In Ruined Condition

What happened? There are those who say man's problem is his environ- ment, well our first parents had a most perfect environment. When the tempter came (and this is his pattern) the charge against God was that He was sort of a killjoy. He decides what's right and wrong, He is afraid if you start "thinking for yourself" that you will become like Him. And besides "does He really mean what He says."

If you want to "think" apart from God's way, that's fine, but you also must accept the consequences of such action. Man, even many professing Christians have a smorgasbord religion, you know, "pick and choose" that which pleases you. That may be okay for you plate and palate, but not with God. There are consequences. Men are irked by that, for they want the free- dom to choose any way they please, but the want God's benefits or God's Eden, if you please. R.J. Rushdoony used to say: "You can't have the fruits without the roots."

So the first ones who so chose suffered the consequences as did their children and grandchildren right down to this day:

	They lost the benefits of Eden, but not the desire.
	They lost perfect communion with their Maker.
	They lost innocence, and needed a covering.
	They lost a good work for hard work.
	They lost the blessed way, in choosing their way.

We have no intention of covering all the theological, practical or controversial details of this subject. (At the end of this section you will find some articles to refer to.)
We here want to cover the salient issues, admitting that we make a basic Biblical assumption, that does not require a lot of "proving." i.e. MAN IS DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS, HE IS CUT OFF, ESTRANGED FROM GOD, WITHOUT CHRIST AND WITHOUT HOPE. HE IS UNABLE BY HIMSELF TO PLEASE GOD. The Apostle Paul spells this out clearly in Ephesians 2.
Now let us look at his condition as is spelled out clearly in Scripture. "Let God be true and every man a liar," if need be. The Scriptural view is unpopular, even hated, because it shows natural man as both polluted and having no ability if left to himself to correct or change his condition. The two real issues are then:

NATURAL MAN AND HIS CONDITION
NATURAL MAN AND HIS ABILITY and/or INABILITY

Please, please, please CONSIDER (=Look at, gaze at until you comprehend) the following clear Scripture. Will you believe God or the preachers?

Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 2:1 "And you being dead in your sins..."

Obviously, if we are still here walking around, we must have physical life. So Paul must be talking about something else. If we were to say, "Old Joe passed away last week," well that is just a nice way of saying "Joe died." He is not alive in this sphere on earth where he was, his mind is not at work in this sphere. His arms and legs no longer are active and alive. He does not eat physical food or drink water.

Well, when Paul speaks of the natural man, (i.e. you and me in our natural born state) being dead, the same applies in a spiritual sense. We were/or are not alive to the things of God, they have nothing pleasant for us. Our mind does not think God’s thoughts after Him. Our palate does not like the spiritual plate He sets before us. To us in that state spiritual water does not interest us, even though we know we are thirsty for something. Our body does not move in obedience to His word, to the contrary, we find holy actions not to our liking at all.

"The understanding is darkened..." "...Walked according to the course of this world...according to the spirit of the children of disobedience." "All of us had our conduct in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by (our very) nature the children of wrath..." "We have every one turned to his own way." (Note not God’s way) "But we are all as an unclean thing..." "You were in times past not a people...which hath not obtained mercy..." "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness..." "So I gave them up to their own heart’s lust and they walked in their own counsels." (You don’t like my way, the time is coming when I will just let you have your way and you can walk there, and have the consequences thereof.)

"...they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

(Ephesians 4:18; 2:2,3; Isaiah 53:6; 64:6; I Peter 2:10; Romans 1:24; Psalm 81:12; II Thessalonians 2:10-12)

Romans 1 and 3; Ephesians 4 and Psalm 14 cast additional light on natural man's ruined condition.

Now this person God has so described is commanded to "Love the Lord with all his heart, soul and mind." It is commanded by God Himself that he obeys his Creator God. He "must honor the Son, even as they would honor the Father..." He must possess a righteousness that exceeds mere religious observances. (Matthew 5-7) But the question must be asked:

IS HE ABLE ?

This is the core problem of natural man. It is also at the center of theological controversy. If the Bible is our final rule of faith and practice, the Supreme Court of Appeal, we will not have a problem finding the answer to our question.

	Natural man is not just sick in need of a doctor, he is dead in need of life.
	Natural man does not JUST need persuaded, he must be enabled.

Remember the two problems.

Natural man’s condition, does he have the life needed to obey?
His ability, does he have the power to obey?

God’s word is quite straightforward andhonest with man, but man is not interested in being honest with God or himself. Our sinful nature lies to both God and our own hearts. Our corrupt minds twist both God’s image and our own nature as they are revealed in the Scriptures.

HERE IS GOD’S OWN PICTURE

Natural man:

	CANNOT SEE- He needs sight as well as light.
	John 3:3 "Except a man be born again... he cannot see..."
	CANNOT UNDERSTAND- I Corinthians 2:14 cf. II Corinthians 4:4-6
	CANNOT PLEASE GOD- Romans 8:7,8 cf. Hebrews 11:6
	CANNOT CALL Him Lord- I Corinthians 12:3 cf Romans 10:9,10,13
	CANNOT COME TO HIM- John 6:44,65 cf John 5:4

His mind:

Vain, dark, unteachable Ephesians 4:17-19; I Timothy 1:12,13

His heart:

Saturated with himself and a love for his own sin. John 3:19; Jeremiah 17:9

His Will:

Chained to another Master and his own nature. John 5:40; II Timothy 2:24-26

Natural man is:

Not sick and dying, but dead, he is in a STATE, CONDITION of total spiritual inability. Every faculty of his is (not as polluted as it could be) but completely affected, ruined and unable to function of and by itself as His Maker commands.

We will turn next to the question, if this man is DEAD:

HOW DOES A DEAD MAN GET LIFE?

Please Follow The Path to Man in Renewed Condition.

Please e-mail Dr. John C. Shafer for answers to any questions you may have, or requests for study materials.