In the Bible, we have God’s answer to why people do evil things. In fact, the entire Bible is a study on the human character.

In this post then I will lay a biblical foundation for understanding the human mind and character. In addition, this post will give you insights into God’s standard for our character, as well as point to other posts on this blog on how we can meet God’s standard.

Who is God?

God is a family of three divine Persons, namely, the Father, the Son called Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

The key thing that humanity can know about God is that “God is love.” 1 John 4:8.

For those new to Bible notation, “1 John 4:8” is a reference to the Bible, which is a collection of books. In the Bible, each book consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. The quotation referred to as “1 John 4:8” is taken from the book of 1 John in the Bible, the 4th chapter, and the 8th verse.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

Our Bible quotation of focus is, “The spirit [mind] of man is the candle [light] of the LORD [God], searching all the inward parts of the belly [of the person].” Proverbs 20:27.

The Human Mind

What does our Bible quotation of focus mean? Well, to further explain God says, “For what man [human being] knoweth the things of a man [human being], save the spirit [mind] of man [the human being] which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man [human being], but the [Holy] Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:11.

That is, the human mind keeps a perfect record of all “the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12), the words, deeds, and feelings.

In other words, “the spirit of man” (Proverbs 20:27), the mind, has a perfect, complete record of all the thoughts of an individual from the beginning of consciousness in the womb until death. Even when we cannot remember things which we have done or heard or seen or thought, the mind has a complete record of these things.

Now, “Thus saith the LORD [God]…I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.” Ezekiel 11:5.

So, God is able to read our minds and this process of reading our minds is “the candle [light] of the LORD [God], searching all the inward parts of the belly [of the person].” Proverbs 20:27.

Thus, “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him [God] with whom we [humanity] have to do.” Hebrews 4:13. So, every human being can to God in truth, “I know that thou [God] canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden [withheld] from thee.” Job 42:2.

Having established that God is all-knowing, the question that arises is, Did God make human beings evil? To begin to answer this question, we will trace the development of human character from the creation of the human race by God.

God Creates the First Human Being

“And God said, Let us make man [humanity] in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:26, 27.

Exactly how did God create the first person? “And the LORD God formed [a] man [named Adam] of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man [Adam] became a living soul [being].” Genesis 2:7.

This then is God’s record of the creation of the first human being.

God Creates the Second Human Being

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man [Adam] should be alone; I will make him an help meet [one comparable to him] for him.” Genesis 2:18.

“And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Genesis 2:19.

“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet [one comparable to him] for him.” Genesis 2:20.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he [God] took one of his [Adam’s] ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man [Adam], made he a woman [named Eve], and brought her unto the man [Adam].” Genesis 2:21, 22.

The Initial Relationship Between Adam and Eve

The first human pair then whom God created was a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. Both were made “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27), which is to say, with a form like that of God and with a character of love like that of God.

What was the initial relationship between Adam and Eve like?

Now, “the LORD God…made…a woman [Eve], and brought her unto the man [Adam].” Genesis 2:22.

“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:24.

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Genesis 2:25.

So, God conducted the first marriage on earth which was between Adam and Eve. Adam was overjoyed to have as a mate, one who was comparable to him, whom he loved and who loved him in return. There was joy, peace, love, and harmony in their marriage.

Thus, humanity humanity can say of God in truth, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man [humanity] upright [holy and innocent in love].” Ecclesiastes 7:29.

God Creates a Home for Adam and Eve

“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” Genesis 2:8.

“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9.

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress [work in] it and to keep [attend to] it.” Genesus 2:15.

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16, 17.

Thus, God created the garden of Eden as a home for Adam and Eve and gave them pleasant work to attend to the garden.

A Rebellion in Heaven

“Lucifer” (Isaiah 14:12), an angel of high rank in heaven, rebelled against God he caused other angels to join him in his rebellion.

Therefore, God said of Lucifer, he is “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” (Revelation 12:9) and God cast him out of heaven with his “evil angels.” Psalm 78:49.

The Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve

Now Satan came into the garden of Eden as “the tempter” (Matthew 4:3) to see if he could get Adam and Eve to join him in rebelling against God. With this purpose in mind, Satan spoke to Eve as though it was a serpent speaking to her.

“Now the serpent was more subtil [subtle] than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman [Eve], Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1.

“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Genesis 3:2, 3.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4, 5.

“And when the woman saw that the tree [of knowledge of good and evil] was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband [Adam] with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6.

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Genesis 3:7.

This then was the temptation of Adam and Eve which resulted in their falling into sin, which is evil and wrongdoing, by disobeying God.

Effectively, Adam and Eve stole from God, for God had not given them permission to eat from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9.

Analysis of the Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve

When Adam and Eve were created, they had perfect love for each other and for God.

Lack of Wisdom

Now when it seemed to Eve as if the serpent had somehow gained the ability to speak, Eve entered into a conversation with the serpent.

Here she was unwise for she must have known of Satan’s rebellion in heaven and that he and his angels had been cast out of heaven.

What Eve should have done was not to trust to her senses, but to call upon God to enquire of this strange phenomenon of a serpent speaking.

Certainly, when Satan contradicted God and made God out to be a liar by saying, “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), she should have been alarmed and recognised Satan, the tempter.

Moreover, when Satan promised her that she would be equal to God if she ate from the forbidden tree, she should have turned away from him and called upon God.

Instead, however, Eve proved herself to be lacking in steadfastness in her love for God, to lack trust in God, and to have unbelief and doubt regarding God’s truthfulness.

Eve allowed Satan to appeal to her pride and she fell into self-love, which is idolatry, in that she wanted to be elevated above her status as a created being, to being equal with God.

Self-Indulgence

Eve’s idolatry manifested itself in covetousness in that she now wanted to eat from the fornidden tree.

So, Eve’s self-control was overpowered by her appetite. Hence, in her self-indulgence, she ate from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9.

Having ate the forbidden fruit, Eve became a temptress to her husband, Adam. For she gave Adam the fruit and he ate it.

Presumption

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman [Eve] being deceived was in the transgression [sin].” 1 Timothy 2:14.

This means that Adam ate the forbidden fruit being well aware that it was Satan who had tempted Eve.

The sins of Adam and Eve were “presumptuous sins.” Psalm 19:13. For having disobeyed God, they both assumed that God would ignore their disobedience and not put them to death.

Love of Display

Now Satan’s words that they would become equal to God appealed to both Adam and Eve.

Here, Adam and Eve manifested pride and love of display for they desired to be all- powerful just like God.

Shame

Initially, the case of Adam and Eve was, “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Genesis 2:25.

But what did Adam and Eve find as the result of their disobedience to God? Shame. They had lost their innocence and so they made aprons for themselves.

God’s Conversation with Adam and Eve

“And they [Adam and Eve] heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8.

“And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he [Adam] said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:9, 10.

“And he [God] said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Genesis 3:11.

“And the man [Adam] said, The woman [Eve] whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Genesis 3:12.

“And the LORD God said unto the woman [Eve], What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me [deceived], and I did eat.” Genesis 3:13.

Analysis of God’s Conversation with Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve would receive God with joy and love when He came into the garden. But after their sin, they hid themselves in fear from God.

Adam, when asked if he had eaten from the forbidden tree, blamed God for his sin. He implied that if God had not given him Eve for a wife, he would not have disobeyed God.

So, Adam accepted no responsibility for his sin and he no longer had perfect love for Eve, blaming her for his sin.

Eve, when asked if she had eaten from the foebidden tree, blamed the serpent. Thus, she accepted no responsibility for her son and indirectly blamed God for allowing the serpent to be in the garden of Eden.

We see then that neither Adam nor Eve was sorry for their sin, that is, they were not repentant. Both blamed someone else, even God, in a bid to escape the penalty of death.

In essence then, both Adam and Eve had a disposition of self-justification in a wrong course. They blamed others, even God Himself, in their desire for self-preservation.

That is, supreme selfishness took the place of love in the hearts of Adam and Eve. They were no longer to be found in the image of God who is love.

God’s Promise to Adam and Eve

Notwithstanding Adam and Eve’s sin, God found a way to save the penalty of eternal death (annihilation).

God could not ignore their sin and, hence, God promised them that Christ, who is God, would die in their place for their sin. This act of infinite love would open the way for God to forgive their past sins.

In addition, God would give them a change of heart from selfishness to love so that they would cease from sinning in the present and in the future.

Only in this way could Adam and Eve and their descendants, that is, all humanity, who would inherit sinful nature be saved from eternal death (annihilation).

God’s plan of saving humanity, His plan of salvation, is also known as “the gospel.” Matthew 4:23.

Without the intervention of God then every human being would remain sinful all their lives and so incur the penalty of eternal death (annihilation).

Adam and Eve’s Children

“And Adam…begat [fathered] a son in his own likeness, after his image.” Genesis 5:3.

That is, “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare [a son named] Cain.” Genesis 4:1. This was Adam and Eve’s first child.

“And she [Eve] again bare his brother Abel.” Genesis 4:2. This was Adam and Eve’s second child.

“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [fathered] a son…and called his name Seth.” Genesis 5:3.

“And the days of Adam after he had begotten [fathered] Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:4.

“And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” Genesis 5:5.

All of Adam and Eve’s children and their descendants inherited their sinful nature. That is, they were born in the image of their parents and not in the image of God who is love.

Cain and Abel

“And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” Genesis 4:2.

“And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD [God].” Genesis 4:3.

“And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD [God] had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth [angry], and his countenance fell [he was disappointed and dissatisfied].” Genesis 4:4, 5.

“And the LORD [Gos] said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth [angry]? and why is thy countenance fallen [why are you disappointed and dissatisfied]?” Genesis 4:6.

“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” Genesis 4:7.

“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew [killed] him.” Genesis 4:8.

Analysis of Cain’s Sins

Abel’s offering of a slain lamb to God symbolised his faith in God’s plan of salvation, the gospel. The innocent lamb represented Christ, who though innocent of all sin, would die for the sins of humanity.

On the other hand, Cain’s offering was a bloodless offering. He refused God’s offer of salvation through Christ and wanted to be accepted by God on his own merits.

Cain, in his anger against God and his brotger, Abel, committed the first murder on earth in that he killed his brother.

God’s Conversation with Cain

“And the LORD [God] said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he [Cain] said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9.

“And he [God] said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Genesis 4:10.

“And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” Genesis 4:11, 12.

“And Cain said unto the LORD [God], My punishment is greater than I can bear.” Genesis 4:13.

“Behold, thou [God] hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay [kill] me.” Genesis 4:14.

“And the LORD [God] said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth [kills] Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” Genesis 4:15.

Analysis of God’s Conversation with Cain

First of all, Cain lied to God when he said he didn’t know his brother, Abel, was.

Cain was unrepentant for the murder he had committed. And when God put a curse on him for his sin, he only sought to preserve himself and escape punishment.

Here it is evident that Cain had inherited the supreme selfishness of his parents, Adam and Eve.

The Sinful Nature of Humanity

“Wherefore [therefore], as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men [humanity], for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12.

Thus, all human beings are born with a sinful nature, that is to say, born with a “carnal mind.” Romans 8:7. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. For God’s law is a law of love.

That is, every human being is born with “an evil heart of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:12) in Christ, and with “an evil conscience.” Hebrews 10:22. So then, “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) rule their life.

As a result, they “love…the world…[and] the things that are in the world.” 1 John 2:15. Therefore, their worldview, which is their philosophy of life, is according to the world’s “philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [principles] of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8) and his character of love.

Fear and Bondage to Sin

The fear of all humanity is that they will come to want and they worry about “What shall we eat?…What shall we drink?…Wherewithal [with what] shall we be clothed?” Matthew 6:31.

Hence, they have “a fear of death [and]…all their lifetime [they] are subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:15) to Satan. In this state of fear they are found to be in “the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” 2 Timothy 2:26.

They “know…not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” Romans 6:16.

In other words, Satan and his other demons control the will. Thus, there exists “the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 2:4) and so “the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19.

The sinner’s worldview then makes it impossible for them to have a right knowledge of God. For they believe the future is uncertain and so, fear rises in their hearts.

This leads to “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5) and “the love of money [which] is the root of all evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10. All this in an attempt at self-preservation and self-exaltation.

Fear and the Thoughts and Feelings

“And his [Christ’s] disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:25, 26.

The disciples were fearful because they believed that they were about to die. Thus, we see that our feelings arise out of our beliefs, and our beliefs arise out of our thoughts.

So, right thoughts give rise to right beliefs, and these right beliefs give rise to right feelings. On the other hand, wrong thoughts give rise to erroneous beliefs, and erroneous beliefs give rise to wrong feelings.

Another example is a man named Gideon. When he thought his enemies, the Midianites, were invincible he was fearful. However, when God convinced him that he could conquer the Midianites, he became courageous.

As we have seen then humanity is by nature fearful, but when faith in God comes, they overcome fear and become courageous. To reiterate, right thoughts give rise to right faith in God, and this right faith gives rise to right feelings.

So, our thoughts determine our beliefs and our beliefs determine our aspirations, that is to say, our aim on life. Our thoughts also determine our feelings which determine our words and actions. Our aspirations give rise to hopes, purposes, motives, and desires.

Now God says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7. Thus, the root of our character is our thoughts, and these thoughts along with the feelings to which they give rise make up our whole character.

An Evil Conscience

Now God says, “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” Proverbs 20:9. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4.

So, it is utterly impossible for any human being to cleanse their own heart from sin. For all humanity are born with an “evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22) such that they approve the things that are evil.

It is the conscience that has a sense of right and wrong and that governs the thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. Therefore, when the conscience is evil the contents of the heart are evil.

Those with an evil conscience are they that “call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” Isaiah 5:20.

Lusts

In the “natural man” (1 Coeinthians 2:14), ” fleshly lusts…war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11) bringing the higher powers of the soul into subjection to the lower nature.

That is, reason and conscience are made subject to appetite and passion and the affections are placed on “the things that are in the world.” 1 John 2:15.

But “It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.” Psalm 18:32. For “he restoreth my soul” (Psalm 23:2) so that “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.” 1 Corinthians 9:27.

So then, “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh [the sinful nature] with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24.

Corrupt Minds

God says of humanity, they are “of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth.” 1 Timothy 6:5.

For “unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Titus 1:15.

Well dis Jesus Christ say, speaking of mankind’s inward corruption, “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Matthew 23:26.

Well may every human being cry out and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10.

For “behold, thou [God] desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.” Psalm 51:6.

The Doubleminded

God says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8.

“Draw nigh [near] to God, and he will draw nigh [near] to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:8.

A doubleminded person would serve Christ by sharing the gospel with others, provided they could serve themselves also.

But God says, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Matthew 12:30.

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [wealth].” Matthew 6:24.

“Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4.

Persons then who begin their Christian life, their life of service to Christ, being doubleminded, being half and half, will whatever their intentions, be found at last to be enlisted on Satan’s side.

Expedience

Christ, when He was on earth, “the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders.” Luke 20:1. And Christ said to them, “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?” Luke 20:4.

“And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?” Luke 20:5.

“But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.” Luke 20:6.

“And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.” Luke 20:7.

We see then that humanity often sin because they look first at the consequences of a particular course of action before deciding what action(s) to take.

Therefore, if the consequences are unpleasant or could lead to death or is uncertain, they take the most expedient course of action, regardless if it is sin.

For all humanity seek an advantage according to their self-interest, whether or not the means employed are fair and just.

God’s Requirements

God says regarding “the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12), “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7.

With respect to our feelings, God says, “See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” 1 Peter 1:22.

These are God’s requirements regarding the thoughts and the feelings that combined make up our character.

The Conviction of Sin

The Holy Spirit, “he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:8.

Thus, when an individual receives even one ray of light from the Holy Spirit, his or her conscience is awakened and they begin to see the evil of their ways.

Repentance and Faith

God says to all humanity, It is “the goodness of God [that] leadeth thee to repentance.” Romans 2:4.

Now God says of some people, “Ye…repented not…that ye might believe” (Matthew 21:32) the gospel. For it is their repentance that opens the way for them to exercise the gift from God of faith in Christ. That is, everyone receives the gift of faith from God but without repentance people have a superficial faith and not saving (correct) faith that takes proper hold of God’s truth by the working of the Holy Spirit.

So, if we are repentant and if we have genuine faith in Christ, we are “justified [declared righteous] by faith.” Romans 5:1. This is so “because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit] which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5.

God’s Ideal for the Human Character

“Now the end [goal] of the commandment [of God] is charity [love] out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned [sincere faith].” 1 Timothy 1:5.

And God says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18.

When these things are true of us, we can say of ourselves, “We have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16.

That is to say, the love in our hearts is identical to the love in Christ’s heart. We have been transformed by God into God’s image which is love.

This is God’s ideal for the human character.

God Judges the Heart

“The Lord [God] looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7. And “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14.

Every human being then will be judged based on the contents of their heart. God’s judgment decides if you will receive eternal life from God or eternal death (annihilation).

The Mind at Death

Now God says that at death, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit [mind] shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7.

This means that at death the body decays and returns to the earth, returns to dust, but the mind with its complete and accurate record of the life of an individual returns to God.

For at death “his breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Psalm 146:4. Thus, there is no consciousness in death.

The Two Resurrections

Praise God that death need not be the end of life for humanity! We can be resurrected by God which is to be raised to life again from the dead.

For God says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his [God’s] voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28, 29.

Those people who come up in the resurrection of life receive eternal life from God.

On the other hand, those people who come up in the resurrection of damnation receive their sentence and punishment from God and they die “the second death.” Revelation 2:11.

That is, these people “they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King [God].” Jeremiah 51:57. In other words, they are annihilated and cease to exist.

Conclusion

To conclude, God says that humanity can say in truth, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man [humanity] upright [holy and perfect in love]; but they have sought out many inventions [evil purposes].” Ecclesiastes 7:29.

So, in this post, we have from a biblical point of view looked at how humanity came to be evil and some aspects of their sinful character. This then is God’s answer to why people do evil things.

Now God has a plan of salvation, the gospel, to save humanity from eternal death (annihilation) for their sins.

In order to understand God’s plan, you can read the following previous posts on this blog.

Justification by Faith

The Importance of Our Decisions in Life

The Main Teachings of Christianity

Your Spiritual Journey with God

Jesus Saves: The Legal Case

A Key Old and New Testament Bible Truth

God’s requirements in order for you to be saved through the gospel of Christ are so simple that no human being need be lost and suffer eternal death.

Be sure then to avail yourself of God’s promised blessing of eternal life.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

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