condemn evil in human nature while also seeking and elevating whatever is noble, beautiful, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Made for the good yet steeped in sin, all people need the Savior to redeem and restore them to God’s design.
Additional key perspectives on this question include:
- Human nature is corrupted but not devoid of conscience or moral sentiments (Romans 2:14-15). By God’s common grace, people retain moral sensibilities despite their sinful state.
- Outward righteous acts cannot atone for sin or earn favor with God (Isaiah 64:6). Only Christ’s righteousness imputed to believers saves and makes them truly good.
- Variation exists in how sin manifests in people, yet all are under sin (Romans 3:9-20). Some people may appear “good” but without Christ all lack true righteousness.
- Sin is pervasive, but is not the totality of human identity and capability (James 3:9). Fallen humans still reflect God’s image in limited ways.
- Human goodness requires depending on Christ’s power to bear righteous fruit (John 15:1-5). It is not self-generated by sinful human nature.
- God’s common grace and the Holy Spirit’s renewing work provide hope for restoring human potential in Christ.
Wrestling with this tension of human dignity and depravity is challenging but important. Affirming the multifaceted biblical perspective guards against extremes of viewing people as either fundamentally good or evil. Christians can humbly acknowledge their own sinfulness while persevering to evoke the imprint of God’s image in others through sacrificial service, whether they know Christ or not. Ultimately, the question finds its resolution in Jesus, the perfect Image through whom Adam’s fallen children are remade righteous.
Additional relevant passages on human nature, sin and righteousness include: 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 19:17; Luke 18:19; John 2:25, 3:19-21, 8:34, 15:5; Acts 17:28; Romans 5:18-19, 7:14-25; 1 Corinthians 2:14, 15:22; 2 Corinthians 3:5, 5:21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 3:3-7; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24-25; 1 John 1:8-10.
Though a complex, multifaceted biblical theme, the question of whether all people are born good ultimately finds hope and redemption in Christ. Jesus is the perfect human image through whom Adam’s sin-tainted children are remade righteous, realizing again their Creator’s glorious design.
In exploring this topic, many facets of biblical anthropology emerge. People are simultaneously dignified yet depraved, capable of good yet captive to evil, originally made “very good” yet now born under sin’s curse. Tensions abound between texts speaking of human dignity, conscience, God’s image in people and others emphasizing the pervasiveness of original sin inherited from Adam. Christians must hold such tensions in balance while affirming human nature is corrupted by the fall yet not devoid of goodness, worth and potential by God’s grace.
This anthropological nuance guards against dehumanization and promotes hope. People should not be viewed as purely evil, though sin pervades. All humans, even enemies, bear God’s image and deserve just, compassionate treatment as image-bearers, despite their depravity. Further, no one is so captive to sin that God’s redemptive grace cannot restore their dignity and purpose in Christ. Made for good yet steeped in sin, lost humankind has hope.
In interacting with others, Christians can therefore condemn evil while honoring and calling forth the good imprinted from creation. Through Christlike service and redemptive love, believers can evoke glimpses of glory in sin-damaged image bearers. While human nature is corrupted, common grace restrains evil so people might discover virtue. Guided by the Bible’s nuanced anthropology, Christians can recover a grace-filled vision of humanity as noble, beautiful and worthy of respect, made for friendship with God.
