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I. Man’s condition before God.
II. Man’s condition in himself.
III. Man’s condition before Satan.
In this chapter we will consider the condition of man. Man’s condition shows that he needs salvation. Hence, we must use the Bible to show man his condition so that he may realize his need for God’s salvation.
There are at least three aspects of the condition of fallen man prior to salvation.
1. “All have sinned” (Rom. 3:23, see also vv. 10-12; 5:12).
The first aspect of man’s condition before God is that he has sinned and is sinful. Man’s sinfulness before God is twofold; it is both positional and experiential. Although a man may not have committed a sin, he is positionally sinful before God because he is a descendant of Adam. Adam was appointed by God to be the head of the human race, and as such, he represents the entire human race. When Adam sinned as head and representative of the human race, all the men represented by him also sinned. When the first man Adam sinned, all of his descendants were placed in a sinful position before God.
Since Adam is the father of the human race, all men are born of him. When Adam sinned, he not only represented all mankind but also included the entire human race. Adam’s descendants were in him, even though none of them were born yet. When Adam sinned, his descendants sinned with him and in him. Adam’s act of sin caused his descendants to sin in him. Man is sinful at birth; there is no need for him to sin, for he is sinful already.
Positionally, man is sinful before God. Experientially, man is also sinful before God. No one can say that he has never sinned or that he has clean hands, an undefiled heart, and no experience of sin. Everyone has experienced lying, stealing, filthy thoughts, or improper behavior. Man’s position of sin produces his experience of sin. Man’s experience of sin proves his position of sin. Both positionally and experientially, man is sinful.
2. “Fall under the judgment of God”; “Condemned already” (Rom. 3:19; John 3:18 see also Rom. 5:18).
Because man has sinned, he is under the judgment of God. God is righteous, and He is the One who establishes the law. According to His righteousness and His law, He must judge sinful man. God’s righteousness and God’s law place man under God’s judgment.
Man is under not only God’s judgment but also His condemnation. Whether or not he is aware of it, man has been judged and is condemned before God. There is no need to wait for God’s judgment in the future; man has already received the verdict that he is guilty of sin and is condemned before God. When God condemned Adam because of his sin, God also condemned the entire human race in Adam through his one offense. Today every human being is born a condemned sinner.
3. “The wrath of God abides upon him”; “Children of wrath” (John 3:36; Eph. 2:3).
Because men have sinned and transgressed against God’s righteousness, they not only are condemned under God’s judgment, but as children of wrath under God’s wrath, men daily evoke His wrath. God’s wrath is like thunder; it is ready to explode upon mankind. God withholds His wrath in order to give men the opportunity to repent and be saved. God’s wrath will surely break forth on those who do not repent.
4. “It is reserved for men to die once, and after this comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
According to God’s law, those who sin must die. Man sinned; therefore, his portion according to God’s law (the portion reserved for man) is death. Death is set before the unrepentant sinner. If he refuses to repent, he will receive only death under God’s wrath. When death comes to a man, God’s wrath explodes upon him.
Death is not the end. After a man dies, he still faces judgment. Although he is already condemned, he will still face another judgment. In this future judgment, the condemnation under which God has placed man will be executed. Although God condemns man’s sin according to His righteousness, He has not yet executed this condemnation because of His love. God desires man to repent; therefore, He waits and gives man opportunity to repent. If a man refuses to repent to the very end, he will enter into death and face God’s final judgment. In His judgment God will execute the sentence that He has pronounced upon man.
5. “Perish”; “Cast into the lake of fire” (John 3:16; Rev. 20:15 see also 21:8).
After an unrepentant man passes through God’s final judgment, he will perish; that is, he will be thrown into the lake of fire to suffer eternally. According to the Lord’s word in Mark 9:48, in the lake of fire “their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” How painful and terrible to be eaten by worms and burned by fire!
This is man’s condition before God.
1. “Brought forth in iniquity” (Psa. 51:5).
Man is brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin. Every human being is born as a sinner with a corrupt nature. Men sin because their nature is corrupt by birth. They do not need to learn how to sin, because they are born with the innate ability to sin. A man does not learn how to sin from his environment; sin is the result of inward growth. The seed of sin is in him at birth; eventually, sin grows out from within.
2. “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21).
Since man is born in sin, the imagination of his heart is evil from his youth. It is not necessary to be old, cunning, and deceitful in order to have an evil imagination. The imagination of man’s heart is evil when he is still young and “innocent.”
3. “The heart is deceitful above all things, / And it is incurable” (Jer. 17:9).
From his youth man’s heart not only has an evil imagination but is also deceitful above all things and is incurable. Nothing in creation compares with the wickedness of man’s heart. The heart of man is most deceitful and is incurable. It is not just slightly wicked; it is entirely wicked — altogether incurable. Moreover, the evil of the heart spreads from within. Although there may be no appearance of wickedness outwardly, the heart is corrupt within. This corruption is eventually manifested.
4. “In my flesh, nothing good dwells” (Rom. 7:18).
Consider man’s condition in himself. Nothing good dwells in his flesh. Since man was brought forth in iniquity and has an utterly deceitful and incurable heart, how can there be anything good in his flesh? No one can say, “I will do good,” and then does it. Is it not true with man that “to will is present...but to work out the good is not” (v. 18)? Since nothing good dwells in the flesh, a man cannot work out the good that he wills to do.
5. “Filled with all unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:29, see also vv. 30-31; Mark 7:20-23).
In addition to the fact that nothing good dwells in man’s flesh, his heart is filled with unrighteousness and sin. The seed of sin is in man and may spring forth at any time. Unrighteousness, lawlessness, sin, and filthiness do not originate outside of man but grow from within. No one is absolutely upright and clean, and no one is able to withstand God’s shining and examination of his inward parts.
6. “Enemies” of God; “Sons of disobedience”; “Not subject to the law of God, for neither can it be...cannot please God” (Col. 1:21; Eph. 2:2; Rom. 8:7-8).
Man is evil and corrupt; thus, the human nature is opposed to the nature of God. God loves righteousness; man loves sin. God desires holiness; man desires filthiness. Therefore, man is an enemy of God and a son of disobedience. Since man is God’s enemy, he is not subject to the law of God and does not desire to please God. Even if he desires to do so, it is impossible for man to obey God’s law or to please God, because man is thoroughly corrupt and has no ability to keep God’s law.
7. “Not...holding God in their full knowledge” (Rom. 1:28).
Since man commits sin and is an enemy of God, he does not hold God in his knowledge. Sin makes man numb; it causes man to lose his sense of God. The first result of man’s sin is that he no longer holds God in his knowledge. Men are not only sinful, but they also do not hold God in their knowledge.
8. “Lost”; “Like sheep have gone astray” (Luke 19:10; Isa. 53:6).
Since man sins and does not hold God in his knowledge, he is lost, like a sheep that has gone astray. Man was created for God; he belongs to God, and God is his Master. However, because man sinned and forsook God, he is lost and lordless. Men today are like sheep that have no master or shepherd, not knowing to whom they belong.
9. “Dead in your offenses and sins” (Eph. 2:1, see also v. 5; Col. 2:13; Luke 9:60; 15:24; John 5:24).
Man is not only sinful and lost but also dead in offenses and sins. Since man is dead in offenses and sins, he is powerless to do good or to be righteous. No one can do good or be righteous. Who does not feel powerless in trying to do good and to be righteous? With regard to goodness and righteousness, man is weak and powerless to the uttermost. He is as weak as someone who is dead.
Because man is deadened within, he is powerless to do good and unable to sense the shame of sin. Man is powerless with regard to righteousness and insensitive to sin. Death makes man powerless and insensitive. Hence, man is powerless and has no feeling within. People today are powerless with regard to righteousness, and they have no sense of shame or remorse with regard to sin.
Man’s being without feeling regarding sin may be likened to a corpse that has no feeling while lying in the garbage. Man’s insensitivity to sin is the result of being dead within; this insensitivity proves that man is dead within. Because he is inwardly dead and without feeling, man does many disgraceful things without feeling shame; he commits many deplorable deeds and is not grieved. When people watch sensual movies, they have no sense of shame but rather consider them quite pleasant. When people use filthy language, they are not ashamed but rather feel proud. It is indecent and shameful for a man to embrace a woman in a dance, yet people believe that it is noble and honorable. These examples prove that man is dead within. When man engages in sin, he is like a walking corpse.
10. “A slave of sin” (John 8:34).
Man has been sold to sin as a slave; man is a slave of sin and is not his own master. Man is dominated and manipulated by sin to do many things against his will. Although people desire freedom, no one is truly free; everyone is controlled and bound by sin. No one sins of his own accord; neither is anyone free from sin whenever he chooses to be. All the struggles of man against sin end in vain.
Originally, man belonged to God, but now he belongs to sin; originally, God was man’s Lord, but now sin is his lord. Sin has authority over man, making man its slave. Sin rules over man, causing man to commit sins and evil against his will.
11. “Having no hope” today (Eph. 2:12).
Men living on the earth today have no hope. They have no goal. Man is indeed empty and pitiful.
Day by day man labors and runs in vain. Although man seeks enjoyment and pleasure, he is actually pursuing shadows and chasing after the wind. Man is empty and has no hope because he lost God and is without God.
12. “Die in...sins” in the future (John 8:24).
Since man has no hope, he can expect only to die in his sins and to descend into Hades in sorrow. The final result of man’s sin is his full transfer into death. Since man lives in his sins for his entire life, he will die in his sins and enter into eternal perdition.
This is man’s condition in himself.
1. “The children of the devil” (1 John 3:10, see also v. 8; John 8:44).
Man is not only sinful and corrupt but is also of the devil. Man is of the devil because the devil’s life is within him. Men are children of the devil; the devil is their father. A child has the life of his father. As children of the devil, men have the devil’s life and nature within their being. The element of the devil is within man. Thus, man somewhat resembles the devil in the way he lives. Man lies, sins, and lusts in a manner similar to the devil because the lying, sinning, and lusting life and nature within man are of the devil. There is a life relationship and a union in nature between man and the devil.
2. “According to the ruler of the authority of the air” (Eph. 2:2).
The ruler of the authority of the air is Satan. The authority of the air refers to the messengers of Satan. Satan rules through his messengers in the air over the darkness of this world in order to subject men to himself (6:12). In order to subject men to himself, Satan is not only the ruler of the authority of the air but also “the spirit which is now operating” in the hearts of men (2:2). By operating in their hearts, Satan causes men to be subject to him; thus, they become sons of disobedience and oppose God. The evil that man does in opposition to God is the fruit of Satan’s operation in his heart. Not one person is completely independent and free from Satan’s influence. Man does not commit sinful, filthy, lustful, and dishonorable acts on his own; he is moved to do so. Man’s actions are not entirely under his control; he acts according to “the spirit which is now operating” in his heart, which is Satan himself. The fact that man walks “according to the age of this world” and conducts himself in the lusts of the flesh, “doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts” (vv. 2-3), proves that he is subject to Satan. Therefore, not only are Satan’s life and nature within man but also Satan himself, the evil spirit, is within man.
3. “The god of this age has blinded the thoughts of the unbelievers” (2 Cor. 4:4).
Satan operates in man’s heart to make him do things against God; he also blinds man’s thoughts so that he does not know God and cannot see the light of the Lord’s gospel. Men believe that they are extremely intelligent. They do not realize that their minds are deceived and darkened by Satan. Although they understand philosophy and science, men do not understand the things of God or know the salvation of the Lord. Men do not have this capacity, because Satan has blinded them from such understanding and knowledge. People think that they are intelligent and sensible, yet they are inwardly blind and cannot see. They do not know their origin or their destiny. They do not know the way that they are walking or understand the life that they are living. They walk and live like blind men, going about and living blindly.
As the ruler of this age, Satan subjects man to himself; as the god of this age, he causes man to worship him. He hides behind or within many people, matters, and things. He does this in order to gain man’s worship. Thus, when man worships or exalts a certain person, matter, or thing, he may unconsciously be worshipping Satan. Satan uses the persons, matters, and things that man worships to darken man’s mind and to prevent him from knowing God. Many people do not know God because they have paid too much attention to money and position. Many people do not understand the Lord’s salvation because they worship knowledge and skills. Men do not foresee their destiny or the torment of hell because they consider the pleasures and enjoyment of human life to be more important. Because their heart worships these things and their eyes esteem them, their mind is darkened and blinded by Satan.
4. “The whole world lies in the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
In addition to being subject to and blinded by Satan, man also lies in Satan’s hand. In 1 John 5:19 Satan is called “the evil one.” Surely no good will come from man lying in the hand of the evil one. After blinding people, Satan manipulates and slaughters them as he pleases. How pitiful are those who lie in Satan’s hand and are butchered by him! How pitiful are those who visit dance halls or gamble all night! How pitiful are drug addicts, alcoholics, and those who give themselves over to fornication and lasciviousness! Such persons allow Satan to damage their bodies and shorten their lives against their will. They may struggle, but they cannot free themselves, because they lie in the hand of Satan, the evil one.
5. “The authority of Satan”; “the authority of darkness” (Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13).
Satan has his own kingdom and authority. Men are subjects of Satan’s kingdom, ruled and controlled by him under his authority.
6. “Go...into the eternal fire prepared for the devil” (Matt. 25:41).
As man lies in Satan’s hand, his destiny is to go into the eternal fire prepared for Satan. In other words, man will go into the lake of fire and suffer eternally. Since man collaborates with Satan to sin against God, he will be punished with Satan in the eternal fire. Since man follows Satan to sin throughout his life, he will be punished forever with Satan. Since man walks with Satan, he will surely share Satan’s end. How fearful this is!
This is man’s condition before Satan. Having seen the condition of man, we can realize that man needs God’s deliverance and God’s salvation.
