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man loves darkness rather than light man sin entered into the world, and
because his deeds are evil, (John death by sin; and so death passed
3:19). Again we are told in John 5:40, upon all men, for that all have sinned,”
that man will not come to Christ that (Rom. 5.12).
he might have life. That means, man It tells us that men are CAPTIVES
would rather go to hell than be saved. OF SATAN: “In meekness instructing
Were you to tell him to stop sinning, those that oppose themselves; if
you would be asking him to do that God peradventure will give them
which is against his nature. Paul in repentance to the acknowledging of
Romans 7: 19 puts it so well: “For the the truth; and that they may recover
good that I would I do not: but the evil themselves out of the snare of the
which I would not, that I do.” devil, who are taken captive by him at
Man’s greatest need therefore, even his will,” (2 Tim. 2.25, 26).
though he does not know it, is to be It shows us that men are BLIND
delivered from SIN, not from hell. AND DEAF: “. . . but unto them that
Today, man seeks to be delivered are without, all these things are done
from hell, sicknesses, diseases, in parables; that seeing they may see
poverty, curses etc. without realizing and not perceive, and hearing they
that his major problem in fact stems may hear and not understand,” (Mk
from the fact that he is SIN. 4.11, 12).
SIN is the cause of all his problems It shows us that we are
and this is what God saves him from. UNTEACHABLE: “But the natural man
Salvation therefore, is not receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
deliverance from sickness, poverty, God; for they are foolishness unto him;
demons and curses as is falsely taught neither can he know them”, because
today but from SIN. Besides, all the they are spiritually discerned,” (1 Cor.
aforementioned are as a result of sin. 2.14).
Destroy sin through Christ, and the The Bible speaks of man as being
kingdom of God is yours. NATURALLY SINFUL: [i] By Birth:
Do you wish to be delivered from it? “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and
Adam, when he sinned became SIN in sin did my mother conceive me,”
and adopted a nature likened to that (Ps 51.5). [ii] By Practice: “And God
of Satan – a nature that was contrary saw that the wickedness of man was
to all that is good. great upon the earth, and that every
From that time onwards, he became imagination of the thoughts of his
an enemy of God and was immediately heart was only evil continually,” (Gen.
alienated or separated from the life of 6.5).
God, (Col. 1:21). This condition pass Throughout the Bible, man is
to all his descendants. portrayed as sin. He loves it for it is
Now, that is what the Bible is all his nature. The unfortunate thing in
about, a testimony of God against man all this is that man is not only SIN
-- testifying of his sinful condition and but totally blinded to his wickedness.
his hatred towards Him. Besides, his heart deceives him into
The Bible indeed teaches with thinking that he is somebody, that he
absolute clarity that man, as a result is rich and increased in goods, and has
of SIN, is DEAD: “Wherefore, as by one need of nothing, (Rev. 3:17).
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