How did Jesus view human nature?
One of the most startling claims in Steve Chalke's book, 'The Lost Message of Jesus' is that
Jesus believed in original goodness. (page 67)
He goes on to say:
God declared that all his creation, including humankind, was very good. And it's this original goodness that Jesus seeks out in us. (page 67)
On page 119 of the book, Steve Chalke tells with approval the story of Jamie Oliver's restaurant 'Fifteen.' Oliver took a group of unemployed - and apparently unemployable - young people, and trained them to run a restaurant - all under the watchful eye of the television camera. On page 120, he says:
Everyone around Jamie - his friends, the press, food critics and the general public - told him that he was making a big mistake and that these kids had got what they deserved. But he could see a glimmer of something else. Given the inspiration, the motivation and the right encouragement, Jamie believed they could, and would, turn their lives around.
Although Steve Chalke does not spell it out explicitly, there is a rather clear implication that people have been damaged by their circumstances, and they only need someone to believe in them and affirm them in order to put things right. Jesus came offering such affirmation. This was at the heart of his lost message.
In the dialogue organised by the Evangelical Alliance in response to 'The Lost Message,' Steve Chalke spoke at length defending, or re-stating his position. On the question of whether 'Jesus believed in original goodness,' he quoted Genesis chapter 1 verse 31, where, after he has finished the creation, God looks at everything he has made - including humanity - and sees that it is 'very good.' In this sense, of course, it is true that the Bible teaches 'original goodness,' and that Jesus believed in original goodness.
But only in this limited sense. Chalke conveniently skates over what happened in Genesis chapter 3, as the human race disobeyed God and fell into a state of sinful rebellion that has continued ever since. To refer to Genesis 1 without also referring to Genesis 3 in this context shows a willingness to play fast and loose with the facts for the sake of a good sound bite.
When we look at the Gospels, it is clear that Jesus did not believe that his hearers were basically good people who had been damaged by their circumstances and who just needed a bit of affirmation to put everything right:
In Matthew chapter 7 verse 11 (and the parallel in Luke chapter 11 verse 13), in the middle of teaching on prayer, Jesus says, almost in passing:
'If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!' (The version in Luke says '... give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.')
Jesus is not making a theological point about people being sinful. He is just mentioning it in passing - and he assumes that this is the case. To say that 'Jesus believed in original goodness,' without qualifying and explaining this statement, simply will not stand up to examination. To say that '...it's this original goodness that Jesus seeks out in us,' just is not true. Jesus loved people not because they were good enough to deserve loving, but in spite of the fact that they were not good enough to be lovable.
Jesus's view of human beings, based on the Old Testament, was that people were originally good, but were now polluted by sin. We shall also see later that Jesus understood his death as in some way dealing with the problem of human sin, and rescuing people from it.
More about the 'Lost Message'
- Introduction
- How did Jesus view human nature?
- What does the rest of the New Testament say about human nature?
- Unforgiven sin?
- Jesus' view of judgment
- Jesus saw his death as a ransom for many
- Jesus saw his death as a sacrifice for his people
- When was the message lost?
- Summing up
For more on this vital subject, visit Pierced for Our Transgressions. Better still, read the book...
Order
from the UK
Order
from the USA
