A Brief Bible Study |
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Your Bible Lesson For The Day
How Did The Fall Into Sin Affect Everyone Spiritually?
Have you ever tried to share with another person the good news about God’s love, forgiveness, and gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ? And even if you explained that good news two or three times, that other person just did not understand it, or did not care to hear it, or made fun of it and rejected it? If so, what was the reason for that? For the answer to that question you must go back to the fall into sin and how the Bible says it affected everyone spiritually.
1 Corinthians 2:14 tells you, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually distinguished.” People as they are born into this world do not have the Holy Spirit working in them. Without the Spirit, they do not accept the spiritual truths and teachings of the Spirit. They cannot understand them. They have no ability to distinguish such spiritual matters. They consider those spiritual matters foolishness. For that reason they cannot understand the good news about the Savior Jesus Christ and believe that God offers eternal life and salvation to all people through faith in him.
Ephesians 2:1 tells you that people by nature are dead in their transgressions and sins. They are not physically dead; they are spiritually dead. How muich can a dead person do? Nothing! Right? Why? Because they are dead! So too, all people, including you, were born spiritually dead, given only to committing transgressions and sins and doing evil all the time (see Genesis 8:21). And being spiritually dead, by their own choosing or thinking they cannot believe the good news of Jesus Christ or decide to accept him as their Lord and Savior. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “No one is able to say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by means of the Holy Spirit.” God the Holy Spirit must enable people to believe in Jesus; otherwise, left to themselves, they cannot believe in him. By their own powers they cannot bring themselves to faith or begin to co-operate in bringing themselves to faith. Faith is solely the work and gift of God.
Being spiritually dead, people by nature have a mindset that is hostile toward God, as Romans 8:7 says. They do not love God; they have no desire to love God or to abide by his will. The spiritual truth is: they are not even able to subject themselves to the law of God and obey it. They are by nature, then, what Ephesians 2:3 says – they are children of wrath who are subject to the wrath and punishment of God.
So when you share the good news about Jesus with others, and they don’t understand it, care less about it, and even reject it , don’t be surprised. Simply recognize that because of the fall into sin, such people are by nature spiritually dead and without spiritual understanding. Pray that God the Holy Spirit may yet use your message about Jesus to bring them to faith in the future.
1 Corinthians 2:14 tells you, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually distinguished.” People as they are born into this world do not have the Holy Spirit working in them. Without the Spirit, they do not accept the spiritual truths and teachings of the Spirit. They cannot understand them. They have no ability to distinguish such spiritual matters. They consider those spiritual matters foolishness. For that reason they cannot understand the good news about the Savior Jesus Christ and believe that God offers eternal life and salvation to all people through faith in him.
Ephesians 2:1 tells you that people by nature are dead in their transgressions and sins. They are not physically dead; they are spiritually dead. How muich can a dead person do? Nothing! Right? Why? Because they are dead! So too, all people, including you, were born spiritually dead, given only to committing transgressions and sins and doing evil all the time (see Genesis 8:21). And being spiritually dead, by their own choosing or thinking they cannot believe the good news of Jesus Christ or decide to accept him as their Lord and Savior. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “No one is able to say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by means of the Holy Spirit.” God the Holy Spirit must enable people to believe in Jesus; otherwise, left to themselves, they cannot believe in him. By their own powers they cannot bring themselves to faith or begin to co-operate in bringing themselves to faith. Faith is solely the work and gift of God.
Being spiritually dead, people by nature have a mindset that is hostile toward God, as Romans 8:7 says. They do not love God; they have no desire to love God or to abide by his will. The spiritual truth is: they are not even able to subject themselves to the law of God and obey it. They are by nature, then, what Ephesians 2:3 says – they are children of wrath who are subject to the wrath and punishment of God.
So when you share the good news about Jesus with others, and they don’t understand it, care less about it, and even reject it , don’t be surprised. Simply recognize that because of the fall into sin, such people are by nature spiritually dead and without spiritual understanding. Pray that God the Holy Spirit may yet use your message about Jesus to bring them to faith in the future.
