“Human nature” is a term that can have a casual meaning in any number of conversations. I recently listened to a discussion with an academic professional who made the statement that “anyone who failed to understand that human nature was evil would never understand the lessons of history.” From the perspective of Orthodox theology – he had said something profoundly untrue – and, I would argue, it skewed his reading of history.
What is human nature?
Human nature has a casual meaning: “what are people basically like?” But in the language of the Church, a “nature” is something quite specific with a theological meaning. It is a phrase that is deeply important.
A “nature” is the very “essence” (ousia) of a thing. It is the answer to the question: “What is it?” In the teaching of the Church we do not describe human nature as evil, or even sinful. Indeed, our nature was created good, and it remains so. The nature of all created things is good. Surprisingly, even the demons were created with a “good” nature. Today, they may very well hate their own nature, even as they hate their own existence (and the existence of all things). We could very well say that the demons have made themselves enemies to all created natures, including their own. But that terrible choice is a rebellion – they are in rebellion against their own angelic nature.
Of course, we speak of human beings as “fallen.” However, in Orthodox teaching, this does not refer to our nature itself. Rather, it refers to the fact that we have been made subject to death – we are mortal. It is “death at work in us” that we describe as “sin.” But the origin of sin is not found in our nature. Our nature is inherently good. Understanding this makes a huge difference when we think about human relationships and the character of our common life.
If you take the view (which is common in certain corners of Western Christianity) that human beings have a “sin nature” – that we are, in fact, essentially bad – then how we view one another and the character of our common life takes on a different caste. In an Orthodox understanding, a Bible verse such as, “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” can mean little more than “children need discipline in their lives to help them”. Whereas in a world in which human nature is held to be a “sin nature,” then “sparing the rod,” would be seen as letting evil run amok. It would hold that our nature not only needs to be restrained but requires a vigorous regime of reward and punishment. It has not been that long since the notion of “beating the evil out of a child” was common.
Human Beings are by Nature Good
When we speak of our nature as “good,” we are not declaring that human beings are born as saints. Rather, we are saying that our nature (“what we are”) tends towards the good, desires the good. We desire beauty. We desire well-being. We desire truth. Even when we engage in evil actions, they are most often grounded in a misperception of the good. Dictators do not come to power by asking people to be evil – they come to power by distorting the image of the good.
Recognizing that there is an inherent drive towards the good suggests not that the world is perfect, but that we are not “swimming against the current” when we nurture children towards the good, the true, and the beautiful. By nature, it is what they desire.
The lessons of human history are revelatory of our nature. Were we inherently sinful (evil by nature), we would have long ago destroyed ourselves in a whirlpool of madness and destruction. Though it is quite true that history has seen terrible things done (wars, persecutions, etc.), it is still the case that human beings continue to push back against these terrible things. We are not born hating and killing – it is acquired, despite our nature.
Every child born pushes against the evil and yearns for the good. The innocence of each child points to the clear teaching of the Church. Christ rails in the strongest possible terms against those who cause a child to stumble – the stumbling is not the work of our nature but of a will that has turned aside from its nature. The greater understanding which we should rightly take from all of this is that our nature is for us. The universe is not stacked against us; God is for us; the goodness of all creation is for us. We are not living in a world of moral cripples.
The Social Nature of Human Beings
Human beings also have a “social” nature. We are created to live in community, though the shape and form of that reality has changed across the ages. Beyond all else, ours is a nature that is rooted in love, reflecting the nature of God, Whose image we are. When that love is made manifest in the world we see humanity at its truly greatest. When that love is distorted, misdirected, or hidden by abuse and cruelty, we see humanity at the very abyss of evil. At such moments it is hard not to despair.
Christ gave us the Church – a communion of our common human nature united with His divine nature – commanding us to love one another even as He loves us. Only in such a social setting can the fullness of our humanity be revealed.
It is in our social nature that our greatest failures are made manifest. At its worst, the collective overwhelms and subsumes the individual and the atrocities of mass behavior take over. This phenomenon is the fuel of many of the most cruel acts in history. When the individual is subsumed, “no one is responsible,” and the truth and value of personhood are suppressed. This is why the life of the Church has many of the structures that Christ, in the Holy Spirit, has given to her. Christ’s words to the Apostles are filled with cautions to “rule” only as servants, to be “washers of feet.” The entire sacramental life of the Church, with its discipline of worship, confession, repentance, communion, and service, are given as a means of living a life that is in accord with our true nature.
I think that one answer to the question, “Why are you Orthodox?” would be, “Because anything less would be insufficient.” Or, perhaps, “I need all the help I can get.”
You are created good. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are loved.
Give thanks for all things.
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Addendum (with thanks to Andrew). I is of note that the Bible verse: Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is exceedingly wicked and deceitful above all things, who can know it?” which is commonly cited in many Western circles as support for the teaching of “original sin” as “total depravity,” reads quite different in the Septuagint (Greek translation) of the Old Testament – the version that is most commonly quoted in the New Testament and used by the Fathers of the Eastern Church. That version reads “The heart is deep beyond all things and it is a man, who can know him?” (βαθεῖα ἡ καρδία παρὰ πάντα, καὶ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν· καὶ τίς γνώσεται αὐτόν) St. Irenaeus not only quotes the verse (from the Septuagint) but interprets as referring to Christ!
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