Chapter Five
We cannot attain to the practice of true holiness by any of our endeavours e cannot achieve true holiness through our efforts alone while remaining in our natural state and without experiencing a new state through union and fellowship with Christ through faith.
It is clear that not everyone possesses that precious faith which allows
Christ to dwell in our hearts. In fact, the number of those who have it is small compared to the whole world, which lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19, 20). Furthermore, many who eventually attain this faith go without it for a significant period (Ephesians 2:12). While some may receive the spirit of faith from their mother's womb (such as John the Baptist, Luke 1:15, 44), even they must experience a natural existence through physical birth before they can undergo spiritual regeneration (1 Corinthians 15:46). This leads us to consider two states or conditions of human beings in matters relating to God and godliness, which are vastly different from one another. Those who have the blessing of being born anew and created in Christ through faith are placed in an excellent state, consisting of the enjoyment of Christ's righteousness for their justification and the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ for holy living in the present and eternal glory, as we have already seen. On the other hand, those who are not in Christ through faith cannot be in a better state than what they inherited from the first Adam through physical birth or what they can attain through the power of their nature, with any assistance God may be pleased to provide. I refer to the latter as a natural state because it consists of things received through natural generation or attainable through natural abilities with divine help, as the Scriptures describe those in this state as natural men (1 Corinthians 2:14). The former
I call a new state because we enter into it through a new birth in Christ. It could also be called a spiritual state according to the Scriptures because it is received from Christ, the life-giving Spirit, and the natural and spiritual man are contrasted (1 Corinthians 2:14, 15). Although some refer to both these states as spiritual because they primarily concern the eternal wellbeing or damnation of the soul or spirit of man.
It is a common mistake for those in a corrupt natural state to seek to reform their lives according to the law without realizing that their state must be changed before their lives can be transformed from sin to righteousness.
The pagans, who were unaware of a new state in Christ, were prompted by their consciences to practice various duties of the law based on the knowledge they had through the light of nature (Romans 2:14, 15). The physical descendants of Israel zealously pursued God and godliness and endeavoured to observe the written law, at least in external actions, even though they were enemies of the faith in Christ. Even Paul reached a point where he was blameless in external observances of the righteous requirements of the law while persecuting the church of Christ (Philippians
3:6).
Some individuals who remain in a natural state are so close to the kingdom of God that they are convinced of the spiritual nature of the law.
They understand that the law primarily commands us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
They strive and labour with great earnestness to bring their inward thoughts and affections in line with God's law. They aim not only to abstain from some sins, but from all known sins, and to wholeheartedly perform every known duty of the law. They are dedicated in their devout practices, sometimes to the point of overworking their natural strength. Their zeal is fervent, and they are even willing to subject their bodies to fasting and other self-mortifications in order to conquer their sinful desires. They strongly believe that holiness is absolutely necessary for salvation and are deeply affected by the fear of damnation. However, they have not been sufficiently enlightened in the mystery of the gospel to understand that a new state in Christ is required for a new life. Consequently, they labour in vain to reform their natural state instead of rising above it in Christ. Some of these individuals, after spending many years struggling against the current of their sinful desires without success, eventually fall into despair, believing they will never attain holiness. As a result, they either sink into indulgence in their lusts or are consumed by a fearful horror of conscience.
There are several false beliefs that these ignorant zealots hold onto to justify their futile efforts. Some of them think they are capable of practicing holiness because they are not compelled to sin and can abstain from it if they choose to. They add that Christ, through the merit of His death, has restored their freedom of will to do good, which was lost in the Fall, and has set their nature right again. They believe that if they make an effort, Christ will assist them with His saving grace. They also argue that it would be unjust for God to punish them for sin if they were unable to avoid it, and that it would be pointless for ministers of the gospel to preach and exhort them to saving duties if they were incapable of performing them. They cite examples of heathens and nominal Christians who have achieved great excellence in religious words and works without any knowledge of the faith
I have described.
My current task is to liberate those ignorant zealots from their fruitless and tormenting efforts by leading them to despair of attaining holiness in a natural state. Instead, they should seek it only in a new state through faith in Christ, where they can certainly find it without such torment and spiritual anxiety. To accomplish this, I will establish the truth asserted in the guidance and strengthen it against the aforementioned false beliefs through the following considerations.
1. The foundation of this assertion is firmly established in the guidance that has already been explained and is supported by numerous passages of Scripture. If all the necessary qualities required for a holy practice can only be obtained in a state of union and fellowship with Christ through faith, and if faith itself is not acquired through the natural power of free will but through the power of Christ entering the soul by His Spirit to unite us with Himself, then it becomes clear that the pursuit of true holiness through our most vigorous efforts while remaining in our natural condition is utterly hopeless. I need not say more, except to emphasize the abundance of light that the Scripture provides to guide us correctly in this aspect, so that those who deviate from it by following their own false lights or corrupted judgments may find themselves more accountable.
2. It is evident that we cannot practice true holiness while remaining in a natural state, for we must be born of water and the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). We are created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in (Eph. 2:10). If we were capable of loving God and our neighbour as the law requires without a new birth and creation, then we could live without them, as Christ said, "Do this and you will live" (Luke 10:28). However, a new birth and creation entail more than simply reforming and repairing our natural state. If the first birth and creation produced both the substance of a person and a state, the second birth and creation had nothing to produce except a new state for the same individual. It is important to note that we were first created and born in Adam, the natural man, but our new birth and creation are in Christ, the spiritual Man. If anyone is in Christ, they are in a new state that is significantly different from the state of Adam before the Fall. They become an entirely new creation, as it is written, "Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
3. The apostle Paul emphatically states that those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:8). Many people are too hasty and negligent in understanding the meaning of this gospel phrase, equating being "in the flesh" to simply being sinful or excessively indulging in sensual desires. They should consider that the apostle speaks of being in the flesh as the cause of sinfulness, just as the following verse speaks of being in the Spirit as the cause of holiness. Whatever the cause may be, it must be distinct from its effect. Sin is a deficiency within the flesh or something that resides in the flesh (Rom. 7:18), and thus it is not synonymous with the flesh itself. The flesh is that which opposes the Spirit (Gal. 5:17), so it is not solely sinful desires. The true interpretation is that "flesh" refers to the fallen nature of humanity, corrupted by Adam's fall and inherited by us through natural birth. To be "in the flesh" means to be in a natural state, whereas to be "in the Spirit" means to be in a new state through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ within us (Rom. 8:9). The corrupted nature is called "flesh" because it is received through carnal generation, and the new nature is called "spirit" because it is received through spiritual regeneration. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). Thus, if we correctly understand the apostle's words, he has given us sufficient reason to utterly despair of attaining true holiness while remaining in a natural state.
4. The apostle testifies that those who have been instructed in the truth as it is in Jesus have learned to put off their former sinful way of life, characterized by the corrupt desires of the old self, and to put on the new self, which is created in righteousness and true holiness, according to God's likeness (Eph. 4:21, 22, 24). Putting off the old self and putting on the new self is equivalent to not being in the flesh but in the Spirit, as mentioned in the previous testimony. It signifies abandoning our natural state and embracing a new state through union and fellowship with Christ. The apostle himself clarifies that the new self refers to that excellent state where Christ is everything and in everyone (Col. 3:11). Therefore, the old self undoubtedly refers to the natural state of humanity, in which one lacks the saving enjoyment of Christ. It is called "old" in light of the new state that believers are brought into through regeneration in Christ. This is a manner of expression unique to the gospel, often overlooked by those who believe that the apostle simply means they should renounce sinfulness and pursue holiness in their conduct, attempting to become new individuals by merely turning over a new leaf and leading a different life.
Let them understand that the old and new self represent two contrasting states that encompass not only sin and holiness, but also all other factors that influence and incline us towards their practice. It is necessary to put off the old self, as being crucified with Christ, in order to be freed from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:6, 7). Therefore, we cannot live a new life until we have obtained a new state through faith in Christ. Additionally, the apostle's intention is the same when he instructs us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ as the means by which we can renounce the works of darkness and walk in an upright manner, avoiding the indulgence of fleshly desires (Rom. 13:12-14).
1. Our natural state possesses various qualities that render us entirely incapable of practicing holiness and bind us to a life of sin as long as we remain in it. Here, I will demonstrate that the old self, the flesh, or the natural state is not solely sin, as some may suggest, but it encompasses several aspects, which I shall enumerate, that contribute to its sinful nature, along with various other factors that make it wretched. I have already established that in Christ, we possess all the necessary attributes to cultivate godliness.
Conversely, in our fleshly state, we possess everything contrary to that holy disposition. One aspect of our natural state is the guilt of sin, encompassing both Adam's original sin and the corrupt condition of our nature, as well as our own actual transgressions.
Consequently, by nature, we are children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) and subject to God's curse. The blessing of sin forgiveness and freedom from condemnation is not granted to us in the flesh or in a natural state, but only in Christ (Rom. 8:1; Eph. 1:7). Can we imagine that a person can triumph over sin while God is against them and has pronounced a curse upon them?
Another inherent quality, inseparable from the former, is a troubled conscience that pronounces God's wrath upon us due to sin, leading us to abhor Him as an enemy rather than to love Him, as previously discussed. In the case of a seared conscience, it further hardens us in our sinful ways.
A third characteristic is an inherent inclination towards evil, solely tending towards sin, which is referred to as "sin that dwells in us" and "the law of sin in our members." It exerts a powerful hold over us, subjugating and captivating us to the service of sin (Rom. 7:20, 23). It is a fixed propensity to lust, operating without deliberation, and therefore its desires cannot be prevented by diligence or watchfulness. The mindset of the flesh is hostile towards God, as it does not submit to God's law and is incapable of doing so (Rom. 8:7). How futile it is, then, to argue that individuals can do good if they choose, when their minds and will are enslaved to sin?
A fourth aspect is being subject to the power of the devil, who is the god of this world and has blinded the minds of all unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4). He will undoubtedly overcome anyone he contends with on his own turf, that is, in a natural state.
Considering all these characteristics, we can rightly conclude that our natural state has an inherent inability to be good and is spiritually dead in sin (Eph. 2:1), in accordance with the sentence pronounced against mankind's initial sin in Adam: "In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). Just as you cannot bring a lifeless body back to life through rubbing and stimulation, you cannot bring our natural state to holiness, no matter how fervently motivated or diligent you are. By such motivations and efforts, you cannot rouse any strength or fortifying grace within the natural person, for there is no inherent strength within them to be stirred (Rom. 5:6). Even if you exert all your efforts to the utmost while in this earthly existence, all you can do is sin, as there is no inherent goodness within you, as the apostle Paul demonstrates through his own experience: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells" (Rom.
7:18).
1. We have no solid reason to rely on Christ to assist us in willing or doing what is pleasing to Him while we remain in our natural state, nor can we assume that the ability to choose holiness is restored to us through the merit of His death. As previously explained, Christ had a higher purpose in His incarnation, death, and resurrection than simply restoring the decay and ruins of our natural state. His aim was to elevate us to a new and superior state, surpassing anything the natural state could offer, through union and fellowship with Himself. In this new state, we are empowered to live for God, not by the strength of a natural free will, but by the power of His Spirit living and working within us. Therefore, we can conclude that our natural state is irreparable and desperate because Christ, the sole
Saviour, did not seek to restore it. It is neither holy nor happy, but instead subject to sin and all forms of misery as long as it persists.
Even those who are in a new state in Christ and serve God's law with their minds still find themselves serving the law of sin with their flesh (Rom. 7:25). As long as the flesh remains in them, it lusts against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). While the Spirit brings life to them because of righteousness, the flesh remains dead due to sin (Rom. 8:10). The flesh must be completely abolished through death before we can attain the fullness of holiness and happiness that comes through faith in Christ. After God promised salvation through Christ, the seed of the woman, He placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the entrance to Paradise. This served as a reminder that man's initial state was irretrievably lost and without hope, and that the intended happiness for humanity was entirely new.
Our old natural self was not revived or reformed by Christ's death; rather, it was crucified together with Him and is therefore meant to be abolished and eradicated from within us through the power of His death (Rom. 6:6). It is comparable to a piece of clothing contaminated with the incurable plague of leprosy, which had to be torn off to restore cleanliness to the garment (Lev. 13:56). If Christ does not dwell within us, we are considered reprobates (2 Cor. 13:5), meaning we are in a state that God has rejected from participating in His salvation. Therefore, we should not expect assistance from God to make us holy within this state, but rather to deliver us from it.
1. This in no way absolves those in a natural state from the obligation to live a holy life, nor does it make them exempt from accountability for their sins at God's judgment seat. For God created mankind upright, but they chose to pursue many sinful ways (Eccles. 7:29).
Pay close attention to the words of this passage, and you will see that all those who have chosen to follow sinful paths instead of walking uprightly are included in the term "man" who was originally created upright. And in this text, "man" signifies all of humanity. The first Adam represents all of mankind, just as Jacob and Esau were two nations within Rebecca's womb (Gen. 25:23).
God created us all in our first ancestor, in His own image, with the ability and inclination to obey His law. It was in that pure nature that our obligation to obedience was initially placed upon us. The first deliberate transgression, through which our first parent lost the image of God and brought upon himself the sentence of death, was not only his sin but also our sin. "In one man, Adam, all have sinned, and therefore death has spread to all" (Rom. 5:12), because all of mankind was present in Adam's loins when the first sin was committed. This is similar to how Levi can be said to have paid tithes to Melchizedek in Abraham, even before he was born, because when his father Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, Levi was still in his loins (Heb. 7:9, 10). The promise of God that He will not hold parents accountable for the iniquities of their children is a promise belonging to the new covenant established in the blood of Christ. It is "yes" and "amen" to us only in Christ, in whom we receive a new nature different from that which our parents passed down to us. Therefore, we cannot rightfully claim the benefit of that promise in our old natural state (Jer. 31:29-31; 2 Cor. 1:20). Those who consider their inability as a sufficient excuse, for themselves or others, demonstrate that they have never truly been humbled for the great deliberate transgression committed by all of mankind in Adam's loins. The inability to pay a debt does not excuse a debtor who has squandered away their wealth. Likewise, drunkenness does not excuse the foolish actions of a drunkard but rather exacerbates their sin. Our inability is not merely a lack of capacity for action but a lack of willingness to practise true holiness and righteousness.
Naturally, we do not love it, we do not desire it, but we instead lust against it (Gal. 5:17) and hate the light (John 3:20). If individuals in a natural state genuinely loved and desired true holiness, and if they made sincere efforts to practise it out of genuine love, yet failed in their attempts, then they might have some grounds to plead for an excuse (as some do on their behalf) that they were compelled to sin by an unavoidable fate. However, no one has a justifiable reason to make such a plea as an excuse, because no one endeavours to practise true holiness out of genuine love for it until the good work has been initiated in their souls. And when God begins this work, He will bring it to completion (Phil. 1:6), accepting their willing hearts even if they fall short in their performance (2 Cor. 8:12). So, how abhorrent and wicked is man, who consumes iniquity like water? (Job 15:16). Man cannot practise holiness because he chooses not to. This is their rightful condemnation, that they prefer darkness over light. They deserve to share in the torments of the devils, as they participate in evil desires alongside them. Their inability to do good will no more excuse them than it excuses the devils.
2. This assertion does not render it pointless to preach the gospel to natural individuals or to urge them towards true repentance and faith in Christ for their conversion and salvation. Our preaching is not intended to bring them to holiness in their natural state, but to elevate them above it and present them as perfect in Christ in the performance of their duties (Col. 1:28). Although they cannot carry out these duties by their natural strength, the gospel becomes effective for their conversion and salvation through the power of the Holy Spirit, which accompanies its proclamation. It quickens those who are spiritually dead and recreates them in Christ by granting them repentance leading to life and a vibrant faith in Christ. The gospel reaches the elect of God not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit, and with such certainty that they receive it with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5, 6). The gospel is the ministry of the Spirit that gives life (2 Cor. 3:6-8); it is "mighty through God" (2 Cor. 10:4). Its success for our conversion does not depend at all on the power of our free will, but it imparts into the soul the life and power through which we receive and obey it. Christ can make those who are dead in sin hear His voice and come to life (John 5:25). Therefore, He can also speak to them through His gospel and command them to repent and believe with great success, just as He could say to lifeless bodies, "Talitha cumi" (Mark 5:4); "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43, 44); and to the paralytic, "Rise, take up your bed and go to your house" (Matt. 9:6).
3. There is no reason for us to be swayed by the examples of heathen philosophers, or by any Jews or Christians who outwardly profess faith but lack a saving knowledge of God in Christ. Their wise sayings and notable achievements in devotion and morality should not cause us to deviate from the truth that has been extensively confirmed through the Holy Scriptures. Do we not have grounds to believe that the apostle Paul, when he was a zealous Pharisee, and at least some of the many Jews in his time who were zealous for the law and had the instruction of the Holy Scriptures, came as close to true holiness as the heathen philosophers or anyone else in their natural state? Yet Paul, after being enlightened with the saving knowledge of Christ, considered himself the foremost of sinners even in his highest previous attainments, though others regarded him as blameless in terms of the righteousness prescribed by the law. He found it necessary to begin living for God in a new way through faith in Christ, and he counted all his former achievements as loss, regarding them as worthless in comparison to knowing
Christ (1 Tim. 1:15; Phil. 3:6-8).
And none of the great multitude of Jews who diligently followed the path of righteousness were ever able to attain it because they did not seek it by faith in Christ (Rom. 9:3, 32). What outward actions could be greater than a person giving away all their possessions to the poor or even sacrificing their body to be burned? Yet the Scriptures allow us to consider that these acts may be done without true love and charity, and therefore without genuine holiness of heart and life (1 Cor. 13:3). Individuals in their natural state may have a strong conviction of God's infinite power, wisdom, justice, and goodness, as well as of the judgment to come and the eternal happiness of the righteous and the torments of the wicked. These convictions may motivate them not only to make lofty professions and speak eloquently about God and godliness but also to exert great effort in avoiding known sins, subduing their desires, fulfilling all known duties to God, and serving
Him with their lives and resources to the fullest extent possible. They may even manage to conjure some form of love for God and godliness, driven by the hope of escaping the terrible torments of hell and securing everlasting happiness through their own efforts. However, all their love for God is forced and insincere; they do not genuinely delight in God or His service. They view Him as a harsh Master, and His commandments as burdensome. Secretly, they grumble and complain about the weight of these commandments, and if it weren't for the fear of eternal damnation, they would pay little attention to the enjoyment of God in heaven. They would be pleased to have the liberty to indulge in their lusts without the risk of condemnation. The highest position attainable for those who are born merely according to the flesh, within Abraham's family, is to be children of the bondwoman (Gal. 4:23). Although they may toil more in the service of God than many of His beloved children, God does not accept their service because their best deeds are performed in a slavish manner, lacking any genuine affection towards God. Their deeds are no better than glaring sins.
Yet these natural men are not at all indebted to the goodness of their natures for these counterfeit displays of holiness, or for refraining even in the slightest from the most flagrant sins. If God were to leave humanity entirely to their own natural corruptions and the power of Satan (as they deserve), all semblance of religion and morality would quickly vanish from the world, and we would become completely numb to wickedness, similar to cannibals who possess the same inherent goodness as ourselves. However, God, who can restrain the raging fire without extinguishing it and control the flowing water without changing its nature, also restrains the workings of our natural corruption without eradicating it. Through the greatness of His wisdom and power, He compels His enemies to feign obedience to Him (Ps.
66:3) and to perform many deeds that are good in their substance, even though they are unable to do anything in a truly righteous manner. He has appointed various means to curb our corruptions, such as the law, the terrors of conscience, fearful judgments, rewards in this life, magistrates, human laws, and the necessity of labor for basic needs like food and clothing. The same gospel means that are effective for sanctification also serve to restrain sin. God has gracious purposes in restraining sin: to preserve His church and allow the preaching of His gospel in the world, to create a better opportunity for these natural individuals to receive the teachings of the gospel, to provide a chance for the chosen ones among them to be converted in due time, and to allow those who are not truly converted to experience more of God's goodness in this life and suffer less torment in the hereafter. Despite the vileness and wickedness of the world, we have every reason to praise and magnify the free goodness of God because it could be even worse.