THE LOSTNESS OF MAN

Rom. 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."

 

Introduction:

1. Why do I study this subject?  I study the subject of the lostness of man becvause the more I know about my lost condition, the clearer I comprehend all of the ramifications of my lostness....the MORE I APPRECIATE AND THANK GOD FOR THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS. 

 

2. Saving me was Serious business with God.  It was so serious that even God Himself could not figure out a just and righteous way to save me without the sending of His only Son to this world to live the life I CANNOT LIVE and then to SHED HIS BLOOD in behalf of my sinful acts and condition.  The More I know about my condition, the more I thank God for the HORRIBLE DEATH his Son had to die for me.

 

3. The LOSTNESS OF MAN asks and answers one question.  WHAT IS THE NATURAL CONDITION OF MAN?

 

4. Basically there are three ideas about man’s NATURAL CONDITION:

1. GOOD:  What we mean when we say this is that the five month old baby has an inner nature that is PRE DISPOSED TO RIGHT, not wrong.   

a. As the baby grows and later on does that which is wrong, the wrong that the child does came because of reasons other than something basic INSIDE of that little child.  

b. Now, people who say that man is basically good do NOT SAY that men do not do wrong things, but what they are saying is the person LEANS in a good direction and when that person does wrong, it is not the INNER NATURE of the person that is wrong, but things OUTSIDE of the person....such as environment, education etc.  Thus, when you believe that man is basically good...then when you do that which is wrong, it is nearly like the tee shirt which stated, THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT.  It was definitely NOT the sinner nature of the person that created the problem, but something outside that caused the problem.  

2. BAD:  [the relationship of man to God is basically  bad]

a. This means that man has a PREDISPOSITION to that which is bad.  This means that man LEANS or TENDS toward disobedience.  

b. It DOES NOT mean that man never does anything good, but that he has a predispostion to bad, rather than good.  I personally do not ever remember my Father taking me aside and giving me any special lessons on lying and cheating.  The reason is because “lying and cheating” came naturally to me.  

3. NEUTRAL: [man’s relationship to God is basically neutral]

a. This mean that man is kinda like a sheet of paper....waiting to be written on either for good or for bad....and that really, it “just depends.”

b. This group would tell us that a man can be developed toward a pre disposotion to either good or to bad....thus, you cannot really say that the child is either basically good or basically bad, but really just “neutral.”  

 

5. Clarification at this Juncture:

1. We must remember that when studying this subject of the lostness of man....that it has NOTHING to do with “man’s evaluation of man.”  It has to do with “God’s Evaluation” of man.  

a. When talking to the average person, they will tell you that there are GRADATIONS of people, some good, some not so good, some better, and some real bad, and some not so bad. 

 

2. Note also:  When we talk about man as being basically BAD, I am NOT talking about that particular person AS man sees him, but as GOD SEES that person.  To be frank with you, I meet some people who appear to be quite good, real good and often I meet individuals who have qualities that make me personally somewhat envious.

 

3. Note also:  When we talk about the lostness of man, we are NOT talking about CONDUCT...or the way a person acts.  We are talking about that persons POSITION BEFORE GOD.  CONDUCT VARIES WITH THE INDIVIDUAL, but POSITION IS ALWAYS THE SAME FOR EVERYONE.  

a. There are many believers who think of depravity in terms of CONDUCT....which is not what we are discussing.  CONDUCT VARIES, but your POSITION BEFORE GOD does NOT VARY.....even if you are rich, educated, well traveled.  POSITION NEVER VARIES.   

b. ALL ARE IN THE SAME POSITION...but ALL DO NOT HAVE THE SAME CONDUCT.  

 

THE THREE GROUPS OF PEOPLE BIBLICALLY:

1. THE FIRST GROUP: Rom. 1:1-17 and Rom. 1:26-27

1. This is pretty  bad stuff for a human being. 

a. As you read Rom. 1:1-17 and Rom. 1:26,27, would you say that this level of conduct is represented by all men?  Answer:  I hope not, for as bad as I have been over the 74 years of life, I don’t think most of the things represented by this group....I am guilty of.  How about adding the additional list in Rom. 1:29-31.

 

2. THE SECOND GROUP:  This second group is represented in Rom. 2:1-17...and this level of conduct is entirely different from the first group.  There is nothing ugly , vulgar, vile or sexual and unsavory in these verses about this second group.  They appear to be moral, pay their bills, go to Rotary every week, take their children to little league games and even go to church with their families.  They live correct lives, but they are lost.  

 

3. THE THIRD GROUP:  Rom. 2:17-21.  

1. These are the deeply religious Jews or what we would call the “folks who carry their Bibles.”  This group to the casual eye would be virtually spotless. 

 

THE BIBLICAL EVALUATION OF THESE THREE GROUPS:  Rom. 3:9

1. What Paul does:

1. The Holy Spirit in Rom. 3:9 takes all THREE GROUPS and puts all of them under one heading, described as ‘UNDER SIN.’  This means that all three groups have the same POSITION before God.  

a. The Holy Spirit takes the vulgar, lewd group, the moral group in Rom. 2:1-17 and the deeply religious group and WRAPS THEM ALL UP IN ONE VERSE WHICH SAYS:   “under sin.”

 

2. This is hard for us:  Because we have the natural tendency to judge people in terms of CONDUCT, rather than their POSITION before God.  

a. Although,  each had a different LEVEL OF CONDUCT, they all have the same POSITION BEFORE GOD. You see, we think of depravity in terms of the “”bad things we do”” rather than “”how bad off” we are.  

b. Remember, the six month old baby is as BAD OFF as the sixty year old sailor who drinks in every port.  ALL MEN ARE EQUALLY BAD OFF. 

c. Thus, total depravity does NOT mean that every man is EQUALLY SINFUL....that is not the issue.  The issue is this.  When you stand each man up to God, WE ALL STAND THE SAME.  Conduct is different, but the condition is identical....and the condition is called depravity. 

 

3. Verses to Conclude this part.  [Rom. 3:9 and Gal. 3:22]

1. ALL THREE ARE UNDER SIN: Rom. 3:9 uses the phrase about the three groups....all three are UNDER SIN.

2. Gal. 3:22 amplifies this by saying, “but the scriptures hath concluded all UNDER SIN.”  

a. When it says “the scriptures” then we are looking at the God’s evaluation of man, not man’s evaluation of himself. 

b. Note also the phrase “concluded” which means to ENCLOSE SOMETHING, to ENCASE SOMETHING.  Thus, the scriptures have encased or enclosed or hemmed everyone in  under sin.  [They all do not have the same conduct, but they all have the same position.] 

 

3.ALL THREE ARE SOLD UNDER SIN: Rom. 7:14....”sold under sin.”

a. Sold:  was a common word for the selling of a slave.  Every man without Christ is equally the PROPERTY OF SIN.  [rich, poor, lewd, good]

 

4. ALL THREE ARE UNDER DEATH: Rom. 5:12...”as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin.”

a. It was BY ADAM, not FROM ADAM.  Now, because of my direct hook up to Adam, I have what we can call IMPUTED SIN.  Thus, the tag on the arm of the new born baby really should read doctrinally, “little baby Adam.”  

b. Remember Rom. 5:12 is based on the fact that SIN and DEATH ARE INSEPARABLE.....You cannot separate SIN AND DEATH....”and death by sin.”  

1. SIN AND DEATH ARE SO INSEPARABLE THAT EVEN WHEN WE ACCEPT CHRIST, WE HAVE HAVE THE GRAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO.  

c. Couple Rom. 5:12 with Rom. 6:23...”the wages of sin is death” .

the word WAGES is a word which means, “exchange for your services.”  The idea is this...the inevitable pay for sin is death....for they cannot be separated. 

 

5. ALL THREE ARE UNDER CONDEMNATION :  John 3:36

a. John 3:36...”but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

1. “Abideth”  is in present tense...if you are unsaved, then His wrath abides on you at this very moment. 

b. Rom. 3:19....”the world may become builty before God.” 

1. “guilty.”  is a technical word for “one who had lost in his legal suit.”  It was a courtroom word...Paul makes te point that the entire world has losts its case....God had a lawsuit against man and man has lost his case...AGAIN, HE IS NOT SPEAKING OF CONDUCT, BUT POSITION.

 

6. ALL THREE ARE UNDER SATAN.  Eph. 2:3

a. Question: When you say that all men are children of Satan, then are we not coming rather close to saying that all men are “equally bad in conduct?”  Answer:  No, for ....He is called an “angel of light.”  

 

CONCLUSION:

 

1. Depravity or Lostness of man has NOTHING to do with conduct, but only with the CONDITION of man.  [there are many levels of conduct, but all men without exception have the same CONDITION]

2. Remember that every man is NOT equally sinful, but EQUALLY BAD OFF.  Depravity is “how bad OFF you are” and “not the bad THINGS you do.” 

3. Depravity has NOTHING to do with man’s evaluation of man, but it is HOW GOD SEES MAN, not how man sees himself.  

4. The lostness of man does not mean that every man is equally sinful.  The conduct of all men is different, but the condition, the position is IDENTICAL.  

5. Romans. 5:12 is the best verse to sum it all up.....as to where sin came from. 

1. Adam is the FUNNEL, not the source...for it says, “by one man.”  It did NOT say FROM, but BY one man sin entered into the world.  Sin was outside the door and Adam opened the door and sin walked in and entered the world and then death by  sin.  

2. Through Adam we have the SIN, DEATH SYNDROME.  “and so death passed on all men, for all men have sinned.”  YOU AND I HAVE A DIRECT HOOK UP TO ADAM.  

3. Remember this:  Adam was the ONLY man who ever became a sinner by SINNING.  I became a sinner by birth.  David said in Psa. 51:5...”in sin did my parents conceive me.”  THIS IS SPIRITUAL GENETICS.  I received something other than a body from my parents....I received the sin nature.  I WAS BORN WITH INNER DECAY.....and as a result of the inner decay, I commit personal sins.  

a. Sad Thing about Man:  He is always trying to get a solution to a problem that he refuses to admit that even exists.  [namely that he is lost, that he has inherent sin, born in sin, has a sinful nature via Adam]

6. If you really want to get “nasty” about the real condition of man, then note Rom 3:10-18....for an analysis.

1. MAN IS DEPRAVED IN CHARACTER   10-12

2. MAN IS DEPRAVED IN HIS SPEECH  13-14

3. MAN IS DEPRAVED IN HIS CONDUCT  15-18.  

a. This is a hard diagnosis on the part of God, for remember the following:  CHARACTER is what a man IS;  SPEECH is what a man SAYS;  CONDUCT is what a man DOES.....and in all that a man IS, in all that a man SAYS, in all that a man DOES, there is the taint of depravity.