Why do I act the way I do?

A frequent question among people is: "Why do I act the way I do?" Even when we desire to do good, to do the right thing, somehow we end up doing things that are selfish or hurtful to others. Some people seem to only desire what is selfish and hurtful to others. If there is a Creator (and there is), and the Creator made me, then why do I not do things that are inherently good?

Scripture Passages: Psalm 51:5, Eph. 2:3, Rom. 8:8, Rom. 3:22b-23

Main Point: Though every human is made in the image of God, understand that every human also has a sin nature that leads them to act in ways that violate the very image of God imprinted in their soul.

Outline:
1. All are born with a sinful nature resulting in the conscious choice of sin over righteousness.
2. The sinful nature is selfish at its core bringing God's wrath and condemnation.
3. The sinful nature does not and can not submit to God making it impossible to earn God's favor.
4. The sinful nature brings death but Jesus Christ brings life.

1. All are born with a sinful nature resulting in the conscious choice of sin over righteousness.

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Psa. 51:5 NIV)

From the time of Adam to the present, each human has been born with a sinful nature. From the time of Adam and Eve, parents have observed their children, even babies, consciously choosing sin. Which parent ever passed on to their baby the desire for more milk at 3am when they just finished the 2am feeding? Which parent ever taught one of their children to say with utter defiance, "NO!"? Which parent ever purposely taught their children NOT to share their toys?

Romans 3:22b-23 says, "There is no difference--for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (NIV). No one can honestly say, "I have no sin!" for "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). We may try valiantly to "be good" and live a moral, decent life but the truth is obvious. As it is written:

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10-18, NIV)

From the moment of conception¹, every human being is born with a nature that desires what is sinful. That sin nature or predisposition toward sin is apparent in the unrighteous choices you and I make every day.

2. The sinful nature is selfish at its core bringing God's wrath and condemnation.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Eph 2:3 NIV)

People are much better today than they used to be. Really, the newspapers report of the wrong choices people occasionally make -- you know, everybody makes mistakes. But sin? Only religious people sin -- everyone else makes wrong choices. But twenty years ago people were sinners because it was generally true that people knew what was wrong and did it anyway. Our culture has tried to gloss over with ambiguous words what God calls sin. It is black. It is darkness. It results in God's wrath. He gets angry over sin.

I was returning to my car in a downtown parking lot one night. As I shuffled down the concrete stairs I noticed a man in an overcoat facing the corner. I smiled and passed by. Then I gasped at a malodorous sight -- the man, obviously drunk, was urinating in public. My smile faded quickly as disgust arose in my heart. His sin, that is what it is called, made him an object of wrath and condemnation. When we sin, we bring wrath and condemnation on ourselves.

Whether you choose to admit it or not, every human being craves sin.² That is why we know the sin nature has so much power inside each of us. The sin we crave is the sin that brings God's wrath and condemnation. There is no getting around that fact. Our Creator God condemns sin.

3. The sinful nature does not and can not submit to God making it impossible to earn God's favor.

The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Rom. 8:7 NIV)

Many people when asked, "Suppose you were standing before God right now and He said to you, 'Why should I let you into My heaven?' What do you think you will say to Him?" will respond with a muttering, "I've tried to do good..." There response to God's question of their righteousness is merely a faint appeal to the little good they have judged of themselves. God has declared that heaven is the home of righteousness where nothing impure will enter its gates. Perhaps these people think God will grade on a curve?

Jesus said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?... You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Mat. 7:3,5 NIV). The problem with having a sinful nature is that a person is so corrupt that he cannot make right judgments about his own choices. In self-examination, the sinful nature passes judgment on others while ignoring its obvious sin. The sin nature also has great power in you and over you.³

This is why the Bible says in our sinful nature, we cannot please God. It is impossible for us to earn, buy, beg, or steal God's favor. We are objects of wrath because of our sin and, apart from God's grace, we are stuck with it.

4. The sinful nature brings death but Jesus Christ brings life.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23 NIV)

We can choose to live selfishly. We can choose to live without God's guidance and direction. We can choose to be ungrateful for all the blessings brought our way by God. We can reject the knowledge of God's existence. We can despise His authority and right to establish righteous standards. We can choose to gratify our lustful wants and ignore the needs of those around us. We can do all these things. But all of these things lead to death -- physical death and permanent separation from the love of God forever.⁴

Thank God He knew our real condition and the hopelessness therein. He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, that we might have eternal life. Though we cannot live the perfect life, Jesus lived it in our place. Though we cannot offer an acceptable sacrifice to God for our sins, Jesus freely offered His perfect life as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Though we choose to sin which brings death, right now we can choose Jesus Christ which brings forgiveness of sin and eternal life to all who call on His name. Though the sin we all chose brings death and hell as our destiny, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and because He lives, we can live.

"Repent, then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the LORD (Acts 3:19 NIV)." Turn to God through faith in the LORD Jesus Christ and away from your sin. Step out of the darkness of sin into the light of life found only in Jesus Christ!

(See also the message How You Can Be Sure of Heaven).

End Notes

English definitions derived from The American Heritager Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright c 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from InfoSoft International, Inc. All rights reserved. Greek/Hebrew definitions derived from Strong's Greek/Hebrew Concordance.

¹ Psalm 51:5: conceived

English: 1. To become pregnant with (offspring).
Hebrew: 3179. yacham, yaw-kham'; a prim. root; prob. to be hot; fig. to conceive:--get heat, be hot, conceive, be warm.
Analysis: Clearly the figurative use of "yacham" must be taken for this verse to make any sense. It points to the time of conception when the mother becomes pregnant. Practically, it means that David knew He had a sin nature from the moment of conception.

² Ephesians 2:3: cravings

English: A consuming desire; a yearning.
Greek: 2307. thelema, thel'-ay-mah; from the prol. form of G2309; a determination (prop. the thing), i.e. (act.) choice (spec. purpose, decree; abstr. volition) or (pass.) inclination:--desire, pleasure, will.
Analysis: Cravings appears to indicate a willing desire that has great strength.

³ Romans 8:7: controlled

English: Several different meanings for this word: 1. To exercise authoritative or dominating influence over; direct. 2. To hold in restraint; check: struggled to control my temper; regulations intended to control prices.
Greek: No Greek word directly translates into "controlled." The NIV translators felt this is the meaning conveyed by this verse.
Analysis: KJV translates it "in the flesh" and NIV "controlled by the sinful nature. The point is that the person is not living according to the leading of the Holy Spirit but rather according to the demands and desires of the flesh.

⁴ Romans 6:23: death

English: Several different meanings for this word: 1. The act of dying; termination of life, 2. The state of being dead, 3. The cause of dying: Drugs were the death of him, 4. A manner of dying: a heroine's death.
Greek: 2288. thanatos, than'-at-os; from G2348; (prop. an adj. used as a noun) death (lit. or fig.):-- X deadly, (be . . .) death.
Analysis: The English word means the end of life. However, the Bible nowhere indicates that death results in annihilation. Rather, there are many instances of people whose physical body died but were later seen or discussed in spirit or in a glorified state (Elijah, Samuel, Moses, Paul for example). So death in Romans 6:23 cannot mean annihilation of life but either physical cessation of life or spiritual cessation of life. Since the Bible clearly teaches that the spirit lives on either for reward or punishment, then this verse could literally be talking about the physical aspect of death. Earlier, in verse 4, death is used in conjunction with the resurrection of Christ, surely a reference to physical death. Again in verses 5, 9, and 10 it contrasts death to resurrection. Verse 16 contrasts death with righteousness (sin leads to death but obedience to righteousness). Verse 21 refers to shameful acts of the sinner which lead to death, an obvious reference to physical death. Then, verse 23 states the wages of sin is death contrasted with eternal life. I believe this verse, then, is speaking of physical death. I also accept a figurative use of the word indicating spiritual separation from God though I do not believe it to be the primary meaning.