Man’s Biggest Problem

by Maurice Pujol
Published February 1, 2006

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. . . (Romans 3:23)

Let’s get back to the basics.

When Freudian psychoanalysis became all the rage a century ago, a cultural shift began to take place. Our society’s movers and shakers decided all our problems could be solved if people would only shed their inhibitions and “get in touch” with themselves.

It took a while for this to filter down from the ivory towers of the intellectual elite, but this notion began to find its way into popular culture after World War II. The “counterculture” which emerged in the 1960s was the natural result of this trend. The cultural shift that began with Freud went into high gear during the “love generation.”

A popular assumption during this era was that human beings would evolve into some sort of higher form by casting off their repressions. Of course, this called for “free love,” the use of various drugs and the general rejection of anything that smacked of tradition.

Over the past four decades, we have seen the bitter results of this movement. Divorce, alcoholism, addiction and irresponsible parents have destroyed families, even though the counterculture was supposed to be the antidote to the dysfunctional family. Young students have gone on shooting rampages around the country, though the counterculture was supposed to spread the message of “peace and love.” Drug addiction is at an all-time high (no pun intended), directly contributing to the rise in violent crimes, even in the smallest of communities.

The number of aborted babies over the past three decades is now estimated at 47 million, but there are groups today that have dedicated their lives to seeing that animals get treated well and the habitats of various insects aren’t disturbed.

The new “higher” form of human beings, promised by the radical leaders of the ‘60s, have not emerged. In fact, the evidence points in the opposite direction.

What’s the problem here?

I recall quite vividly a guest appearance by Billy Graham about 10 years ago on Larry King Live. The veteran talk show host posed a philosophical question to the venerable evangelist: “What do you think is the biggest problem mankind faces today?”

Rev. Graham replied, without hesitation, “It’s the same problem man has always faced. . .s-i-n, sin.”

King was briefly at a loss for words, hesitating somewhat until he was able to continue the interview. He was probably expecting some deep philosophical observation or perhaps a comment about some “hot button” issue of the day. He was obviously not ready for such a straightforward answer.

Of course, Graham went on to explain the Biblical view of human nature and the human condition. Man is born with a fallen nature. Left to his “natural” inclinations, man will be selfish, petty, sinful and often violent. Human nature is in dire need of reconstruction, not just repair. A cosmetic renovation won’t do; there’s something basically wrong in the heart of every human being.

Though Dr. Freud is no longer with us, we still have voices teaching that man can solve his own problems by just getting things “off his chest” – Dr. Phil, for example.

God’s Word offers the only solution to this problem that has ever worked. Every philosophy, theology or cultural movement throughout history which assumed the innate “goodness” of humanity as its basis has failed miserably. Communism fell apart for the same reason the counterculture crashed. Lives of the 17th century Romantics ended badly for the same reason the “enlightened” rational leaders of the 18th century French Revolution chopped off a lot of heads. People just tend to do bad things when left in their “natural” state.

The road to salvation as laid out in the Bible begins with this basic truth. In order to be saved, a person must recognize his or her need for a Savior. A sinner must, first of all, admit his or her sin for repentance to be made possible. No one is naturally good or automatically holy.

God’s Word also tears down the assumption that “being good” means minding your own business and never hurting anyone else. The “Roman Road” to salvation begins with the bare, unequivocal statement: All men are sinners.

Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. Though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus (Romans 6:23). Even though we’re all sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8).

So, how do we get from death to life? How do we get past being “merely” human? Next step is to profess faith in Jesus as Lord and to believe that He is, in fact, raised from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). This offer of salvation is open to anyone who will repent and believe (Romans 10:13).

This age-old solution to the human condition works. It has worked in the lives of millions of individuals for the past 20 centuries, and it’s working anew in the lives of the thousands around the world who are accepting Jesus daily.

Something miraculous happens when a person recognizes his or her own sinfulness and asks for God’s help to overcome it. The traditional word used for this process is “regeneration,” which is popularly called being “born again.” It really means being born “from above,” raised to a higher level of existence than man in his natural state.

This is the only solution to what Rev. Graham called man’s biggest problem. When all else fails, try this one.

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