The question of the moral nature of man at birth has been long debated. There are essentially three options: man is born either morally good, morally evil, or morally neutral.
The view that man is morally good assumes that mankind is born with a bias to “good.” Moral goodness is expressed by traits that would be commonly viewed as selfless, such as kindness, compassion, loyalty, dependability, trustworthiness, truthfulness, and self-sacrifice. This view assumes that any corruption of man’s nature is the result of influences outside man.
The view that man is morally evil assumes that mankind is born with a bias to “evil.” Evil is the opposite of good and is expressed by narcissistic traits, such as selfishness, self-centeredness, and self-service. This view assumes that man’s default nature is evil; though, through common grace, man can display some traits of moral goodness.
The view that man is morally neutral assumes that mankind is born without bias to either “good” or “evil.” Consequently, the choice of good or evil is freely made by each person. This view is expressed by the Latin phrase tabula rasa, which means “blank slate.” The blank slate idea can be traced to Aristotle but was popularized in the eighteenth-century Enlightenment by proponents seeking to free the culture from Christian influence.
Though there are professing Christians who hold each of these positions, the apostle Paul argued compellingly (Romans 1–3) the position that man is born morally evil as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve. Historically, venerated church leaders such as Augustine, Calvin, and Luther have held the Pauline position, which is considered by most to be the orthodox position.
Further support for the view that mankind is born with a bias to evil can be found in texts such as the one above, written regarding Paul ’s visit to Athens in the first century. Paul encountered philosophers who were seemingly open to all kinds of metaphysical ideas (Acts 17:21) but showed prejudice against Christ. This was expressed by their description of Paul as a “babbler.” This pejorative term implied that Paul plagiarized ideas even though Paul’s critics acknowledged the uniqueness of his thoughts when they stated, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” The response of the pluralistic intellectual elite reflected a bias against Christ. Therefore they sought to discredit Christ by discrediting Paul. This bias is consistent with the position that man is born morally “evil."
The reality of man’s nature being morally evil is not simply a metaphysical issue. It is a very practical reality. For example, given that mankind has, from birth, a bias to evil, how does one build an organization that seeks to selflessly serve customers and clients with workers who are, by nature, selfish? The only credible answer is that the workers must be transformed. From a Christian worldview, the only efficacious transforming power is through Christ.
Here is your business tip. Given the Christian view that all humans are born morally evil and have only limited ability for moral goodness based on common grace, management must seek to develop workers who have been and are being redeemed from their moral depravity by Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. These workers are difficult to find. Therefore it is incumbent upon management to develop an organizational culture that helps workers come to a saving knowledge of Christ and mature in this knowledge. Such workers will be empowered—beyond common grace—by the Holy Spirit to increasingly overcome evil as evidenced by progressively improving alignment with the will and ways of Christ. Organizations with such workers function selflessly to serve customers and clients.
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