Thus Is Human Nature

Introduction
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III begins that God created man in His image in righteousness, virtue, mind, will, and spirit, yet created him limited and free; freedom allows man to keep goodness or to forfeit it.

Freedom and Choice
Man is free and therefore may incline toward good or toward evil; if he were not free the meaning of reward and punishment would vanish. Freedom makes human nature subject to choice and responsibility.

Changeability in Human Nature
Human nature is not fixed: it can lean to good at times and to evil at other times. Many examples in the Holy Bible (Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, etc.) show that from the same origin there can be good and evil.

Biblical Examples Showing Change
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III reviews examples: Mary the Egyptian who fell and then repented and became a saint; Aaron with his prophetic role then his fear and the golden calf; Solomon the wise who fell into lusts; David the psalmist who sinned and repented; Elijah the brave who feared then returned strong. These examples show that people are not a single unchanging pattern but go through periods of strength and weakness.

The Difference Between the Righteous and the Wicked
The difference is that righteousness is the fundamental basis in the life of the righteous, while evil is the basis in the life of the wicked. Yet both may undergo periods of falling or rising; what matters is the fundamental basis used to judge the person.

Role of Grace and the Holy Spirit
If a person loves goodness, the elements of grace intervene: the Holy Spirit, angels, and saints change his dispositions and strengthen him. Grace fixes the righteous and prevents continual falling.

Practical Teaching for Dealing with Others
The Holy Bible gives us a realistic human model — not idealized examples without weakness. Therefore we must not gloat at another’s fall, but remember that we might be in their place, and treat the humbled and the bound with mercy.

Educational Spiritual Conclusion
When studying biblical characters we must see them as human: understand their weaknesses and strengths, learn when to be silent and when to speak, when to be patient and when to act with holy zeal, and how repentance and grace can turn a fallen person into a saint.

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