GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #408

“DEATH PASSED UPON ALL MEN” Romans 5:12

Pastor Don Fortner

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

2734 Old Stanford Road

Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Spiritual death is the spiritual, moral corruption and defilement of human nature. We are not informed about all the mischief, misery, and madness Adam experienced as a result of his sin, in spiritual death. However, some of the sad effects of the fall are clearly revealed in the Word of God. Here are seven things involved in the spiritual death, seven sad consequences of Adam’s sin.

1. CORRUPTION - The first sad consequence of Adam’s fall upon himself and us is the utter corruption and depravity of the entire human race. As soon as he sinned, man who was made upright became unrighteous, filled with unrighteousness, and wickedness, and every abomination. Therefore, the Apostle tells us, “There is none righteous, no not one!” This corruption of nature was signified by nakedness (Gen. 3:7). This nakedness was more than a physical nakedness. They were physically naked before the fall. This was a nakedness of their souls before God, a nakedness which came upon them by their sin. This nakedness of soul is our lack of righteousness, our lack of clothing before God. The nakedness of their bodies now became an emblem of corruption and guilt before God. As Adam immediately tried, by the works of his hands, to cover his nakedness, so every man and woman, since we became sinners, is utterly self-righteous by nature. Every sinner goes about to establish his own righteousness and refuses to submit to the righteousness of God in Christ, until God strips him of his imaginary righteousness and exposes his naked corruption. “It is as natural to man to be self-righteous as to be sinful” (John Gill). Yet, all that men do to attain righteousness by their own works is of no more significance than Adam’s fig leaves. Nothing can cover us from the sight of Divine justice, nothing can shelter us from the stormy winds of Divine wrath, nothing can justify us in the sight of God, nothing can entitle us to eternal life, except the blood and righteousness of the Son of God.

2. GUILT - As already indicated, the second aspect of spiritual death is guilt. It was a guilt of conscience that made Adam and Eve perceive their nakedness. Guilt is the universal consequence of sin. Guilt is not something imposed by society. Guilt is the imposition of God upon the consciences of sinners. The consciousness of guilt causes shame. It causes men and women, like Adam and Eve, to hide themselves from God.

3. FEAR - A third thing involved in spiritual death, a third consequence of sin is fear, the slavish fear and dread of God. There is in every man by nature a fearful looking for of judgment and righteous indignation, even in the most brazen of sinners. Adam said to God, “I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He hid himself, but to no avail. There is no fleeing from the presence of God. Darkness and light are the same to him. How silly it was for Adam to try to hide behind the shade of a tree from the all-seeing eye of the omniscient God! Yet this is exactly what all men try to do (Amos 9:2-3). Even when judgment comes, men and women will still try to hide from God. When their fig leaves of self-righteousness are torn away, they will try to hide in the rocks and mountains. So utterly void of life and light is fallen man that even the great white throne judgment will do nothing to change his nature (Matt. 7:22-23; Rev. 6:15-17).

4. IGNORANCE - Another characteristic of spiritual death is ignorance, spiritual ignorance. The natural man does not understand anything spiritual (Rom. 3:11; 1 Cor. 2:14). No man by nature knows or can know God the Father, his Son Christ Jesus, or the Spirit of grace. No man knows, or can know by any natural power, the way of life, salvation, and peace. The natural man, no matter how religious and well trained, can never even see, much less enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5-7).

5. BANISHMENT - The fifth thing involved in spiritual death is banishment, banishment from God, banishment from good, banishment from life (Gen. 3:24). This banishment was, to quote Gill again, “an emblem of that alienation from God, from the life of God, and communion with him, which sin has produced, and which has set man at a distance from God; hence Christ suffered to bring his people near unto him; and by his blood they that were afar off were made nigh unto God.”

6. CONDEMNATION - Spiritual death, sixthly, involves condemnation. As soon as Adam and Eve became sinners they were brought under the curse and condemnation of God’s holy law. Not only shall fallen man be cursed and condemned forever in hell, he is cursed and condemned even now, universally cursed. So that every thing he is and everything he does is cursed. Even the plowing of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord (Gen. 3:16-19; Deut. 28:15-18). In addition to all these things, corruption, guilt, fear, ignorance, banishment, and condemnation must be added…

7. INABILITY - Man’s spiritual death and total depravity has brought him into a state and condition of utter and total helplessness and inability. There is nothing a man can do to change his condition. He has neither the will nor the ability to alter his condition. He can sin with a high hand and a willing heart; but no man can, of his own accord and by his own power repent, believe on Christ, cease from sin, or perform any good thing in God’s sight. Sin has brought man into a state of slavery to sin, Satan, and the world. This is the proverbial "pandora box" from whence have sprung all spiritual maladies and bodily diseases, and death. AMEN.