A NEW NATURE
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Sin is the reason for the season. “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”” We celebrate this joyous season on our calendar because of sin. If sin had not entered the world neither would have the Savior. The greatest rebellion this world has ever seen brought about the world’s greatest response of love the world has ever seen.
These Angelic words, recorded by Matthew, reinforce this reason for the season. We cannot understand fully how magnificent this verse nor this season is apart from its greater context. Christmas was a 4,000-year-old promise. We find this promise of Christmas in
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
History’s worst day led to one of history’s most beloved and celebrated days. So let us today set a right context for this Christmas season so that we might maximize our rejoicing.
We are DEPRAVED.
TOTALLY but not ABSOLUTELY.
First, we do not mean by total depravity that all men and women are as absolutely bad and depraved as they can possibly be. This inherited tendency to sin does not mean that human beings are all as bad as they could be. The constraints of civil law, the expectations of family and society, and the conviction of human conscience (Rom. 2:14–15) all provide restraining influences on the sinful tendencies in our hearts. Therefore, by God’s “common grace” (that is, by his undeserved favor that is given to all human beings), people have been able to do much good in the areas of education, the development of civilization, scientific and technological progress, the development of beauty and skill in the arts, the development of just laws, and general acts of human benevolence and kindness to others.
Spurgeon wrote: “As the salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect every atom of our nature. It is so sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect it, you are deceived.” “The venom of sin is in the very fountain of our being; it has poisoned our heart. It is in the very marrow of our bones and is as natural to us as anything that belongs to us.”
Second, it does not even mean that men and women in their fallen state have no innate knowledge of God.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
They are totally depraved and still have a sense of God within them.
Third, it does not mean that men and women do not have a conscience; therefore, it does not mean that they have no knowledge of good and evil. People in a state of total depravity do have a conscience, and they recognize the difference between good and evil..
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Total depravity does not mean that men and women are incapable of recognizing or admiring virtues.
Finally, by total depravity we do not mean that every unregenerate person will indulge in every form of sin.
‘So then,’ asks someone, ‘what does it mean?’
Well, positively, it means that man in his fallen condition has an inherently corrupt nature, and the corruption extends through every part of his being, to every faculty of his soul and body. It also means that there is no spiritual good in him. Yes, there is plenty of natural good, there is natural morality, he can recognize virtue and so on. But there is no spiritual good whatsoever.
It is not just that some parts of us are sinful and others are pure. Rather, every part of our being is affected by sin—our intellects, our emotions and desires, our hearts (the center of our desires and decision-making processes), our goals and motives, and even our physical bodies. Paul says,
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
and,
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
Moreover, Jeremiah tells us that
In these passages Scripture is not denying that unbelievers can do good in human society in some senses. But it is denying that they can do any spiritual good or be good in terms of a relationship with God. Apart from the work of Christ in our lives, we are like all other unbelievers who are
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
The great characteristic of total depravity is that every unregenerate person, is at enmity (war) against God and God’s holy law. To put it another way, all that person’s powers are misused and perverted. Now let me give you the Scriptures to prove this. The first clear statement of all this is to be found in
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
What an amazing and comprehensive statement; I commend a very careful study of it. Also consider
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
There again is an account of this total depravity— ‘brought forth in iniquity’, ‘conceived in sin’.
I trust that no one is befuddled as to why we are going into all this. The obvious explanation is that no one can have a true or adequate understanding of the scriptural doctrine of salvation, not one of us can appreciate our own salvation truly, unless we realize the nature of the condition, out of which we are to be saved by the gospel. In other words, we must understand the truth about ourselves in sin. We can never really know the love of God until we realize this. The way to measure the height of God’s love is first of all to measure the depth of our own depravity as the result of the fall.
We are DEAD.
Total INABILITY.
Then the second segment of our context is that we are dead meaning we have total inability, and this has reference, obviously, to our spiritual powers. The Bible teaches that man is totally incapable. Again, this does not mean that he cannot perform any natural good. Of course he can. It is obvious. It does not mean that he is incapable of civic good and righteousness, because of course he is, and history is proof. Indeed, it does not even mean that he is not capable of an external kind of religion; he is capable. A man can be very religious and yet we still say of him that he is totally depraved and totally incapable. He is totally incapable in the sense that all his actions are defective, good though they may be in many ways, because they are not prompted by a love of God, and by a concern for the will and glory of God. So though actions may be morally good in and of themselves, they are useless because their motive is not true
“We declare on scriptural authority that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained toward Christ - Spurgeon
When we say that man is totally incapable we mean that he cannot do any act which fundamentally meets with God’s approval, or which meets the demands of God’s law.
as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
All the goodness of the world is as ‘filthy rags’
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
All the goodness of the world is as dung, and refuse, and loss; ultimately it has no value because it cannot win God’s approval or satisfy His law.
By total incapability, we also mean that man cannot change his fundamental preference for sin and self. He cannot change his nature. He cannot get rid of the depravity which I have been defining. I go further. He cannot make even an approach to such a change, to getting rid of it. He can do nothing about his fallen condition and he has no appreciation at all of spiritual truth. I find that stated in
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Read that chapter very carefully and you will find that the apostle’s entire case is that the natural person, this person who is in the condition of flesh, not only cannot change his nature, but also has no understanding or appreciation of spiritual truth.
Why is this? Well Paul answers his own question in the second chapter of Ephesians where he tells us in the first verse that the natural is ‘dead in trespasses and sins’. This is an absolute statement of total inability. Let me give you some other Scriptures. The new person in Christ is described in
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
In
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
The two great effects of original sin depravity and death. Now let’s examine the consequence.
We are DOOMED.
To an eternal SENTENCE.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
To eternal SEPARATION.
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
To eternal SUFFERING.
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
We need a DELIVERER.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
He must DESCEND.
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
He must be DIFFERENT.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
He must DIE.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.