The Bible, God’s inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16), is a picture book: a kind of family album of the human race. The pictures in God’s album are true to life; they are not touched-up, therefore they are sometimes very uncomplimentary. By “the natural man” we mean the man who is not a Christian, who has never been born again, and who is described in Ephesians 2:3 by the words “by nature…” (1 Corinthians 2:14). In this study we are to look at God’s photograph of fallen humanity, of every man and woman who is not a Christian, and of ourselves, apart from the grace of God and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit outlined in Ephesians 1.
Ephesians 2:1: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins”
Compare Genesis 3:15-17 with Romans 5:12; John 5:24; 40; 1 John 3:14; 5:11-12; then Ephesians 4:18. Physical death is the separation of the body from the soul; spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God, and by nature we are all spiritually dead.
That is, his conduct is according to the trend of the age in which he lives. The unregenerate person lives according to the standards of this world – with regard, for example, to his attitude towards sin, pleasures, dress, desires (Matthew 7:13-14, and compare Psalm 1).
In other words, by nature he is controlled by Satan. Our first parents listened to the lie of Satan, and when they yielded to him they became dominated by him (Genesis 3:1-13); and unsaved are likewise under the control of the Enemy of souls. Satan is a real person whose domain is the air, and he is tremendously active (1 John 5:19).
Our first parents disobeyed God, and we have inherited their fallen nature; consequently our natural tendency is to disobey the Lord (Psalm 51:5) which tells us that by nature our tendency is to commit sin.
The word “craving” refers to that which we naturally desire, and because unsaved are spiritually dead and controlled by Satan their desires are fleshly, perverted, often sensual. Notice the words “passions of our flesh” in v. 3, and compare Romans 7:18; 8:8.
This means that by nature men and women are condemned and are under sentence of death. Look up the following references and notice how forcibly this truth is brought out: John 3:18-19 and 3:36; and Romans 1:18-20. How solemn this is! Everyone who is not a Christian is condemned already and is under the wrath of God.
See what the Lord Jesus said in John 14:6. What a solemn thing it is to be “separate from Christ”! Millions around the world today are without Christ, the only Savior of men (Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5-6).
To be unregenerate is to be a poor wandering outcast, a spiritually displaced person; it is to have no country, no Heavenly Home (John 14:1-30) and this is the position of everyone who is not a Christian.
A stranger has no claim whatsoever upon God. Only those who are related to God through faith in Christ Jesus and who are therefore members of His family have any claim on Him at all (Matthew 22:11-13; Luke 13:25-26).
He is helpless, and apart from Christ his state is hopeless. Sometimes a doctor has to tell his patient that his case is hopeless – physically hopeless; but God tells us that apart from Christ our condition is spiritually hopeless (John 8:21; 24).
He is a God-less man, like the rich farmer of whom we read in Luke 12:16-21 (look up and compare Luke 12:24, where we read of the ravens who had no barns but they had God; and Luke 12:18, where we read of the farmer who had barns but who had no God).
By nature we hate God: Psalm 14:1 (lit.) – “No God for me!”
According to God, man by nature is lost, helpless, completely ruined by sin, under the domination of Satan therefore in need of a Savior and of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. How very wonderful it is that in spite of all that we are by nature, God loves us and wants us – revel in the glorious truth of Ephesians 2:4-7.
