Perhaps the most fundamental question for any person is “Who am I?” Am I an evil, debased creature, full of sin? That is certainly what many voices inside (and out) scream at us. And there is evidence to support it. We are prone to selfishness and have terrible thoughts.
But the Bible tells us we are a new creation in Christ, made to walk in good works that Jesus prepared. It also teaches that all humans are made in the image of God, created for relationship and community with the Divine.
So which is it? Are we bad creatures tempted by grace or good creatures tempted by sin? The answer is that we are both, and neither. There is a third option and it is the truth.
The third role in the drama of life is the prime actor in the play. The role of the chooser. There is evil and there is good; both exist. Both are swirling within us. Both are a part of who we are. But The Chooser selects which one gets to act within the circumstances with which we are presented.
Perhaps one of the reasons we struggle with perspective is because we have failed to accurately cast ourselves in the cosmic play.
We make choices each day about how to engage with others and with our surroundings. We can choose to follow the spirit, leading to life. Or we can choose the flesh, which leads to separation (death).