The Carnal Nature of Man.

Part two

 

By Nick Bibile

 

The natural man cannot love God.

 

We see in present evangelism, telling the unbelievers God loves you. We have seen in from our last week study, in Psalm 7:11, that God is angry at the wicked daily. The scripture many people use to show that God loves the unbeliever is John 3:16.

 

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

In another portion of the scripture it says, woe unto the world.

 

Mt 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences!

 

Was whole world taxed?

Lu 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

 

Did the whole world go after Jesus?

Joh 12:19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

 

Jesus did not pray for the world, but only to the ones that was given by the Father.

Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

 

This is why the context is so important in interpreting the scriptures. In John 3:16 when it says, God loved the world, he is speaking of the universal church, the elected Christians who are scattered all over the world. He called us and grace was given to the elect before the world began. (2 Tim 1:9) But yet we are to preach the gospel to all the nations, as the gospel invitation is for all the people, but only the elect will hear the gospel will respond others will refuse.

 

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. John 6:44.

 

Man is unable to come to God because of his nature. Charles Spurgeon gives this beautiful example, one day a man said, that he did not believe any man had the power to walk to the house of God unless the Father drew him. This was very foolish saying according to Spurgeon. Because as long as a man was alive and had legs, it was as easy for him to walk to the house of God as to the house of Satan. There is no lack of physical power in coming to Christ, as physically men are alive, they can raise a hand in coming to Christ, they can walk down the isle in coming to Christ, they can say a prayer in coming to Christ. But just because they did all these things physically, it does not mean they truly came to Christ. The defect is not in the body, as the natural man is alive and strong physically, the defect is in the mind and in the heart. It is spiritual. As he is spiritually dead.

Spurgeon gives the example of a lion and a sheep. The lion has legs so does sheep, the lion has a mouth so does a sheep, the lion have ears so does a sheep. Physically both can walk and eat. But the lion will not eat grass like a sheep neither the sheep will eat meat like a lion. The distinction is in the nature. By nature, the Lion is different than a sheep. In the same way by the natural man s nature is so corrupt that he has neither the will nor the power to come to Christ unless drawn by the Spirit.

 

John 3:6. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh."

 

Let us go further and see what sin did to mans nature. When man sinned against God, he became spiritually dead and was separated from God. There fore there is no love towards God. Love is to be together. Man and woman falls in love with each other and their desire is to live together because they love each other. However, we see when they do not love each other because of sin there is separation in marriage and there is divorce. Now there is no love for each other as they are separated. In the same way when man is separated from God, there is no true love in him.

 

When we looked at people, we see some are more kind than the others, some are more educated with good manners and the others, some are more caring than the others. Some are more affectionate than the others. But they all do not have even a spark of love to God, as they are spiritually dead, blind and separated from God. The heart of man is not hungering after the love of God, because it is dead, cold towards God, his heart is like a dead mans heart towards God.

 

You may say, there are so many religious people in the world and we see they have a great love for God, as they are very religious. My answer is who would be more religious than the Jews. They worshiped one God, they kept all the traditions and the rituals and they even knew the word of God. But inside in their hearts, there was no true love toward God. They were dead to God inside. Jesus said to these religious people, But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. (John 5:42)

 

Natural man would like to destroy God.

 

Man is enmity against God as a whole being. That means his mental and physical powers, principles, and actions are against God. His nature is totally against God, there fore his mind, heart and all his bodily instruments are not for God but in opposition to God. Apostle Paul speaks of the natural man, I am carnal, sold under sin. (Ro 7:14) He is a slave to sin under the bondage of Satan and all his affections are dominated by his flesh and against Gods will. We can see again the Jews, who were very religious, and they had an outward form of godliness of love but inwardly they hated him. Their desire was to kill Jesus.

 

2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Mt 26:4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.

 

Lu 22:2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.

 

The enmity of the natural man is so great that no human power can change him as the corruption is rooted in the heart. He choose to be against God, as his will is against God. He is very hypocritical, as we see the Jews and the Pharisees were hypocritical, Paul was at enmity with God, persecuting the church of God, he was a very religious man but a hypocrite in nature, no one could change his heart, only the infinite power of God almighty changed his heart and nature as he became as one of the finest Apostles in the New Testament.

 

Godly Christians can witness to them, but cannot change their enmity towards God, pastors can preach repentance and the Excellency of Christ, but they cannot change them, the angels cannot change them. They might say, if we really see the miracles of God we will change. No, the children of Israel saw awesome miracles of God, yet they murmured against God. The Jews of Christ day saw the miracles of Christ, and yet they said, Jesus was possessed by Satan, the Old Testament people saw the great miracles of God, yet they killed the prophets of God, as Jesus said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee (Mat 23:37) The natural men are like poisonous snakes spitting venom at God. They are mortal enemies of God.

 

The natural man will come clothed in religion but inwardly an enemy of God, they have killed the Old Testament prophets, crucified Jesus, killed the disciples, the early church Christians were tortured, burned alive, eaten alive by the wild animals, the Roman church burned the true Christians, the natural man hates God.

 

Natural mans desire is to dethrone God.

 

The natural mans desire is to dethrone God. They will do it if they can do it. They would be glad if there is no God.

 

Ps 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

 

Read carefully the root is the heart. In his heart, there is no God. Meaning his desire is that there is no God, he is telling I wish there is no God. They are poisonous snakes. When they bite, they seek to kill precious life.

 

John the Baptist called them O brood of vipers. (Mat 3:7) This poison is the enmity that they have for God.

 

Ps 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

 

Natural man crucified Jesus.

 

De 32:33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.

The immortal, infinitely holy God who is separated from man, because of sin and mans enmity toward God, yet God the second person of the Trinity clothed in human nature, became a man, and came down to earth to dwell among the fallen man, who were vipers and with full of poison in their heart. They hated him, spit at him, persecuted him and the multitudes of men cried with one voice saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Away with him. Rather they would prefer Barabbas who deserved death to be saved, and their desire was to kill the Holy one of God. They could not find any fault with Jesus but nothing could satisfy them until they crucified him to death. Yes, the natural man if they can dethrone God, he will do it. This was the cruelest execution that ever happened, by mocking the Holy Son of God, spitting at him and scourging him. Here we see the enmity of man toward God in all true colors.

 

God is their greatest enemy. Their enmity so great toward God than they are to Satan. They believe that Satan is evil, yet they will join hands with Satan in doing what Satan wants them to do. In reality, they are the friend of Satan and the devil is their master.

 

John 8:44, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning.

 

We need to remember that we too were enemies of God one time, we too had a form of religion but dead spiritually. Now that we are saved by the grace of God, we should not be separated and point the finger at all who are unsaved. Jesus commanded us to go and preach the gospel to all nations. Apostle Paul said, Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. (1 Cor 8:1) We need to do everything in love and humility. The prime example is our Lord. We need to show the fallen mans nature, and preach the gospel to all nations.

 

Spurgeon said, of a youth who concealed a stolen fox under his garment, and although it was eating into his bowels, he would not show it, and therefore died through the creature's bites; you are of that sort sinner, you are carrying sin in your bosom, and it is eating out your heart. God knows what it is, and you know what it is; now you cannot keep it there and be unbitten, undestroyed. Why keep it there? O cry to God with a vehement cry, God save me from my sin!"

         

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