Human Nature: The One Thing That Hasn't Changed
A song by an 80s band reminds us of a universal truth in the Bible. Depeche Mode sang the universally true lyrics, “People are people . . .”
A song by an 80s band reminds us of a universal truth in the Bible. Depeche Mode sang the universally true lyrics, “People are people . . .”
The Bible phrased it a bit differently. Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us there is nothing new under the sun. Romans 15:4 tells us that what was written before is for our learning.
In the book of Genesis, Abram (later known as Abraham) tells the ruler that Sarai is his wife. The first time. Yeah, spoiler alert, that means it happens more than once.
Which, of course, reminds us that even now, with a complete Bible and thousands of examples “for our learning,” people and their failings are still going strong. We tend to armchair quarterback, but as in the episodes The Cycle and Sin, we haven’t changed much since the time Genesis was recorded.
We’re human, and we fail at times. Yet, knowing we’d mess up, God still sent his Son to redeem us. You’d never know how badly we botch things up by reading Hebrews 11:7-39, the “Hall of Faith.” This chapter is full of extraordinary deeds by ordinary people, yet through the might of an almighty God. For most of the people listed by name, you can probably name a narrative where they sinned as well.
But the Bible doesn’t leave their stories there, nor does He leave ours.
We aren’t perfect, but that is precisely why God sent his Son, and why these accounts were left for us to learn from. Imperfect people serving a perfect God. That’s his cast of characters then and now. The overarching theme is that our sins can be forgiven and we can be useful to the kingdom.
Who’s your favorite regular person in the Bible and why? Chime in below.
