As I was reading this article by American Thinker writer James Lewis, regarding the idea that humans are naturally violent, my mind immediately thought of what Solomon recorded in Ecclesiastes 7:29 NET, when he stated:"This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes."
Then I reasoned, if humans are "naturally violent" and "God made humankind upright" — then how can you possibly reconcile these two opposing statements? The answer is, you can't. Either God and His word are right, or Mr. Lewis is incorrect in his assessment of humankind (note that in his article, Mr. Lewis does not quote anything at all from the Bible).
As humans, if we are created in God's image (Genesis 1:27) and God is "good" (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19), how in the world are humans "naturally" violent? Would they not be "unaturally" violent if they were violators of God's law? (1 John 3:4-5).
God has given humankind the ability and power to "choose" whether or not to be violent or non-violent — to obey God or not to obey God (Joshua 24:14-15; 1 Samuel 15; cf. Romans 6:16-18 NASB). James tells us that quarrels, conflicts, and murders originate from wrong motives in the thought processes of man, caused by trying to fulfill selfish lusts, or pleasures (1 John 2:15-16). The solution to man's tendency toward violence is provided in the latter part of the very next verse ..... "he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17).
Beloved, when we align our wills with God's will (Luke 22:41-42), violence will cease and our love for humankind (John 13:34) will then become a reality (Note the phrase "reason together" in Isaiah 1:18 along with the rest of the context in Isaiah 1:16-20 NASB).
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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