renders all sinners
subject to God’s wrath and condemnation (Genesis
1:26-27; Psalms 8:5-8; Genesis 1:31). Man was created in
the image of God, and he was righteous and holy. Man was
the crown of God’s creation (Genesis 2:1 5-17; 3:1 -6;
Romans 5:17,19; Psalms 51:1-5). Through voluntary
disobedience and transgression, fell into the depths of
sin. In consequence of this, everyone born through our
first parents, (Adam and Eve) became sinners, shapened
in iniquity and utterly void of the holiness of God.
Every man totally inclined to evil. (Psalms 51:1-5;
Romans 3:10-18,23; Romans 7:14-21; John 3:18,36; Romans
5:12-17; Job 14:4; Isaiah 48:8). As a result of the fall
of man, (Adam and Eve) all men born through man and
woman became sinners through inheritance. By inheriting
the nature of sin, man became depraved. There is nothing
in the natural man that has not been affected by the
power of sin.The entire nature of man, mentally,
physically, morally and spiritually has been affected by
sin. The testimony of the scriptures is that the image
of God in man has been seriously marred by this great
fall. As a result of the fall, and the nature of sin
inherited, man became separated from God, totally
alienated from the perfect, holy and pure God. This
separation is the cause of the beginning of sorrow,
shame, fear, heartaches and manifold problems
spiritually and mentally. Man became a transgressor and
debtor to God (Romans 1:32; 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4; Hebrews
9 :27). All these have brought man under the wrath and
condemnation of God, for the soul that sinneth it shall
die. There is nothing we can do for ourselves to commend
us to a righteous and holy God. There is nothing the
natural man (fallen away from grace) can offer to
appease God for man to escape the righteous judgment of
God.The Bible describes the fallen nature
of man in various terms. Jesus Christ referred to
sinners outside the kingdom of God as Swine and Dogs.
Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their
feet, and turn again and rend you (Matthew 7:6; mark
7:25-28). He also referred to them as goats (Matthew
25:33) Paul in his epistle to the Philippians church
warned them to beware of evil workers as dogs
(Philippians 3:2).Also in his epistle to the Romans, Paul
referred to the fallen nature of man as There is none
righteous no, not one, they are together become
unprofitable, their throat is an open sepulcher, whose
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness - for all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans
3:10-18,23,). Jesus and John the Baptist described the
nature of men as vipers, (Matthew 3:7; Matthew 12:34).
Variously the unregenerated man is characterized with
-reprobate mind, being filled with all unrighteousness -
immorality, covetousness full of envy, murder, (defiled
and polluted ) (Romans 1:28-37 (Mark 7:21-23)
Treacherous, Transgressor workers of iniquity, their
thought are thoughts of iniquity, wasters and destroyers
(Isaiah 48:8; 59:5-8) cunning and crafty, full of
wickedness, blind, foolish with darkened understanding,
children of wrath, (Ephesians 2:3; 4:14). The Bible says
that the whole head of man is sick. The heart devices
wicked imaginations, and has come far short of the glory
of God. All men have become enslaved to sin, and because
sin dwells in the natural man, man is conceived in sin,
born in sin, grew up in sin - by nature and habit, he is
a sinner. The natural man cannot resist sin.The consequence of the fall of man is
that man became totally depraved, and the immediate
effect was his separation from the Holy God, and a curse
upon Adam and his descendants (Genesis
3:1-6,14-19,23-24; Romans 5:12; 8:22). God's s judgment
also came upon all men the soul that sinneth it shall
die, the wages of sin is death (Ezekiel 8:4; Romans
6:23). The Human race has rebelled against God and
broken his law, but the love of God constrained the holy
God to plan for man’s redemption to fulfill the law that
without the shedding of blood there is no remission
(Hebrews 9:22). Therefore God undertook the redemption
work for man by sending Jesus Christ to die for him
Jesus Christ became the Divine Provision of a Perfect
Substitute and Sin -bearer (Genesis 22:7, 8:14; 3:15
John 3:16; Hebrews 9:22). He became the Lamb of God
(John 1:29; Matthew 1:21). By the perfect sacrifice of
his blood, (I Corinthians 5:7) and through his blood,
man has complete protection from the consequence of the
fall, from the curse of the broken law, (Exodus 12:13;
Galatians 3:13) complete removal of the guilt and
condemnation of sin, and full redemption (Isaiah 53:4-8;
Acts 8:32-35; I Peter 1:18-21; 2:24).The atonement is the reconciliation of
sinful, fallen man of God made possible through the
perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The vicarious death
of Jesus Christ is the substitution of the sufferings of
Christ for the punishment of all sinners in the world.
The prime purpose of this is the full redemption of
fallen mankind. Through this mercy-seat sinners are
reconciled to God. The power of sin over the natural man
can only be broken by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16;
Romans 5:17-19)For as by one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man shall
many be made righteous.
God demands repentance from all sinners
to avail themselves of the provision of redemption made
in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:5-7; Matthew 20:28; 26:28;
John 3:14,15; I Corinthians 5:7; John 1:12; 3:18,36).
Repentance is the change, which takes place in the
penitent’s attitude towards sin. It is turning away from
sin to God. Sincere and total repentance and godly
sorrow for sin through the agency of the Holy Spirit are
important prerequisites for salvation. Repentance is the
deep inward experience, which makes the sinner turn from
sin to God. therefore God demands repentance from all
men (Mark 1:15; Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3,5; Luke 24: 47;
Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30). When a sinner hears the gospel
of the Holy Spirit, the sinner will have deep, godly
sorrow for his sins and acknowledge them by confessing
all manner of sins. He goes before God on the merit of
the atonement made by Jesus Christ through his vicarious
death and accepts the sacrifice as a substitute for the
punishment of his own personal sins. On the basis of
this process of genuine repentance, the sinner asks for
forgiveness and pardon based on the promises of God in
the scriptures (Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah 55:6,7; I John
1:9; Ezekiel 18:21-22. As the sinner, through the agency
of the Holy Spirit repents genuinely, he will have
forgiveness and pardon (Romans 8:16; II Corinthians
5:17; I John 2:2,3). |