At heart we are not good people who occasionally happen to mistake into sin. No, at heart we are sinners, and it is this that explains why sin is attractive to us. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. This does not fit well with our contemporary pursuit of high self-esteem and “feel good about yourself” theology. But it is what Jesus taught, and it is very insightful.

Augustine once reminisced on an earlier act of theft he had committed. While walking home one day he sneaked into a neighbor’s yard and stole a pear. Now looking back on the event he began to wonder why he did it. Why would he steal his neighbor’s pear? It was not because he was all that hungry. It was not because he did not have pears of his own. Nor was it because his neighbor’s pears were any better than the pears grown in his own yard. His own pears were every bit as good, and they were plentiful. Nor did he feel any need to “get even” with his neighbor — there had been no offense. So then why did he steal the pear from his neighbor?

Out of the Heart

As he reflected on it, the only explanation that really seemed to fit was that there was something about him that was very wrong. At his very heart, he concluded, he must be evil.

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