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The sinner is a stubborn and insolent beast who not only refuses the will of his Maker but also seeks to impose his own upon Him.
In light of what the Scriptures teach us about the supremacy, sovereignty, and power of God, our sin must be seen as the grossest form of arrogance and the height of insanity.
The word lawlessness is translated from the Greek word anomia, meaning literally “no law” or “without law.” To practice lawlessness is to live as though God were morally neutral or apathetic, or to live as though God had never revealed His will to mankind.
man cannot obey or subject himself to the law of God because he will not, and he will not because he hates God. The problem is not free will, but ill will. Fallen man so hates God that he will not submit to Him even if it leads to eternal destruction.
Genuine obedience to the will of God reveals a genuine love toward Him. Sin demonstrates the very opposite—an aversion or enmity. This despicable and inexcusable disposition toward God stands at the very core of every kind of sin committed.
when man sins against God, he betrays the one who is worthy of his greatest allegiance, loyalty, commitment, and duty. For this reason, sin is the worst of treacheries—the highest form of treason—and evokes the penalty of death.
any and all forms of sin are an abomination before the Lord, resulting in His extreme disgust, loathing, and hatred.
man’s falling short of the glory of God means that he has failed to glorify God as he ought, and he has forfeited his unique privilege to bear or reflect God’s glory.
the Scriptures argue that there are no real atheists. All men have a knowledge of the one true God, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them through what has been made so that they are without excuse.9
Secondly, the Scriptures argue that the atheist’s problem is not intellectual but moral.
Thirdly, the Scriptures argue against the possibility of a moral atheist, because apart from the grace of God, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”12
Fourthly, the argument that it is unjust to condemn the moral atheist represents a distinctly humanistic and man-centered view of reality. In a man-centered universe, man is responsible to man, but in a God-centered universe, he is responsible primarily to God and only secondarily to man.
Finally, the seemingly moral atheist is guilty not only of refusing to give glory to God but also of seeking to pilfer glory from Him.
Sin defaced the image of God and Ichabod was written on man’s forehead, for the glory of the Lord had departed.19
depravity. The word is derived from the prefix de-, which communicates intensity, and the Latin word pravus, which means twisted or crooked. To call something depraved means that its original state or form has been thoroughly perverted. To say that the human race is depraved means that it has fallen from its original state of righteousness and that all men are born as morally corrupt sinners by nature.
Total depravity does mean that the image of God in man has been seriously defaced or disfigured, and that moral corruption has polluted the entire person—body, reason, emotions, and will.4
Total depravity does mean that man cannot submit himself to God because he will not, and he will not because of his own hostility toward God.13
Man is not a victim but a culprit. He cannot because he will not. His corruption and enmity toward God are so great that he would rather suffer eternal punishment than acknowledge God to be God and submit to His sovereignty.
Imagine a political prisoner justly locked away in a dungeon for his betrayal of king and country. One day the just and merciful king visits the cell and throws open the door. He then promises to give full pardon to the prisoner and restore his freedom on the singular condition that he renounce his rebellion, honor the king, and submit to the king’s law. Upon hearing the word of the king, the prisoner races to the door and slams it closed, confining himself once again to the horrid dungeon. Then, in a fit of rage, he spits at the king and exclaims, “I would rather rot in this cell than bow my
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“Does man possess free will?” The scriptural answer is that man is free to choose as he pleases, but because he is depraved, it pleases him to choose evil. In other words, fallen man does have free will, but he does not have a good will. His will is in bondage to his own depraved nature, and therefore he will always freely choose in opposition to the person and will of God. Jesus’ scathing rebuke of the Pharisees clearly reveals this: “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things?”26
“Man is no more inclined to seek God than a criminal at large is inclined to seek after an officer of the law.”
imagine that the local Optimist Club decides to take in a poor leper and make him presentable. They wash him ever so carefully and mask his smell in the most expensive perfumes. Finally, they dress him in a pure white garment made of the finest silk and present him for all the world to see. Although their labors may produce a momentary benefit for the leper and evoke applause for themselves, it will not take long for the veneer to fall away. The rot of the man’s body will quickly bleed through the cloth and his stench will soon overpower the fragrances. Within moments, the man, the garment,
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In considering the wrath of God, it is important to understand that it is not an uncontrollable, irrational, or selfish emotion, but His wrath is the result of His holiness, righteousness, and love. It is also a necessary element of His government. Because of who God is, He must react adversely to sin. God is holy. Therefore, evil repulses Him, and He breaks fellowship with the wicked. God is love and zealously loves all that is good. Such intense love for righteousness manifests itself in an equally intense hatred of all that is evil. Thus, the love of God does not negate the wrath of God;
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The oft-repeated statement that God is not an angry God is untrue and it cannot offer any real comfort to man! What comfort could be found in a God who is neutral toward evil and demonstrates no indignation against it? How could God be good, loving, or even moral if He did not burn with indignation over the slave trade, Auschwitz, or the slaughter of millions of unborn children in the name of convenience?
the Scriptures teach us that the infinitely holy, righteous, and loving God is a God of wrath. He is never apathetic toward evil; He burns with an unquenchable fire against it. He directs His righteous indignation toward the almost infinite number of sins committed against Him at every tick of the clock.
Many preachers have unknowingly retitled Jonathan Edward’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” as “Slightly Dysfunctional Individuals in the Hands of a Mildly Disgruntled Deity.”
We must never forget that the Christ who gave His life for the nations is the same who will strike them down and rule them with a rod of iron.11 The Suffering Servant who trod the path to Calvary will one day tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.12 The Savior who shed His blood for His enemies will appear a second time with His robe dipped in the blood of His enemies.13 The Lamb who bore the wrath of God on the tree is the same who will pour out the wrath of God upon those gathered against Him to such an extent that they will cry out for the mountains to fall upon
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Right standing in the presence of God requires absolute, or unmitigated, moral perfection. Every thought, word, and deed from the moment of birth to the moment of death must be found in perfect conformity to the nature and will of God. The slightest flaw or smallest deviation from this standard results in an immediate disqualification. We only need to look to the sin and fall of Adam to learn that there is a great strictness and severity in God’s righteousness. For this reason, when the moralist asks, “What must I do to be saved?” we must place before him the demand of perfect obedience. If,
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The word justified comes from the Greek verb dikaióo, which means to prove or declare someone to be righteous or as he ought to be. In the context of Scripture and the doctrine of salvation, the word justified is a forensic, or legal, declaration.11 The man who believes God is justified, that is, righteousness has been credited to his account. He is reckoned, or declared, to be right with God, and God treats him as such. In his letter to the church in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”12
It is important to note that the term justified does not mean that the moment a man believes God he is made righteous. If that were the case, the believing one would be transformed into a perfectly righteous being that no longer sins or is even capable of such. Nor does the term mean that the believing man is infused with a special grace that enables him to live a more righteous life and thus gain a right standing before God based upon his works. If that were the case, then salvation would no longer be by faith, and grace would no longer be grace.13
The amazing thing about justification is that this perfect life Jesus lived is imputed to the believer—placed in his account.
Joseph, who was a type of Christ, possessed a splendid coat of many colors that he would not share with his brothers. However, Christ, the one greater than Joseph, delights in clothing His brothers in His multifaceted robe of indescribable righteousness. It is a coat of beauty that brings glory to the most impoverished wretch, and a coat of mail to stand against all the flaming arrows of the evil one.22
the very heart of the gospel: Christ died as a propitiation.
God abhors and loathes any person, especially any authority or judge, who justifies or acquits a guilty person. Yet this is the very theme of the gospel message! Throughout history, God has done this very thing. He has justified wicked men, forgiven their lawless deeds, and covered their sins. How then can He still be just?
The marvel of the gospel is not that God chose love over justice but that He was able to remain just while granting forgiveness in love.
“How can God be just and yet justify ungodly people?” The answer is found in one of the greatest words of Scripture—propitiation.
the death of the sacrifice is utterly meaningless unless the one offering His life as a propitiation is truly qualified to do so.
the value of the act is dependent upon the character of the one performing it.
Jesus was both God and man, both impeccable (without sin) and of infinite value. If He did not meet all of these qualifications, then His offering on our behalf would have accomplished nothing.
the infinite worth and perfect obedience of the Son of God. The One who was nailed to the cross of Calvary was God, and the life He gave for the sake of His people was of infinite worth.
The dignity of an infinite person swallows up and absorbs all the infinities of punishment due to us.”24
“How can the life of one Man satisfy the divine justice due the many? It is because He was true deity and His one life was worth more than the lives of all others combined!
Imagine for a moment that the whole of creation is placed upon a scale—mountains and molehills, dust and stars, mice and men, all that has been or shall be. Then imagine that Christ steps on to the counterbalance. The scales immediately tip in His favor, for His worth infinitely outweighs the whole of all else.
Our salvation required a sacrifice of infinite value, and “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” has such value.26
On the cross, Christ did not become sinful; rather our sins were imputed to Him, and God considered Him to be guilty of our crimes and treated Him with the judgment we deserved. He did not become sin by partaking in our corruption but by bearing our guilt. We must not forget that even while He bore our sins, He remained the unblemished and spotless Lamb of God, and His sacrifice was a fragrant aroma to His Father.23
The divine curse is the antonym of divine blessing; therefore, by using the Beatitudes as our standard, we can learn something of what it means to come under the curse of God. The blessed are granted the kingdom of heaven. The cursed are refused entrance. The blessed are recipients of divine comfort. The cursed are objects of divine wrath. The blessed inherit the land. The cursed are cut off from it. The blessed are satisfied. The cursed are miserable and wretched. The blessed receive mercy. The cursed are condemned without pity. The blessed shall see God. The cursed are cut off from His
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From heaven’s perspective, those who break God’s law are vile and worthy of all loathing. They are a wretched lot, justly exposed to divine vengeance and rightly devoted to eternal destruction. It is not an exaggeration to say that the last thing that the accursed sinner should and will hear when he takes his first step into hell is all of creation standing to its feet and applauding God because He has rid the earth of him. Such is the vileness of those who break God’s law, and such is the disdain of the holy towards the unholy.
David cried out, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”48 Yet on the cross, the sin imputed to Christ was exposed before God and the host of heavens. He was placarded before men and made a spectacle to angels and devils alike.49 The transgressions He bore were not forgiven Him, and the sins He carried were not covered. If a man is counted blessed because iniquity is not imputed to Him, then Christ was cursed beyond measure because the iniquity of us all fell
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Imagine an immense dam that is filled to the brim and straining against the weight behind it. All at once, the protective wall breaks away and the massive destructive power of the deluge is unleashed. As certain destruction races towards a small village in the nearby valley, the ground suddenly opens up before it and drinks down that which would have carried it away. In similar fashion, the judgment of God was rightly racing toward every man. Escape could not be found on the highest hill or in the deepest abyss. The fleetest of foot could not outrun it, nor could the strongest swimmer endure
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If the value of a gift demonstrates love, then Calvary proves that God’s love for His people cannot be calculated. Who can measure the worth of Christ? It would be easier to count the stars in the heavens and every grain of sand in the sea. His value is infinitely greater than all of creation combined.
