Word of Salvation – Vol. 20 No.15 – January 1974
Whence Comes This Depraved Nature Of Man?
Sermon by Rev. J. J. Van Wageningen, B.D. on Lord’s Day 3
Scripture Readings: O.T. Psalm 51; N.T. Romans 5
Psalter Hymnal: Opening Hymn No. 318; After Scripture Reading No.94;
After sermon No. 378:1,3; Before Benediction No.385; No.491
Nowadays you hear much about the theory of evolution. It is a widespread theory. Our children learn about it at school, for many teachers accept it as the truth without any reserve.
What is meant by evolution?
First something about the word itself.
The first meaning is: unfolding, opening out. E.g. a bud unfolds itself into a flower. All the leaves were neatly and closely folded together in the bud, and then, rather surprisingly, a beautiful flower evolves from it.
The word evolution also means development, and in the theory of evolution this development is supposed to include the whole universe from the very first beginning. What this very first beginning exactly is and from where it originates, nobody knows. The evolutionist however, the man who believes this theory of evolution, believes that somehow the process of development started and through forces that are inside of it, and under the influence of different circumstances, the universe and the earth and the living beings happened to come into existence during unimaginably long periods of time; the higher forms developing, evolving, from the lower. Lifeless beings develop into living ones, very simple ones of course, and these simple forms of life develop into higher and more complicated beings.
At the top of the ladder man stands. He is still imperfect, but the process of evolution, the process of development is still going on. Therefore, according to this theory, we may be optimistic as far as the future is concerned. Superman is in the making. Man may still be imperfect, but his shortcomings are no sins. It is simply a stage of his development; these imperfections will be overcome.
This theory stands squarely against God’s Word.
God Himself tells us in His Word, that He is the almighty Creator of heaven and earth, of everything. God also created man.
God created man good, like all other creatures. All that came forth out of God’s hands was good. But God created man not only good, but He placed man on a much higher level than the other creatures. He created man after His own image, in His own likeness.
Do you understand the meaning of this expression?
When a child takes after his father or mother, in his outward appearance, or with regard to his character, then we can say, such a child is the very image of his father or mother.
And so when we read in Genesis that God created man after His own image, we must see Adam as a child of God, a child that takes after his heavenly Father.
Man was able to live in fellowship with God; to listen to God and speak to God; to love and obey God. And Adam actually did so. He lived with God as a child with his Father. “Adam, the son of God.” (Luke 3:38). The relationship of man with God was good, a relationship of love, because man was righteous and holy. He was in accordance with God’s will, without anything that was wrong, without sin, without blemish, completely devoted to God.
He rejoiced in the love and favour of God, his Creator.
He rightly knew God. Adam and Eve were no little children, looking around with wide eyes full of amazement, not understanding what it all meant. They knew: this is our Father’s world, His hand the wonders wrought.
They saw His glory, they heard His praise in the beauty of Paradise, in the beauty of the still unspoiled creation. Adam and Eve were children of God; God created man good and after His own image, that is in true righteousness and holiness, that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love Him, and live with Him in eternal blessedness to praise and glorify Him.
A glorious future was before him: eternal blessedness! And the real thing of this blessedness is: unchangeable fellowship with God! And its purpose is: the glory of God!
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When we look at the situation as it is now in the world; when we look at the condition of man, then we know that we are really far away from Paradise, far away from that blessedness. We are prone by nature to hate God and our neighbour. We know this and we confess this as believers in Christ.
Our human nature is terribly corrupt, bad, wicked, depraved. We do not like to confess this. Even as believers we find it difficult. It is all right when it is said in a general and impersonal way. That does not hurt so much. But when it comes to us personally, and the symptoms of our depraved nature are clearly indicated, e.g. our selfishness, our pride, our love of money, etc., then we do not like it anymore. Then we are prone, inclined by nature to excuse ourselves, just like Adam did.
He had sinned against God by eating the forbidden fruit. He could not deny it; that was impossible. The terrible consequences of his sin were all too clear. But he tried to excuse himself. “The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” The woman was the cause of all the trouble. No, actually he blamed God. “The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me”. Excusing himself, he accuses God, his Maker.
Whence, then, comes this depraved nature of man?
From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise.
This is the real cause, as revealed to us in God’s Word.
Adam and Eve fell. From the very heights on which God had placed them, they fell into the depths of sin and guilt and misery.
And it was not just an accident, as somebody can topple over from a cliff into the depths of the sea below. They are not innocent, pitiable victims, who cannot help it. The Catechism uses two words: the fall and disobedience of Adam and Eve.
Disobedience, that means they did not do the will of God; consciously and willingly they acted against His will. They did so in spite of the fact that they owed everything to Him. The following Lord’s Day of the Catechism comes back to this wilful disobedience. Therefore it is enough to state this fact without going deeper into it now. It was disobedience, rebellion against God. This is the cause of the terrible condition of man.
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The next excuse is: Have I anything to do with Adam? That is so long ago. We are individualists. We are inclined to look at mankind as if it is a multitude of swarming ants or a heap of sand-grains. It seems as if everybody lives his own life and has nothing to do with the other. We do not realize very much the connectedness of all men from the very beginning.
But God says that mankind is one whole, represented by the first man, Adam. “God made from one every nation of men.” (Acts 17:26).
“By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.”
“One man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men”.
“Sin came into the world through one man and death through sin,
and so death spread to all men because all men sinned.”
(Romans 5:18, 19, 12).
The Catechism calls Adam and Eve our first parents!
We have everything to do with them. We may deny it, but that does not change the facts. God gave Adam that position, father of us all and representative of us all. God made that relationship, that bond between Adam and the whole of mankind. And all God made is good. We, little, sinful creatures may not like it; we may not be able to understand and explain it; we may even criticize it; but the fact remains that what God does is good.
God’s Word clearly says: “sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all men sinned.”
We are children of Adam. We are “in him”. Our human nature is sinful. We are guilty. We walk in the steps of Adam. We are subject to death, every man without exception.
By the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, our nature became so corrupt that we all are conceived and born in sin. When a baby is born, it is not pure and sinless. Many people think so; a baby has nothing to do with corruption and guilt and sin yet; it is good and holy. Of course it is true that it has no conscious life yet, and therefore it does not commit sins. It is however a member of the human race, a child of Adam, and it shares in the corruption of human nature; it shares in the sin and guilt that originates from Adam and rests on the whole of mankind. “We all are conceived and born in sin.” Therefore a baby too is subject to death.
God reveals this in His Word. It does not give us an optimistic view of man and of mankind.
Practical experience makes us aware of the fact that there is a lot of misery and trouble in the world, and that man has something to do with it. And we point to others: there are so many selfish and materialistic people, who want to get rich at the cost of fellowmen; there are so many criminals, who do nasty things and cause a lot of trouble and sorrow; there are the communists who suppress peoples and take away all freedom, who are filled with hatred against religion. So we can go on, and we point to others in our own small circle: one of the neighbours is a trouble-maker, or there is a church member whom we do not like, because he is not so kind.
God says: it is worse – it is not a matter of some, or of many, who have a nasty character, who do wrong things, who commit crimes, who are trouble- makers, etc. No, it is a matter of all.
God does not point to others; He points to you and me, to every-one of us. There are no exceptions. As children of Adam, we all are conceived and born in sin.
It is worse, for it is not just a matter of some character traits, of some evil inclinations, of some evil deeds; no, for all of us it holds true, that we are wholly incapable of doing any good, and that we are inclined to all evil.
“The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” (Gen.8:21)
“Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. (Job 14:4)
“What is man that he can be clean?
Or he that is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?” (Job 15:14)
“All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned everyone to his own way…!”’ (Isaiah 53:6)
“That which is born of the flesh, is flesh.” (John 3:6)
This is the truth concerning man. This is the reality God shows us.
“Wholly incapable of doing any good.”
Do not think that this is an exaggeration, because man is still able to do so many good things; e.g. parents love their children and take care of them; people have pity on those who are less fortunate and they are willing to give money for such good purposes; man is able to make a lot of useful and beautiful things, etc.
Is it true what the Catechism says, “Wholly incapable of doing any good?” It all depends on what you mean by good.
God says: good in His sight is what is done in perfect love and obedience for Him. Think of the summary of the law.
In this light it is clear that we are not able to do any good. On the contrary, we are inclined to do the opposite. We are inclined to do all evil. Man does not actually do all evil, for God keeps him back, stops him, restrains him from doing so. But this does not change his sinful nature. He is inclined to do all evil.
Only by faith we understand this truth. Only by faith we see this reality. It is terrible. It is hopeless. Indeed from our human standpoint it is hopeless. Education, training, development, culture, nothing helps. Our corruption is so great, that, if nothing happens, we are lost, we perish, we are going down in eternal darkness and destruction.
Only God can do something about it, God the Holy Spirit. Regeneration, a total, a radical renewal is necessary.
Jesus says to Nicodemus: “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” (John 3).
Do we realize what this means?
Not in a general way, but for ourselves personally?
Then we shall be very humble.
In ourselves we are no better than the greatest sinner in the world.
Then we shall be very thankful.
We are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, children of God.
That is, we are new men,
thanks only to the wonderful,
the powerful work of the Spirit!