Are People Basically Good?

 Most would answer yes, people are basically good.  But let us look at how the Bible answers the question of the basic goodness of man.  

(Psalm 51:5)"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did by mother conceive me."  

(Ecclesiastes 7:20)"Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins." 

(Isaiah 64:6)"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." 

(Jeremiah 17:9)"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" 

(John 3:19)"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." 

(John 8:34)"Jesus answered them, Truly, Truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." 

(Romans 3:10-11)"as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." 

(Romans 3:23)"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," 

So we see that people are not basically good, but basically sinful.  We are all sinners in need of a savior.  Salvation is found in Christ alone.  

(All Scripture quotations from the ESV)

Bestselling Bible Translations (2024)

 Here is a list of the bestselling Bible translations for the year 2024, as compiled by the ECPA.  

1. NIV (New International Version)

2. ESV (English Standard Version)

3. KJV (King James Version)

4. NLT (New Living Translation)

5. NKJV (New King James Version)

6. CSB (Christian Standard Bible) 

7. Reina Valera (A Spanish Version) 

8. NIrV (New International Readers Version)

9. NASB (New American Standard Bible)

10. NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) 

 

The NIV and ESV seem to be the two most popular translations.  Although the KJV is still popular after all these years.  The NLT, NKJV, and CSB seem to be on the second tier of modern translations.  The Reina Valera is a Spanish version.  The NIrV is a version for children.  The NASB and NRSV are also fairly popular.  The LSB, NET, and The Message did not make the top ten.  

The 2025 ESV Bible Update

The ESV (English Standard Version) is being updated once again.  The 2025 edition will now be the fourth update to the ESV since it was first published.  The ESV was published in 2001, with updates in 2007, 2011, 2016, and now 2025.  

The 2025 ESV text edition contains changes to 42 verses.  Most of the changes are minor.  The most significant changes seem to be, Genesis 3:16 and John 1:18.   

If you are not sure which edition of the ESV you have, just look at the copyright page in your Bible.  

For more visit crossway.org

Early New Testament Manuscripts

Here is a list of some of the earliest and most important New Testament manuscripts with a brief description.  

P52 (Around A.D. 110-150), contains a fragment of the Gospel of John

P45 (3rd Century A.D.), contains sections of the Gospels and Acts

P46 (Around A.D. 200), contains most of Paul's epistles and Hebrews

P47 (3rd Century A.D.), contains portion of Revelation 

P66 (Around A.D. 200), contains most of the Gospel of John

P72 (Around A.D. 250), contains 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude

P75 (Around A.D. 200), contains large portions of Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John

Codex Sinaiticus (4th Century A.D.), contains the entire New Testament

Codex Vaticanus (4th Century A.D.), contains most of the New Testament

Codex Alexandrinus (5th Century A.D.), contains most of the New Testament  

Atheism Proves The Existence Of God

The atheist asserts that God does not exist.  When he makes this statement he is making a truth claim.  But in order for truth to exist, God must exist.  If God does not exist there is no such thing as truth.  Therefore when the atheist says God does not exist, he actually proves the existence of God.  

God is the truth, he is the ultimate authority.  If God did not exist there would be no basis for the categories of truth or falsehood.  When an atheist makes a truth claim he is not living consistently within his own belief system.  

A consistent atheist would actually have no basis for anything.  He would be left with absurdity and nonsense.  Without God there would be no ultimate meaning or purpose for anything.  The only consistent response for an atheist to anything that happened would be, so what?  

The atheist cannot live consistently within his own worldview.  He must borrow from the Christian worldview in order to live his life. Atheists must assume the existence of God in order to deny the existence of God.  So atheism actually proves the existence of God.  An atheist cannot escape the fact that he is made in the image of God and must live in God's world.   

The Book Of Revelation Proves Jesus Is God

(Revelation 1:8)"I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (ESV) 

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.  Jesus is referred to as the Lord God, the Almighty.  Christ is divine, eternal, sovereign, and omnipotent.  

(Revelation 21:6)"And he said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment." (ESV) 

Here we have God the Father saying I am the Alpha and the Omega just like God the Son in Revelation 1:8.  God is beyond history, he is eternal.  

(Revelation 22:13)"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (ESV) 

Here we have Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega just like God the Father in Revelation 21:6.  Jesus is the "first and the last" just like Yahweh, the only God in Isaiah 44:6 (see also Revelation 1:17).  

Also in Revelation 5:13-14 both the Father and Son are worshiped.  Only God is worthy of worship.  The Book of Revelation clearly teaches that Jesus is God, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father.   

Psalm 37:4 (In Context)

(Psalm 37:4)"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (ESV)

Some people act as if this verse teaches that God exists to grant your wishes.  So let us look at Psalm 37:4 in context to get the true meaning.  

Psalm 37 was written by David and resembles the Book of Proverbs in many ways.  This Psalm deals with the problem of why the wicked prosper and the righteous struggle.  

Psalm 37:1-2 tells us not to fear or be envious of the ungodly because they will soon fade away.  In Psalm 37:3 we are told to trust the LORD and do good.  

In Psalm 37:4 we are told to delight yourself in the LORD.  If we delight ourselves in the LORD, we will focus on God and not ourselves. Our goal will be to glorify God.  We will focus more on eternal things than on temporal things. Then he will give you the desires of your heart because they are God focused.  

Psalm 37:5-7 tells us to commit, trust, and be still before the LORD.  Psalm 37:9-10 tells us evildoers will be no more but those who wait for the LORD, those who are meek shall inherit the land.  

Psalm 37:28 assures us that the LORD loves justice, he will not forsake his saints.  In Psalm 37:39 we see salvation is from the LORD. 

When we look at Psalm 37:4 in context we see that it is concerned with ultimate outcomes more than the temporal problems of this world. Our focus is to be on God and not on ourselves.