4. Fallen Man Is Now a Rebel, an Enemy of God
When Adam made the choice to transgress the commandment of God, it was a deliberate act of defiance and rebellion against God's sovereign authority over him. The immediate result was a positive enmity in his heart against God -- the true God -- and this has been the natural state of every son and daughter born of Adam's fallen race ever since. This truth is very clearly and vividly expressed in Romans 8:7, "The carnal mind is ENMITY against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be." The word "enmity" is better translated HOSTILE from the Greek. What is the SOURCE of this hostility toward God in the heart of fallen man? According to this text, it is the requirements of the LAW OF GOD. The enmity and hostility in the heart of men and women against God is against Him as the LAWGIVER, the moral Governor of the world. The carnal mind, that is, the natural mind of fallen human nature, is not willingly, joyfully, and obediently in subjection to God's holy Law. Instead, man in his natural state hates and despises the God, even the concept of such a God, who demands perfect obedience to His Law, and threatens with judgment, a curse, and punishment upon all those who do not render that perfect obedience (Rom. 2:11-16; Galatians 3:10).
If God should descend from His throne as King, Lawgiver, Judge, and Executioner, and become One who is only all-loving, all-merciful, overlooking sin, making no demands for obedience, threatening no punishment, and willing to grant the desires of their hearts, all mankind would immediately love him. Multitudes have a concept of God like that, calling Him "the Man upstairs," a grandfatherly Being who winks and nods at sin, a celestial Santa Claus. But such a "god" is only a figment of their imagination, and when they are confronted with the true God, the sovereign, holy God of the Holy Scriptures, this deep-seated enmity comes to the surface, and the rebel is unmasked. Unless our hearts have been renewed by the grace of God, all of us, if we could have our own way, would reject and dethrone such a God, consigning Him to nonexistence, and banning Him from the universe which He created. Millions have, in their own minds, attempted to do this very thing, by receiving as true a so-called "big bang" theory, and the theory of organic evolution, as an explanation of the origin of the universe and of man, without God. How much more can you hate and despise One, than to believe, hope, and wish that He does not exist? However, the Bible has one word to describe an atheist, and it is found in Psalms 14:1, "The FOOL has said in his heart, There is no God." In addition, God has left the atheist, the agnostic, and all the rest of us, without excuse, because He has given us all both an inner witness* and an outer witness,** of His Being, majesty, and glory, according to Romans 1:19-20:
"...because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath SHOWN it unto them.* For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world ARE CLEARLY SEEN, being understood by the things that are made** even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are WITHOUT EXCUSE."
You may be saying, "But I do believe in God, and I am a good person. I do not hate God. I try to live by the Ten Commandments, and the Golden Rule. I am not the kind of person you are describing. Surely God will accept me on the basis of the good life that I live." But the truth is, my friend, you are self-deceived, and do not really understand the true nature of God's holy Law. The Law of God is spiritual (Romans 7:14) and reaches beyond the outward conduct, and penetrates to the very thoughts and intents of the heart. The Law of God is like a mirror, which exposes the exceeding sinfulness and wickedness of our hearts, and lets us see ourselves as we truly are in the sight of God, according to Romans 3:20 and 7:7-14. In order that we may see more clearly that we are all, in our fallen state, truly rebels against God, let us look at the broad scope of God's holy Law:
The FIRST COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me," forbids not only the worship of idols, or false gods, but forbids substituting anything in the place of God as the supreme object of our love, affection, and desire -- such as being obsessed with a love of the world, and a consuming desire for the material things of life, whether that be another person, entertainment, fame, or fortune (Luke 16:13; I John 2:15-17). And, according to the words of Christ, "This is life eternal, that they may know Thee the true God, and Jesus Christ, who Thou hast sent." It is to be greatly feared that multitudes of professing Christians are not worshipping the true God of the Bible at all, but a figment of their own imagination. Their God is a miserable caricature of the true God, a "god" who commands no reverence or respect, who will not punish sin, and who is helpless to accomplish His own will, easily checkmated and thwarted by the puny wills of men and devils! Modern man has attempted to make God over into his own fallen image, and the charge which Jehovah brought against Israel long ago is true of many today, "You thought that I was altogether like you!" (Psalm 50:21). This is rank idolatry, because to assume God to be other than He truly is, and to worship that false conception of God is to worship a false god. The true and living God revealed in the Holy Scriptures is One Who is uncompromisingly just, perfect and majestic in holiness, and absolutely sovereign in all things, including the exercise of His mercy, grace, and love.
The SECOND COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image . . . thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them," forbids not only idolatry, or idol-worship, but the use of images, pictures, or statues as an aid to worship. Therefore the church of Rome is guilty of gross idolatry by encouraging their members to reverence or bow down before images of any supposed likeness of Christ, the virgin Mary, or any saint. And Protestants who conceive of God, or the Lord Jesus Christ, and worship Him through some artist's conception of what He looks like are guilty also of breaking this commandment. This is strictly forbidden, and incurs the curse of God.
The THIRD COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," not only forbids profane swearing and damning in the name of God, but also forbids any light, irreverent use of His holy name, phrases commonly used today even by some professing Christians, such as "Jesus!", "Christ!", "God!" and "Oh my God!" Any light, indifferent use of His name not accompanied by an attitude of awe and reverence for His majesty is a breaking of this commandment.
The FOURTH COMMANDMENT, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy," refers to the seventh-day sabbath observance previously commanded by God to Israel (Exodus 16:23-30). It was a law given exclusively to Israel as a covenant sign between God and them (Exodus 31:12-17), and was never intended to be binding upon any other people in that same way. According to the New Testament, the seventh-day sabbath as given to Israel has been abolished, since it was a shadow, or type of the rest of the believer in Christ (Col. 2:16-17; Hebrews 4:1-11). The Law of the Sabbath is not part of the moral law which God has written in the hearts of all men (Romans 2:14-16), and would not have been known by anyone except that it was given specifically to Israel as the sign of His Covenant with them (Exodus 31:12-18; Ezekiel 20:12-20). However, the principle of devoting one day out of seven to the worship of God and religious instruction is imbedded and incorporated into the practice of the Church of Christ from its earliest days -- the one day now being the first day of the week, and called the Lord's Day (Rev. 1:10), in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week (See Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 16:1-2). In our society, millions spend Sunday as a day of recreation only, or recovering from a late Saturday night party, giving no thought to the God Who made them, or seeking out a place of worship, where they might hear the truth of God's Word preached and taught. Such a lifestyle is a breaking of the spirit and principle of this commandment, and professing Christians who "forsake the assembling of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25) to worship, and to hear the Word of God preached and taught are also violating this Biblical principle.
The FIFTH COMMANDMENT, "Honor thy father and thy mother," means that we should render to our parents the esteem, love, obedience, and respect which is due them. How this commandment is broken daily by rebellious, disobedient, sassy and impudent children! And how many grown-up children are unkind, inconsiderate, unloving, and even cruel toward their own parents, both in actions and words! And let us not forget, too, that the all-knowing God sees the thoughts of the heart, as well as the words and the deeds (I Samuel 16:7).
The SIXTH COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt not kill," not only forbids actual murder, but also forbids all undue anger, wrath, malice, resentment, and revenge, conceived in the heart, or expressed in words (Matthew 5:21-22; I John 3:14-15). In God's sight, hatred, a desire to kill, or to wish someone dead, is a breaking of this commandment. Abortion and euthanasia, or so-called "mercy-killing," would certainly be comprehended in this commandment.
The SEVENTH COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," not only forbids the outward acts of fornication and adultery, but also forbids all unclean thoughts, impure desires, unchaste affections, and obscene looks, according to Matthew 5:27-28, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever LOOKETH on a woman to LUST AFTER HER hath committed adultery with her already in his HEART." Of course, it is obvious that this commandment applies equally to women, who are also capable of looking upon a man to lust after him (Genesis 39:6-7; 2 Timothy 3:6). This commandment would also apply to pedophiles, sodomites and lesbians, who in their perversion lust after children, and members of their own sex. See Romans 1:24-27.
The EIGHTH COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt not steal," not only refers to acts of robbery, burglary, and shoplifting, but forbids failure to return that which is borrowed, failure to pay just or legal debts (including cheating on tax returns), failure to render a day's work for a day's pay, failure to represent truthfully an item that is offered for sale, and the taking of any item, no matter how small or insignificant, that belongs to another.
The NINTH COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor," is a commandment that is constantly broken every day, comprehending not only perjury or false witness in court, but whispering, tale-bearing, back-biting, and slandering another's character with lies, innuendoes, insinuations, and evil suggestions concerning the other person's actions or motives. It is a common but sad thing to be observed among mankind that we are all guilty of attempting to build ourselves up by tearing others down. And since the Law of God is spiritual, going beyond the outward deed, laying hold of the thoughts and intents of the heart, we break this commandment when we bear false witness against our neighbor, even in our thoughts, though it may never be spoken to another -- in this regard, see 1 Timothy 6:4.
The TENTH COMMANDMENT, "Thou shalt not covet . . ." strikes home to the very heart of the matter of our relationship with our fellow-man, or neighbor. We are forbidden to even secretly desire in our hearts to have, or be jealous of, that which belongs to another, which includes his or her money, clothes, possessions, looks, reputation, popularity, talents, knowledge, intelligence, or abilities.
Even if it were possible for any of us to obey the Law of God perfectly, except in one instance, we would still be regarded by the holy God as guilty sinners, according to James 2:10-11, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
The Lord Jesus Christ distilled the whole Law of God into two great Commandments, as recorded in Matthew 22:37-40: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." According to John 14:15-24, our love for God is judged by our obedience. to Him. Do you (and do I) have perfect love God, and love your neighbors as you do yourself?
Now, my friend, in the light of the above truths, do any of us honestly believe that we truly obey the Law of God perfectly, to the satisfaction of the all-seeing, all-knowing God, who searches and knows the hearts of all men and women? Must we not confess that we are rebels at heart, and that -- unless we are "reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10), and receive the "washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:4-6) in the New Birth -- we are really "enemies of God" (Rom. 5:10; Colossians 1:21)? Do you not see that it is impossible to be acceptable to God on the basis of our own supposed goodness? Let the Word of God speak to us further on this matter:
"As it is written, There is NONE righteous, no, not one; there is NONE that understands; there is NONE that seeks after God. They have ALL turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is NONE who does good, no, not one" (Romans 3:10-12)
"Now we know that whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law, THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED, and ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD. Therefore, by the deeds of the Law NO FLESH SHALL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:19-20)
"CURSED is everyone that continueth not in ALL THINGS in the Book of the Law to do them" (Gal. 3:10)
"But we are ALL like an unclean thing, and ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES ARE LIKE FILTHY RAGS; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6)
But if you would know the limit and the depth which fallen man's rebellion and contempt for God will take him, go back 2,000 years ago to Mount Calvary, and there behold by faith, as it were, the blood-stained Lord Jesus, nailed to a Roman cross, suffering and dying between two thieves. Here is the ultimate limit, the final uncovering of man's hatred and contempt for God. It's the greatest tragedy that Heaven and Earth will ever behold, for there, upon that center cross, hung the Lord of Glory, the Creator murdered and slain by the hands of men (Acts 2:23). There we behold Christ, the infinite God Who took upon Himself our human nature and was made flesh, put to death by a ruined, fallen race of sinners. No wonder the whole earth was in darkness for three hours (Matthew 27:45)! It is the final fruitage of that choice man made back in the Garden of Eden, which shut God out of his heart -- a heart that God made for Himself and His own infinite love.
Though He was put to death by His own people and the Roman government centuries ago, each one of us is also guilty and have our share in this awful crime. Friend, you will see it within your own heart if the Lord ever opens that heart and lets you see the enmity and hatred for God that is there. You will see and confess then that though you were not present at His crucifixion, we were all there by proxy committing Deicide, because it was your sins and my sins that were the hammers that drove the nails into His hands and feet; it was our enmity and hatred for God that pressed the crown of thorns down upon His sacred brow, and flung the spear up into His side. And when you see that, my dear friend, it will break your hard heart, and melt you down in repentance at His pierced feet, grieving over the way you have treated God.
But the greatest wonder of God's unchanging love, the mystery of His marvelous grace, is that He will pardon, by virtue of this shedding of His dear Son's blood, the vilest and most hateful of sinners. No sinner, regardless of how deep he has sunken into sin, regardless of how hardened and callous he has become, will be turned away, if he comes in repentance and faith to the crucified, buried, risen, and exalted Lord Jesus for mercy and pardon. I know, because He received and pardoned me!
CHRIST ALONE could truthfully make this statement concerning His relationship with God the Father: "I DO ALWAYS those things that please Him" (John 8:29). In the light of these humbling truths, my friend, there is only ONE HOPE for sinners such as you and I -- we must have the perfect righteousness of Christ Himself imputed to us, or counted as our righteousness (Romans 3:21-22; 10:3-4), and the pardon and forgiveness provided for us through faith in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, "Who suffered once for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). And then, if we experience the miraculous cleansing of the NEW BIRTH (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:4-7), our attitude toward God and His Law is changed from enmity to love (I John 4:19; Romans 7:22).
5. Fallen Man Is Now Under the Reigning Power of Sin
The Word of God pictures fallen man as being under the rule and reign of sin, according to Romans 5:21, "that as SIN REIGNED unto death" and according to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 8:34, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." The Apostle Paul brings this truth out clearly in Romans 6:16,
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?"
Our first parents were originally created in a state of innocence and holiness, with upright moral character, and with God-centered personalities, having been created in the image of God, and made for personal communion and fellowship with Him. However, this original uprightness of heart was mutable, or subject to change, and needed to be successfully tested, in order to be confirmed in a permanent and unchangeable state of righteousness and holiness.
Adam occupied the unique position of being both the federal representative and seminal head of all his posterity, being constituted as such by his Maker, according to Romans 5:12-19 and I Corinthians 15:22. The entire human race was tested, or put on probation in the Garden of Eden through its federal and seminal head, the first man Adam, and we all stood or fell in him, according to how he would respond to the commandment of God regarding the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Had Adam refused to yield to the temptation to disobey the commandment of God, and successfully completed the probation, our entire race would have been confirmed in holiness and righteousness forever, with no possibility of the entrance of sin and death. Every child of Adam's race would have been born holy and righteous, without the slightest inclination to evil, with a natural God-awareness, and a natural God-centered personality.
The great tragedy of the Fall is not only that each of us come into this world under the sentence of death, both spiritual and physical, alienated from God, cut off from His fellowship, but also that we are born with a self-centered personality. This innate self-centeredness, or selfishness, is truly the essence of sin, the source from which all sinful thoughts, words, and actions flow. Every wicked deed, every harsh, cruel, or mean word, every slander or lie spoken or written, every wicked thought, originates out of a selfish heart, a heart that is primarily bent on gratifying self, glorifying self, promoting self -- at the expense of others, if necessary, and with no real love for God, and no real concern for His glory. And if w truly know our own hearts, and are honest with ourselves, we must confess that even our good deeds are tainted with selfish motives and selfish interests. We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners by nature. The essence of the Law of God is that we should love Him supremely, with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). But the reality is that, by nature, we love ourselves supremely, and seek to glorify and exalt ourselves in all things, rather than the living God, who alone deserves to be glorified, exalted, and worshipped.
This, then, is how sin reigns in the heart and life of fallen man. It is basically self sitting on the throne of the heart, seeking its own glory and satisfaction, and ruling God out. We are by nature enslaved by this overpowering self-centeredness, and a spirit of self-righteousness, or self-justification. The Lord Jesus illustrates this principle in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican praying in the temple (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee trusted in himself that he was righteous, and despised others. He looked up to Heaven, bragged on himself in his prayer, which was totally self-centered, while "the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner." The publican, being under Holy Spirit conviction, knew and confessed that he was a guilty sinner, and looked upon the shed blood of the sacrificial lamb on the altar in the temple, which was a type or foreshadowing of Christ crucified, representing the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross. He dared not even look up toward Heaven, but with head bowed, he cried out from the depths of his soul, the essence of his prayer being, "God be merciful (propitiated) toward me, a sinner, on the basis of that shed blood." The point of the parable is found in the following verse, where the Lord Jesus spoke these words, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified (counted by God as righteous), rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
When we come to "Part II -- God's Remedy" in this book, we will see how salvation is an initial deliverance, and a continuing, progressive deliverance, from this self-centeredness, when the Lord works the miracle of the New Birth in the hearts of those that He saves by His grace, and begins the work of progressive sanctification. GRACE REIGNS through righteousness in the heart where sin once held sway and reigned unto death (Romans 5:21). We are taught by the grace of God to enthrone the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord of our hearts and lives (I Peter 3:15), and to seek to truly live for His glory, rather than for our own (2 Cor. 5:15).
Every true, born-again believer experiences the power of the Lord Jesus Christ's deliverance from the reigning power of sin, and the truth of His words, "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." See also Matthew 1:21. However, self-centeredness -- which manifests itself in actual sins -- does not die without a struggle, and it is a continuing battle in the spiritual life of a Christian throughout this earthly life (Romans 7:14-25). We are far from being perfect now, but the pursuit of holiness is the goal of every truly born again soul, according to Ephes. 4:24, Hebrews 12:14, and 2 Cor. 7:1 -- until the day of our final and complete deliverance from sin, or glorification, when we shall then be brought into the presence of King Jesus. It will be there, in His presence, whether at death, or at His coming, that we will, by the grace of God, reach the goal of our salvation, to be perfectly "conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:4, 2 Corinthians 3:18). According to I John 3:2, "we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."