The Character of the Natural Man

About this sermon

Introduction: This morning we began looking at the indictment of the human race in specific and Scriptural terms. Paul had charged that all human beings are born “under sin”. We were all born, in Adam, under sin, under law, slaves of sin. This was all due to Adam’s fall. But now Paul doesn’t just charge it; he proves it. He takes them to the Word of God and from the Old Testament scriptures, from their own scriptures; he demonstrates the true, horrible, sinful condition of mankind. We said that it could be broken down this way. 1. The character of the natural man (vs.10-12) 2. The conversation of the natural man (vs.13-14) 3. The conduct of the natural man (vs.15-17) 4. The concern of the natural man (vs.18) This morning we began our look at the evidence. -No one is righteous (Universally evil) -No one understands (Universally ignorant) -No one seeks for God (Universally idolatrous) Tonight, we continue to look at man’s character, but now in terms of how man expresses those first three qualities. Here is who man is and because he is what he is, here is how he lives his life in GENERAL terms. And please note that, because these next three statements represent a GENERAL EXPRESSION, A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MAN’S WAY OF LIFE PRECISELY BECAUSE HE IS WHAT WE SAW IN THE FIRST THREE TERMS. He will get to specific expressions of depravity in a moment, but first he wants us to see the big picture. 1 I. THE CHARACTER OF THE NATURAL MAN (vs.10-12) A. HE IS NOT RIGHTEOUS B. HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND C. HE DOES NOT SEEK GOD D. THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE ἐκκλίνω Meaning: to deviate, to turn away (from someone or something) And if what they’ve turned away from is what is good and proper, it would speak of someone who is headed in the wrong direction, someone who is going opposite the proper path. The terrible picture that we have here is that the whole human race, outside of Jesus Christ, is on the wrong road. Now that offends people, and that directly contradicts what most people believe, which is, that there are many roads to God, and many paths that lead to heaven, but the Bible is plain that there are NOT many roads that lead to God, and not many paths that lead to heaven. There is one way to God and to heaven and Paul is declaring here that the result of man’s depraved nature is that he does not naturally know the way, and he is by nature on the wrong road. In fact, far from the Bible using the imagery of there being MANY roads, the Bible declares that there are only two. It was Jesus who taught this.

Topics

• Christian Living