John 7.7 observes, the world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil. No one likes a negative person.

Who is the negative person? The person who tells us we are wrong or the things we like are wrong. Modern parenting and education has and is going to great extremes to remove all negativity from the ears of the next generation. Most recently universities have begun creating ‘safe places’ where students can retreat from any discussion that conflicts with their point of view. Jesus, God Who lived on earth, claims to be a negative person.

The Bible begins describing God’s creation of everything and His observation of everything created as being very good, especially humanity. God seems to have taken great joy in making the heavens and the earth and all they contain, particularly man and woman.

Quickly the story changes; humanity though living in a perfect environment of health and provision and goodness, decide the one rule they are to follow is too much for them to obey so rebel against their Creator. This rebellion has only increased and become more insidious. With the rebellion came false narratives about God justifying the evil behavior of many. The most recent ISIS atrocities are current examples of this historical reality.

So when God lived among us is it any wonder that He would describe us as evil? We keep insisting upon our own goodness while still ignoring God and refusing to obey His commands. How can we obey God if we will not even read the instruction manual He gave us for living under His rule? No, we are not good really.

We do good things sometimes. This is because we are created in God’s image whether we acknowledge that reality or not. God is good so we are capable of doing good independent of our love for Him or acknowledgement of Him. However, when God measures us on that day we pass from this world into His world He will not weigh the few good things we did against the many bad things we did. Instead God will bring His instruction manual before us and measure us by His commands for us.

Failure to obey His commands will result in condemnation which He tells us is the place of eternal torment and agony. Like the first humans, we have only one thing we must do in order to obey His commands. We must humble ourselves before Him Who came to us in order to reveal to us God; Jesus is to be worshiped and surrendered before as Lord of our lives.

We must deny ourselves and follow Him as the Savior, the Pardoner of all our evil and the Provider of our eternal destiny as a child of God to live once again with Him in perfect health, peace and provision.

If we see ourselves as good enough we wont see ourselves as needing God and we will continue to live as we please. We will discover at the resurrection from the dead whether God’s Word will prevail or our opinion of God will prevail.

I am personally betting on the Word of God.