The Bible teaches that humanity's nature is inherently flawed, prone to sin and rebellion against God. According to Jeremiah, the human heart is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," while Genesis reveals that prior to the flood, "every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." This sinful condition is universal, as Romans states that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and is deeply ingrained, as expressed in Psalms, where the psalmist acknowledges being born with a sinful nature. Romans also notes the inner conflict this creates, where the desire to do good is often thwarted by the presence of sin.
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Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good— you who are accustomed to doing evil.
All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.