Very Good

READ

From an early age, some of us are taught that human beings are rotten to the core. This wreaks havoc on our relationships—with God, with others, and with ourselves.

At the most basic level, we are children of God, made to worship and enjoy Him in community with one another.

When God created us, He did not create brokenness. He created beauty and potential. When He formed us out of the dirt and breathed His life into us, He was fully pleased. We were the crowning jewel of His creation. After making us, He rested. He looked at all He had made and called us—together with all the flora and fauna that reflect His love and creativity—very good.

Let’s take a moment to read Genesis 1:31:

Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

REFLECT

While it is true that sin is what humans do (Romans 3:23), it is not who we are.

This distinction is incredibly important, and its implications are vast. Our working theology of human nature shapes our approach to God, to our neighbors, and to ourselves. 

If we believe that human beings are fundamentally bad, we will come to see our sin and brokenness not as distortions of our nature, but as the very core of our identity. We will view ourselves and others as worthy of shame, rejection, and punishment, rather than love, acceptance, and care. We will see selfishness, greed, and pride as constitutive parts of who we are, rather than perversions of God’s good creation. 

If we believe sin defines our personhood, repentance becomes impossible. We will not be empowered by the Spirit of God to quit bad habits, love sincerely, or give generously, because we assume our sin is woven into our design.

When we allow ourselves to believe that all people, at their core, are very good, it changes everything. 

Suddenly, when we obey God’s law of love, we are not acting contrary to our nature—we are becoming more human. When we serve others, listen well, and resist temptation, we are acting in accordance with how we were made. We are becoming more ourselves by becoming more like Christ. 

When we see sin as a disease, rather than part of our design, we are able to make the essential distinction between our behavior and identity. We are no longer bad people doing bad things—we are good people who are living out of alignment with their true purpose and desires. We are well-meaning people who have been deceived, who have bought into the lie that goodness, joy, and fulfillment are found by living outside the bounds of God’s life-giving commands. 

Our conception of human nature also changes how we approach those who sin against us. When we refuse to see sin as fundamental to humanity, our “enemies” are no longer evil people acting in accordance with their nature—they are misled, broken children of God who are unaware of their need for Him. They are hurting people, hungry for true life, desperately trying to satisfy themselves apart from God. They are God’s very good creation—people who need to find a way back to themselves by finding their way to Christ. 

So today, let’s dare to believe that the people around us—as well as the person in the mirror—are very good. Let us believe that all humans were made to enjoy God and delight His heart, not disappoint or forsake Him. Let’s choose to live in ways that reflect our design. 

Because when we follow Christ sincerely, we are not becoming something we are not. We are becoming what we were always meant to be. 

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read. 

• Do you see yourself as fundamentally good or bad? How does this underlying belief impact your approach to God? How does it affect the way you speak to yourself when you fall short? 

• How would it change how you approach others if you saw their sin as a disease, rather than an essential part of their design? 

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying: 

Abba, Father! Thank You for creating us in Your image and calling us “very good.” God, in Your grace, enable us to see ourselves and others this way. Remind us that while we are in desperate need of Your grace, our sin does not define us. Help us to become more authentically human by living generous, loving, and sacrificial lives. Help us to have patience and compassion for those around us when they live out of alignment with Your good design. Empower us to see sin as something that is not fundamental to who we are, but something that has been overcome by the power of the cross. Amen.

Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.