0361. What We Were

What We Were

I. "Ye Were Dead."

Death never, in the Bible means cessation of existence. Physical death is the separation of the spirit from the body; but both spirit and body still exist. Even after the body decays, it exists in other forms, and God is able to bring it back.

Spiritual death is separation from God–not extinction.

1. Gen_2:17 : "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." But Adam and Eve existed after they sinned. They lived physically, but died spiritually; they were driven out from the Garden, and, "lest they should return and eat of the tree of Life and live," an angel was placed to guard the way.

2. 1Ti_5:6. The woman of the world is dead–separated from God, but she is alive, living in the far country.

3. Luk_15:24. "This my son was dead, and is alive again." Dead to his father, when he was separated from him–"alive again" when restored and forgiven and embraced by his father.

4. Col_3:3. We, as believers, are dead to the world and alive to God, because we are called out of the world into fellowship with God. So sinners are dead in sins, separated from the life of God. The unsaved have eternal existence, but they do not have eternal life, for "this is eternal life that they might know Thee, the only True God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent." Eternal death is eternal existence without God; and eternal life is eternal existence with God.

II. "Ye Walked According to the Course of This World."

When we walk according to the world, we are fulfilling the "lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life" (1Jn_2:14-15).

The world does not mean the birds and the flowers and the landscape–it means the trend of the age, in which we are moving.

The Bible says that friendship with the world is enmity with God, and it calls those who fellowship the world, "adulteresses." See Jam_4:4.

The trick of Balaam was included in his teaching–which was no more nor less than world-mixing. God commands believers to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; we are not even to go in the way of evil men. But the unsaved are those who walk according to the course of this world. They are borne along with the tide, swept along with the crowd.

III. "Ye Walked… According to the Prince of the Power of the Air."

Back of the stage scenery of this world is satan, the world’s prince. Satan is active in all great world-movements. Of satan, Christ said: "The prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in Me." Indeed the whole world lieth in the wicked one.

It is wrong to speak of the devil in silly and unmeaning terms, such as "the old nick," the "old scratch," the "bad man," etc. "Even Michael durst not bring against the devil a railing accusation." Emphasize that satan is not in hell–he is the prince of the power of the air; he will one day be cast to the earth, and later on, cast into the pit of the abyss. Now he is free; he is going about, seeking whom he may devour.

While "the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof," yet satan, has, for the time, got control. When Christ met the devil in the wilderness, satan showed Him the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, saying: "All of these will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me." Christ did not disclaim satan’s assertion that the worlds were in his power, and that he might give them to Him–what Christ did do, was to thrust the tempter from Him.

The world is, to-day, under satan’s control. God is still over all. He is saying to the devil, so far shalt thou go, and no farther; but, satan is the god of this age.

IV. "The Children of Disobedience."

This is the next statement. The unsaved have broken loose from God. In the Garden of Eden, man was subject to God in all things. Satan entered and said: "Ye shall be as God." In other words, "Throw off allegiance to God, and enthrone your own will."

The very essence of sin is "my way." "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned each one to his own way."

"Sin is the transgression (going across) of the Law." When we are saved we are turned from our way to God’s way. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord." For, "My way is not your way, neither are My thoughts your thoughts."

Disobedience is black with the frown of God. Obedience is the highest work of grace. God has placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, that it cannot pass over it, but the unsaved are revolted and gone. They are a rebellious people. They are children of disobedience. When we are saved and love Him, we keep His commandments.

If the worlds that swing in space should go off at a tangent, each sweeping along according to the purposes of its own will–what havoc would exist in the universe! But the planets keep perfectly in His will. They are all "held together" in Him.

But men are broken loose–they swing their own way as they move about. Behold the result–sorrow, anguish, death. When we are saved, we pass once again into the circle of His will, and keep our place in the orbit of His purposes. In Heaven, all disobedience, every high thing that exalteth itself will have been put down, and God will be all in all. Oh what joy–no more pain, no more tears, no more death, neither sorrow nor sighing, for the former things are passed away.

V. "Ye Lived in the Lusts of the Flesh."

This is the next thing. My way, is my flesh. My flesh is "corrupt, according to deceitful lusts." "From the sole of the foot, even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores" (Isa_1:6). "I know that in me, that is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing."

If anyone desires to get God’s view of the flesh and its fruitage, all he needs to do is to read the Bible.

In Noah’s day, God looked down and saw that "every imagination of the thoughts of the heart was only evil continually" (Gen_6:5).

In David’s day, God looked again, and said: "They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Psa_14:2-3).

In Paul’s day the flesh was "filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity" (Rom_1:30).

In the last days, the flesh will be none better: "For men shall be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection," etc. And, "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2Ti_3:1-5, 2Ti_3:13).

Surely when we were sinners we walked in the flesh, but now that we are saved, we should deny the flesh, reckon it dead, put it off; "and they who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof" (Gal_5:24).

VI. "Ye Were the Children of Wrath, Even As Others."

How else could it be? God is a holy God and cannot receive into His presence chamber the unholy; God is a just God and cannot justify the guilty. We were unholy and guilty and therefore "children of wrath."

For, "the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold down the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom_1:18).

The wicked are treasuring up wrath unto themselves, against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgments of God.

It is utter folly for one to console himself in his sins, with the thought that God is a God of love and therefore will not visit His judgments against those who reject His mercy and His grace.

It is only necessary for us to linger a moment at the Cross, and there behold the wrath of God poured out against the Son, as He takes the sinner’s place and becomes sin for us.

Those who see the agony of the "beloved Son" may be assured that if they reject the shelter of the riven side, they will surely feel the rigor of the storm of the wrath of a righteous God.

If God spared not His own Son, but let fall upon Him our stripes; shall we who reject the Son not feel the stripes?

One day it will be said "The great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev_6:17).

One day the Lord will descend from Heaven in "flaming fire taking vengeance upon those who know not God" (2Th_1:8).

Let not those who despise the "riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering" think for one moment that they shall escape the judgment of God. Even now these ungodly are "treasuring up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath."

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR