God’s Word teaches the total depravity, sinfulness and guilt of all men since the Fall, rendering them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation (Psalm 51:5; Job 14:4; Romans 3:23; 5:12-17; Mark 7:21-23; Ephesians 2:1).
Man was created in the image of God, and he was righteous and holy. Man was the crown of God‟s creation (Genesis 1:26,27; Psalm 8:5-8; Genesis 1:31). Through voluntary disobedience and transgression, man fell into the depths of sin (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-6; Romans 5:17,19; Psalm 51:1- 5). The consequence of this is that every human being is born in sin and utterly void of the holiness of God. Every man is naturally inclined to evil (Psalm 51:1-5; Romans 3:10-18,23; Romans 7:14- 21; John 3:18,36; Romans 5:12-17; Job 14:4; Isaiah 48:8). The total depravity, sinfulness and guilt of all men since the fall, renders all sinners subject to God‟s wrath and condemnation (Psalm 7:11; 9:17).
DESCRIPTION OF THE SINNER
The Bible describes the fallen nature of man in various terms. Jesus Christ referred to sinners outside the Kingdom of God as swine and dogs. “Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6; Mark 7:25-28). He also referred to them as goats (Matthew 25:33). The apostle Paul warned the Philippian Church to beware of evil workers – dogs (Philippians 3:2). Also in the epistle to the Romans, he referred to the fallen nature of man, saying, “There is none that is righteous, no, not one . . . they are all together become unprofitable . . . their throat is an open sepulchre . . . whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness . . . for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:10-18,23. Jesus and John the Baptist described the nature of men as vipers (Matthew 3:7; 12:34).
The unregenerate man is variously characterised by a reprobate mind, being filled with all unrighteousness – immorality, covetousness, full of envy, murder, etc (Romans 1:28- 32; Mark 7:21-23). They are treacherous, transgressors, workers of iniquity; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, their imagination is only evil continually (Isaiah 48:8; 59:5-8; Genesis 6:5). They are cunning and crafty, full of wickedness, blind, foolish, with darkened understanding, children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3; 4:14). The Bible says that the whole head of man is sick, his heart devices wicked imaginations, and has come far short of the glory of God. All men have become enslaved to sin, and because sin dwells in the natural man, man is conceived in sin, born in sin, grows up in sin; by nature and habit, he is a sinner. The natural man cannot resist sin (Isaiah 64:6,7).
CONSEQUENCES OF SIN
The entire nature of man mentally, physically, morally and spiritually, has been affected by sin. The testimony of the scriptures is that the image of God in man has been seriously marred by this great fall. As a result of the fall, man became corrupted by sin and consequently separated from the perfect, pure and holy God. This separation is the root cause and beginning of sorrow, shame, fear heartaches and manifold problems we face . Man became a transgressor of God‟s law and consequently a debtor (Romans 1:32; 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4; Hebrews 9:27). All these have brought man under the wrath and condemnation of God, for the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
There is nothing we can do by ourselves to commend us to a righteous God. There is nothing the natural man (fallen away from grace) can offer to appease God for man to escape the righteous judgment of God. The consequences of the fall of man is that man became totally depraved, and the immediate effect was his separation from the holy God, and a curse came on Adam and his descendants (Genesis 3:1-6,14-19,23,24; Romans 5:12; 8:22). God‟s judgment also came upon all men (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). The human race has rebelled against God and broken His law.
REDEMPTION THROUGH CHRIST
But the love of God constrained Him to plan for man‟s redemption through the shedding of the Blood of Jesus (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus became God‟s Provision or Substitute for us (Genesis 22:7,8,14; 3:15; John 3:16). He became the Lamb of God (John 1:29; Matthew 1:21). By the perfec tsacrifice of His blood, man can be freed from the consequences of the fall and the curse of the broken law (I Corinthians 5:7; Exodus 12:13; Galatians 3:13). He also obtains complete removal from the guilt and condemnation of sin, with full redemption (Isaiah 53:4-8; Acts 8:32-35; I Peter 1:18-21; 2:24). The atonement is the reconciliation of sinful, fallen man to God made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The vicarious death of Jesus Christ is the substitution of Christ‟s suffering for the punishment of all sinners in the world.
What then should be man‟s response? It is threefold. One appreciation is needed; we should praise and worship Him for this great redemption (Gal 1:3-5). Two, repentance and faith are demanded of the sinner, that he should rise up from the dust of sin get hold on God in believing prayer for deliverance from sin (Acts 17:30; 20:20,21; Isaiah 55:6,7). And three, all that have tasted of the gift of eternal life should resolutely determine to keep faithful to the Lord, so that they would not crucify Him afresh (Hebrews 6:4-6; 12:15-17).