MANKIND’S NATURAL
CONDITION
Sinful. In general, the underlying idea of sin is that of law and a lawgiver.
The lawgiver is God. Hence, sin is everything in the disposition and purpose
and conduct of God’s moral creatures that is contrary to the expressed will of
God (Rom.
There
are nine different Greek words in the New Testament which present sin in its
various aspects.
“hamartia” –
means missing the divinely appointed goal or mark; a deviation from what is
pleasing to God; doing what is opposed to God’s will; perversion of what is
upright; a misdeed; a missing of the goal conformable to and fixed by God
(i.e., Rom. 3:9; 6:6).
“hamartema” – an act of disobedience to a Divine law (i.e.,
Rom.
“parakoe” – a failing to hear; a hearing amiss; active
disobedience which follows on this inattentive or careless hearing, being superinduced upon the word. The sin is already committed in
the failing to listen when God is speaking; inattentiveness or disobedience to
a voice (i.e., Acts
“anomia” – the non-observance of a law; contempt or
violation of the law; lawlessness; one who acts contrary to law (i.e.,
“paranomia” – refers to the act of one going beyond the
limits which the law lays down (2 Pet.
“parabasis” – to step on one side; violate; the over-passing
or transgressing of a line; breaking of a law (i.e., Rom.
“paraptoma” – a lapse or deviation from truth and
uprightness; the falling alongside where one should have stood upright. A sin
which is not on the person’s part a conscious disobedience of the will of God,
but an unintentional one committed through the inability to prevent it entering
the life (i.e., Rom. 4:25; Gal. 6:1).
“agnoema” – to sin through ignorance; the doing through
ignorance of something wrong which one should have known about (Heb.
“hettema” – coming short of one’s duty; a fault; defeat;
or failure (i.e., Rom.
There are various Hebrew words in the Old Testament which present sin in
its various aspects.
“asham” – guilt; guilt offering (i.e., Prov. 14:9; Isa.
53:10).
“ashmal” – guilt; guilt offering (i.e., Lev. 4:3; Psa.
69:5).
“chet” – error; failure (i.e., Lev.
“chataah” – sin (i.e., Gen. 20:9; Psa. 32:1).
“chattaah” – sin (i.e., Ex. 34:7; Isa. 5:18).
“chattath” – sin; sin offering (i.e., Gen. 4:7; Psa. 25:7).
“chatai” – sin (i.e., Dan. 4:27).
“avon” – iniquity; wickedness; lawlessness; unjust
(i.e., 1 Kings
“pesha” – trespass; transgression or the violation of
that which God’s glory demands of us and is; therefore, in its essence the
contradiction of God (i.e., Prov.
“Original sin” is a term used to denote the effect of Adam’s sin in the
garden upon the moral life of his descendants (mankind). It is held that the
sin of Adam was immediately imputed to the whole human family, so that not only
is the whole human race depraved, but also actually guilty on account of this
first sin. Adam was not only the natural, but also the representative or
federal head of the human race. When Adam sinned, all of mankind was sinning in
him (Rom.
Gen. 1:27, 31 What did God say about His creation
of mankind as well as the other things?
Gen. 3:1-13 What did Adam and Eve do
that caused them to realize their nakedness and to hide from God?
What
did God ask them (vs. 11)?
What
was their response (vss. 12, 13)?
Do
you ever pass the blame when you sin (disobey God)? Why?
How
does that affect you? Why?
Gen. 6:5 After the civilization of mankind
had grown and had become established, what did God see?
What
did God think about the idea that mankind given enough time (since Adam) would
become progressively better?
And
how much of the intents of mankind’s thought-life (“heart” means “mind”) was
evil?
How
is your thought-life doing, and why?
Gen. 8:21 The intent
(inclination, thoughts, and desire) of the mind (heart) of mankind is evil from
when?
[“youth” or childhood is the Hebrew word “neurim”, which is the plural and expresses a state or condition; from the very time when mankind begins to act with consciousness. It is innate in mankind; it’s bred in his bone, he brought it into the world with him].
From what time in your life did you start to think evilly, and why?
Eccles.
[“devices” are sins”].
Do
you ever seek ways to become independent, or free from God, in order to gratify
your own desires, and why?
Psa. 51:5 How does the Psalmist
say that he was brought (born) into this world?
Or,
in what condition did his mother conceive him?
How
do you think you were brought (born) into this world, and why?
Isa. 53:6 In what way is
mankind compared to sheep?
Have
you ever gone your own way in life, trying to be independent from God? Why?
Isa. 64:6 To what has all of
mankind become like?
[“unclean” – legally unclean as a person overspread with a
leprosy and was shut out of the camp].
To
what does God compare all of mankind’s righteous deeds?
[“filthy garment” –
literally, an odious menstruous rag].
Psa. 58:3 From when do these
who speak lies go astray?
And
from where or when are the wicked estranged/removed?
Jer. 17:9 How does God view the
heart of mankind?
[The “heart”
is the innermost center of the natural condition of mankind. It knows – Prov.
Do you think that your heart was or is any better? Why?
Matt. 23:13-39 What
did Jesus say about the Jewish religious leaders of His day and even those
before His day?
Do
you think that the religious leaders of our day are any different? Why?
Matt. 12:24, 34, 35 What
question does Jesus ask the Pharisees (the Jewish religious leaders), who He
calls a brood of vipers?
And
how does Jesus answer His own question?
[From this, we
see that our flesh or sin nature is incapable of doing good
in terms of speaking anything good, with unselfish motives, if a person has
an evil heart, which we do.].
Did
you ever or do you still think that a non-Christian can ever say anything good
(since all a non-Christian has is an evil heart)?
Why?
And
what can’t those who are in the flesh do?
[From this, we see that our flesh or sin
nature is incapable of doing good or pleasing God.].
Did
you ever or do you still think that a non-Christian can do anything good or
please God? Why?
How
many people understand or seek for God? How
many people do good?
[From this, we again see that no one in their
natural state or condition as a non-Christian does any good.].
Did
you ever or do you still think that a non-Christian could in and of himself be
righteous or do good or seek for God?
Why?
Rom.
Would
you have said this about yourself, if you had Paul’s status in the religious
world? Why?
Jn.
[The word “hear” – “akouo” – is the Greek word, when used in the accusative case, means “understand”. This idea is seen in Matt. 13:1-3, 13, 14.].
1 Cor.
Why?
What
is one thing that is of the Spirit of God (2 Pet.
[Since
“goodness” is one of the things of the Spirit (Gal.
Did you ever or do you still believe that the non-Christian can understand or think good? Why?
Matt. 11:25-27;
Because God and
Jesus are good (Lk.
Did you truly know God or Jesus before He revealed Himself to you? How? Why?
Jn.
2
Thes.
Who chose who first?
How do you know?
[Since both salvation and Christ are good, we couldn’t
even chose either, were it not for God first choosing us – Jn. 3:3, 27; 1:12,
13.].
Did you ever or do you still think that you chose Christ as your personal Savior in order to have salvation before He first chose you and even gave you your very faith to believe in Him (Eph. 2:8, “faith” is God’s gift too)? Why?
If you did or still do, read John 6:44, 65. Now what do you think?
Gal. 5:19-21 What is the product of the flesh (the sinful, human nature)?
And what does God forewarn those who practice these things?
Is this what your human nature is producing? Why?
Matt. 15:18, 19; Mk. 7:21-23 What comes out of both the natural person’s heart and mouth?
Do these things ever come out of your heart or mouth? Why?
Matt. 7:15-20 What does a rotten tree bear?
What can’t a rotten tree produce?
[After studying all of the above passages it
should be clear by now that our human, natural natures can not think, say, do,
choose, or understand anything that is good, because it is incapable of doing
so.].
Eph. 2:1-3 What are all people by nature?
How does the child of wrath (non-Christian) live?
Is this how you lived or still live? Why?
James 2:10, 11 What does God say about the so-called “good, moral person”, who keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point?
Why do you think that this would be the case?
[The “Law” is an expression of the will of God rather than a series of isolated commands. When a person breaks one point, he is breaking the will of God. The will of God is not fragmented, but rather a whole and is directed by love. To break any law would make me a lawbreaker.].
[We see then, that the primitive heathen as well
as the moral person, who doesn’t have or know the Law, both stand as condemned
as those who have God’s Law or have heard the gospel, but have yet rejected
it.].
Did you ever do things that you felt were wrong, before you even knew that the Bible said that they were wrong? Why?
Eph. 4:17-19 Why are people excluded from the life of God?
What had they given themselves over to, and why?
Have you ever done this? Why?
1 Jn. 1:8 How is the person who says that he has not sinned described?
Have you ever thought that you’ve “arrived” and don’t have any sin? Why?
Jn. 3:19, 20 Why do people love darkness?
Have you ever felt this way? Why?
Jn. 7:7 Why does the world (the people in it) hate Jesus?
Does the world hate you? Why?
Define or illustrate what
sin is according to the following verses:
Rom.
1 Jn. 3:4
James 4:17
James 1:14, 15
1 Jn. 3:15
Matt. 5:27, 28
Matt. 5:22
List what the results or
effects of sin are according to the following verses:
Rom.
Rev. 20:14, 15
Matt. 25:41-46
Matt. 13:41, 42
Lk. 16:19-31
John 8:34
Isa. 59:2