by the Rev. CHARLES G.
FINNEY
Modernized by Cliff Collins
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7)
The
law that is mentioned here is the moral law; or that law that requires everyone
to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and body, and their neighbor as
themselves. The Apostle Paul factually
states that the carnal mind is enmity against God, and for that reason, it will
not submit to the law of God. In other
words, it does not obey the law of God; neither can it obey God’s law as long
as it continues to be enmity against God.
Paul does not claim that a sinner cannot love God, but that a carnal
mind cannot love God; because to state that a carnal mind can love God; is the
same as to claim that enmity can be love.
In speaking from this passage:
I.
I will show what the carnal mind does not mean.
II.
I will show what the carnal mind, as used in our text, means.
III.
All men who have not been born by the Spirit of God have a carnal mind.
IV.
This carnal mind is enmity against God.
I.
I will show what the carnal mind does not mean.
1.
It does not mean that any part of the substance of our soul or body is enmity against
God.
2.
It does not mean that there is anything in our constitution, or in the
substance of our body or mind, that is opposed to God. Our mind is not saturated, or soaked with
enmity.
3.
Nor does it mean that our mind or body is so constructed that, from the
constitution of our nature, we are opposed to God.
4.
It does not mean that we have appetites or tendencies that are constitutional,
which are enmity against God.
5.
Nor does it mean that all unconverted men experience emotions of enmity or hatred
towards God. Enmity can exist in our
mind, either as something willful, or just an emotion. When it is a willful enmity, we have an
ongoing aversion to God’s character and government of such a nature, that while
it may have a continuous influence over our conduct, we may not be aware of our
enmity emotionally.
When
enmity exists in the form of an emotion, it then constitutes what we call
feeling. Enmity then becomes something
that we are aware of. I said that
enmity might exist in our will as a settled aversion to God. Enmity can have an abiding influence over
our conduct leading us to treat God as an enemy, without rising into an emotion
that we may feel, and be something that we are aware of. Emotions exist in our mind only when there
are those objects before our mind that are designed to produce those emotions:
and one of the main reasons why sinners don’t have emotions of hatred to God
more frequently is because they seldom think about God. God is rarely in their thoughts. And when they do think of Him, they don’t
think of Him as he really is. They
deceive themselves with vain imaginations, hide from their own view His real
character, and thus cover up their enmity.
II.
I will show what is meant by the carnal mind, as used in our text. The proper translation of this text, is, the
minding of the flesh is enmity against God.
This is a voluntary state of mind.
It is that state of supreme selfishness that all men are in before their
conversion to God.
They
are probably not born with this state of mind, but they appear to fall into
this state of mind very early after birth.
They make the gratification of their appetites the supreme object of
their desire and pursuit, and it quickly becomes the law of their lives; or
that law in their members that wars against the law of their minds, of which
the apostle Paul speaks.
They
conform their lives, and all their actions to this rule of action, which they
have established for themselves. Their
will of action is nothing more than voluntary selfishness. This willful selfishness is a controlling
and abiding preference for self-gratification above the commandments,
authority, and glory of God.
It
should be well understood and always remembered that the carnal mind, as used
by the apostle, is not the physical mind itself but is a voluntary action of
the mind. In other words, it is not any
part of the mind, or body, but a choice or preference of the mind. It is, a minding of the flesh. It is preferring self-gratification before
obedience to God.
The
constitutional appetites of both our body and mind are not wicked or evil in
themselves; but making their gratification our purpose in life, is enmity
against God. It is the direct opposite
of the character and the requirements of God.
God requires us to subordinate all our physical and mental appetites to
His glory, and to aim at honoring and glorifying Him. To love Him with all our hearts, to bring the powers of our body
and mind under obedience to the law of love: and whatever we do, whether we eat
or drink, we should do all to the glory of God. Now the carnal mind, or the minding of our flesh, is the direct
opposite of this. It pursues as its
goal, the direct opposite of the requirements and character of God. It is a choice, a preference, an abiding
temper, or disposition of our mind; which consists in the determination to
gratify self, and to make self-gratification the high and supreme object of our
pursuit.
III.
Before conversion, everyone is in this state of enmity against God. The Bible speaks of men, as possessing by
nature, one common heart, or disposition.
This text does not say that the carnal minds of some men are enmity
against God; but that the carnal mind is enmity against God. In another place, God says, “every
imagination of the thoughts of their heart, (not hearts) is only evil
continually.” (Gen 6:5) Another passage, says, “Truly the hearts of
the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live,
and after that they go to the dead”.
(Eccl 9:3) Indeed, unconverted
men throughout the Bible are spoken of as having a common heart; and we see
that what the Bible says is a matter of fact.
Go throughout all the entire human race, from the sensitive female who
faints at the sight of blood to the hardened terrorist whose eyes flash fire,
and present to them all the claims of God and the Gospel of his Son, require
them to repent and give their hearts to God, and they will all claim that they
are unable. Go to the refined and unrefined;
the learned and unlearned; the high and low; the rich and poor; the old and
young; male and female; bond and free, from every country and of every race;
and not one of them can be persuaded to embrace the Gospel without the
intervention of the Holy Ghost. Now,
how is it possible to account for this well-known fact? Because no matter how much the external
behavior of different individuals may be modified by circumstances, no matter
how much personalities may differ through education, temperament, the state of
the nervous system, and many other considerations; they still possess the same
disposition, and they will all, with one consent, begin to make excuses for not
loving and obeying Him.
IV.
This carnal mind, or minding of the flesh, is enmity against God.
In
my last message on depravity, I tried to demonstrate, by an appeal to facts,
that unconverted men do not love God.
The
first point I will now establish is that impenitent sinners hate God.
I
will pursue the same method, appeal to the same sources for proof, and go into
the same field and gather facts, to establish the truth of this position, which
I did when I proved that men do not love God. My appeal is to the well-known
laws of the mind, as we see them develop in everyday transactions.
1.
We are naturally pleased with those things that displease our enemies. Hatred is ill will. Therefore, whatever displeases, or is not
according to the wishes of our enemy, gratifies our ill will. It is a contradiction to say that we hate an
individual with a malevolent hatred, and yet have no satisfaction in what
displeases him. It is the same thing as
saying, that the gratification of our desires is not pleasing to us. We see this law of mind develop, not only in
our own situation, but in the feelings of those around us. See that man, if something happens that is
detrimental to his enemy, he cannot conceal the pleasure he takes in that
event. If the same event has also
injured himself, and he is in some way a partaker in the common calamity, yet,
if it has done more damage to his bitter enemy, he feels satisfied with the
event, and considers the ruin of his enemy to be more than compensation for his
own loss. He does not mind bearing the
portion that has fallen on him, as long as it has overwhelmed the man that he
so deeply hates. Now, no matter what he
may say, no matter how much he may pretend to hide the satisfaction that he
feels in this event; yet it remains certain, that his hatred is satisfied, that
he really, in his heart, takes pleasure in an event that has satisfied his
malignant opposition to his enemy.
We
see this same law of mind, developing itself towards God. Sinners manifest the greatest pleasure in
sin. They live and move in sin. They roll it as a sweet morsel under their
tongue. They drink in iniquity like
water. They even wear themselves out
committing iniquity. They not only do
these things themselves, but they also enjoy seeing others commit sin. The same things that are the most displeasing
to God are the most pleasing to them.
And the things that are the most pleasing to God are the most
displeasing to them. They love what God
hates, and hate what God loves. This
demonstrates that they are in a state of mind that is the direct opposite of
the character and will of God. The
whole tendency, direction, and inclination of their minds are the direct
opposite of God's requirements; and are enmity against Him. This is matter of fact.
We
are naturally pleased, when we see the friends of our enemy forsake and
dishonor him. If a man hates another,
and the children, or friend of this enemy of his does anything to grieve,
dishonor, or injure his enemy in any way, the man may say that he regrets it;
but if he pretends to regret it, he is a hypocrite. I promise you, that he generally rejoices in it because he hates
him. He rejoices in it because it
satisfies his hatred. You see this same
law of mind manifesting itself with equal uniformity and strength towards the
blessed God. When the professed friends
of God forsake His cause, and do anything to dishonor God, you can see that
impenitent sinners are pleased. They
will talk about it with excitement; and while Christians talk about it with
sorrow, weep over it, and fall on their knees praying that God will wipe away
the reproach, it will become the song of the drunkard, and the wicked in
bar-rooms, and on street corners. They
will laugh at it, and rejoice over it.
We
likely see, and magnify the faults of the friends of our enemies. Politicians will scrutinize, looking for the
faults of the friends and supporters of an opposing candidate. How eagle-eyed that man is in searching out
all the failings of those that favor his enemy. How politicians and others, will not only see their real faults,
but also will greatly magnify them, and dwell on them, until they fill everybody’s
field of vision. They give their
attention so exclusively to their faults, that they forget that they have any
virtues. So enormous do their faults
appear, that where they have any appearance of virtue, they think that they are
phony.
Now,
you see this same spirit often manifesting itself towards God. With a searching and malignant gaze, the
eyes of unconverted men are fastened on the professed friends of God. How eagerly they note their faults. How enormously they magnify them, and how
quickly they ascribe every appearance of virtue in them to bigotry and
hypocrisy.
We
tend to misinterpret the motives, and put the worst construction on the conduct
of the enemies of our friends. If they
are favoring the interests, and trying to promote the happiness of our hated enemy,
we look at all their conduct using biased and warped judgment. We often attribute the best things in them
to the worst motives; and those things in them that deserve the most praise, we
often treat as deserving the harshest rebuke.
Your knowledge of your own hearts and the developments of the human
character around you, will instantly provide abundant proof of what I say. This feature of the human character often
develops itself towards God. Frequently,
we hear unrepentant sinners attributing the most praiseworthy deeds of God's
professed friends to the most unworthy motives. Often, their acts of greatest self-denial, those things in which
they most humbly serve and most nearly resemble God, are misrepresented and
attributed to the basest of motives, and made the very reasons, on which they
ground their pertinacious opposition to them.
It is impossible to account for this on any other principle than that of
their enmity against God; for the people against whom this enmity is vented,
are often complete strangers to them; individuals against whom they can have no
personal hostility. They definitely
don’t see their own behavior as enmity; they believe that their concept of God
demands these expressions of hatred.
Their behavior reveals the cause in which they are engaged and the
master whom they serve.
We
naturally shun the friends of our enemies.
We naturally avoid the society of anybody we consider particularly
friendly to our enemy. His company and
conversation is irksome to us. We see
this same spirit manifested by impenitent sinners toward the friends of
God. They avoid them. They feel uneasy in their company. Their presence seems to place restraints on
sinners, and they cannot abuse God with quite as much freedom when Christians are
present. They are therefore glad to
avoid their company. How often do you
observe unrepentant sinners, in planning a party at a meeting hall or in a
banquet room, so arrange matters as to exclude a minister, or any devoted
Christian from their company. They feel
uneasy at his presence, and manifest the same behavior that we would see if
some distinguished friend of their greatest enemy came to the party. How can this be accounted for on any other
principle, than that of enmity against God?
They may not even know these ministers or professing Christians; they
have never had any misunderstanding with them, nor do they have any personal
controversy between them. It must be
because of the cause that they are engaged in, and the master whom they serve, that
they want to avoid them.
We
naturally admire; we magnify the virtues and overlook the vices of the enemies
of those we hate. How enthusiastic are
politicians in their admiration of the talents, wisdom, and virtues of those
who take sides with them, and are opposed to the election of their political
enemy. If any man has an enemy, he
considers it as evidence of wisdom in anyone who is opposed to the same man
that he is. He is inclined to
exaggerate the number, the talents, and the influence of those who are opposed
to his enemy. If he hears of a few that
are opposed to him; and among them there are some who have more than ordinary
talents; he is apt to imagine that almost everybody is opposed to him, especially
the talented and virtuous part of the community. He thinks that nobody favors him but the weak, the servile, and
the interested.
The
same is true concerning religion. How
often do you hear unrepentant sinners boasting of the talents, the numbers, and
the virtues of infidels, and those that make no claim to being religious? They boast about the excellent characters,
high standing, and great influence of the leaders among the irreligious. While, at the same time, they depreciate
both the numbers and the talents of the friends of God. They often consider them as sickly, bigoted,
and too religious: and they come to these conclusions without any definite
knowledge of their numbers, their characters, or their influence. What is this, but the manifestation of
enmity against God, and the cause that they love?
We
naturally hate to think of our enemies.
The human mind is so constituted, that evil emotions distress it, and
become the source of misery. Whenever
we occupy our thoughts thinking about an individual whom we hate, those evil
emotions will naturally arise, which are condemned by our conscience, and
produces misery. For this reason,
unless it is for the purpose of studying revenge, or in some way to gratify our
hatred, we naturally turn our thoughts away from an object that we hate. Meanwhile, we naturally dwell on an object
we love. We just as naturally avoid
thinking about objects we hate. Let’s
look at the developments of this law of mind in its action towards God. Sinners banish God from their thoughts. They are “unwilling to retain God in their
knowledge” (Rom 1:28); and if at any
time the thought of God enters their mind, they become uneasy, and immediately
divert their attention. If they are
really convinced that they are sinners and are in danger of God’s wrath, their
selfish regard for their own happiness may lead them to reflect, and induce
them to think about God, for the purpose of devising some means of escaping
God’s just wrath.
We
don’t like to talk about those things that we hate, and unless it is for the
purpose of making false statements about them and pouring forth our hostility
against them, we choose to remain silent and say nothing about them. You often hear a man say about his enemy, “I
don’t want to talk about him”. As I
have shown earlier, we love to talk about our friends, because such
conversation immediately enkindles and expresses our love for them. Such conversation gratifies us. But we hate to talk about our enemies. Although there is a kind of satisfaction in
giving vent to our enmity, it is, at the same time, the source and the essence
of our pain. Who has not witnessed this
law of mind manifested on the subject of religion? Who does not know that sinners don’t like to talk about God? They rarely talk about Him, and if they do
they are reserved, and talk in a manner that shows that they have no pleasure
in it. The truth is, such conversation
gives them pain.
We
are naturally pained to hear our enemy praised. For example, here is a group of ladies and gentlemen, and all of
them but one are particularly friendly to a distinguished and absent individual. The other one is his bitter enemy. His enmity, however, is unknown to the rest
of the group, and they, of course, start talking about their friend during
their conversation. They spend time
enthusiastically praising their absent friend, and are delighted with the
common bond of sympathy that exists among them on this subject. But notice the embarrassment and distress of
this enemy. While they, without paying
any attention to his agony, continue talking about their friend in the most
favorable light, this enemy is filled with irrepressible distress and
indignation. He looks at his watch;
takes out some gum; walks to the window; tries to read a newspaper; paces up
and down the room: tries to divert the attention of the company, and introduce
some other topic of conversation. Now,
suppose that one of the ladies turns to him and asks for his opinion because
she notices his mind seems to be wandering, and he is not enjoying the
conversation. If he is a gentleman, he
may try to be very polite to the lady, and try to evade an answer to her
question. But suppose she presses him,
and questions his hesitancy until his conduct attracts the attention of the
other members of the group. Suddenly,
the attention of the whole group is focused on him, and they insist that he
expresses his opinion. Now, even in
spite of his manners, he will most likely manifest the enmity of his heart, and
clearly exhibit to the group the deep malignity of his feelings.
Under
similar circumstances, you may often witness the manifestation of enmity
against God. Let a company of
Christians, on a train, or on a cruise, engage in conversation on their
favorite topic. Let them talk about
Jesus Christ; and after a warm conversation, let them appeal to those
unrepentant sinners that are around them, for an expression of their
opinion. Or if, in public, the
Christians propose to conclude the interview with prayer, how often are sinners
offended? Go and visit a family, some
of whose members are Christians, and others not. Sit down and talk warmly with the pious wife on the subject of
religion in the presence of her husband and unconverted family. Look around the house. Do you see how they are looking at you? Perhaps one will walk out one door, and
another may walk out into another room, and if any of the unrepentant remain,
turn and direct your conversation to one of them. If it is the husband, perhaps he will almost forget that he is a
gentleman, and abuse you to your face.
Perhaps he will say that his religion is a matter between him and
God. He criticizes you for your rude
behavior. That it is none of your
business, and he is not happy that you came to his house to disturb him and his
family on the subject of religion. Now,
why does he consider this a disturbance?
Why does he look on it as being rude?
Why is he so displeased?
Certainly, he has no reason to fear that you will harm him or his
family. If he loved the subject, and
loved God, is it not certain that he would thank you for your visit, and be
pleased with the interview? This proves
that he hates God and religion when he considers the friendly introduction of
the subject as intrusive and vexing.
We
are naturally pained, and incredulous on hearing of the prosperity of our
enemy. If we hear that our enemy is
gaining friends, popularity, property, or influence, it distresses us. We don’t want to believe it. And, if there is any room for doubt, we are
sure to raise our doubts on every debatable point. See that man with his hypocritical face; he has heard of the
prosperity of his enemy, and he says that he rejoices in it. But he only mentions it on occasions when he
cannot avoid it; and then he will pretend to rejoice in it. However, a discerning mind will observe the
spirit and manner of his conversation and see the deep hypocrisy of his
heart. But if there is a possibility of
calling the truth of what he heard into question, he will latch onto the
littlest seed of doubt to disbelieve what he heard altogether. You will find him dwelling on, and greatly
magnifying, any little circumstance that will make it improbable; while he
depreciates and hides the weighty considerations that demonstrate its
truth. Who has not witnessed this
principle exhibited on the subject of religion? Let reports of religious prosperity and great revivals circulate
through the community. See how
Universalists and other impenitent sinners will manifest uneasiness, and try to
disprove it all. They will question the
evidence, and try to pour contempt on the report; and on those that believe
it. They cannot believe that so many
have been converted. “You will see”,
say they, “that those professed converts will all go back again, and be worse
than ever.” “The reports”, say they,
“are greatly exaggerated, and if there are any Christians in these revivals,
there are probably ten hypocrites to one Christian”. Such facts as these speak for themselves. They manifest a state of mind that cannot be
mistaken. It is boiling over with
enmity against God.
We
naturally hate efforts to promote the interests of our enemies. We will probably object at the measures that
they use. We call their motives into
question; and find a great deal of fault with the spirit and manner of their
efforts when we are opposed to the end that they have in view. If it is to promote the interests of our
enemy, we are naturally looking for objections, and are cautious, and
ill-natured concerning their movements.
We will likely ridicule and oppose such efforts; and we consider anything
like zeal as enthusiasm and madness.
Look at the conduct of sinners towards religion. If any efforts are made to promote the
interests of the kingdom of God and to honor and glorify Him, they are
offended. They rise up in
opposition. They often ridicule
Christian meetings. They speak evil of
those that attend them. They denounce
their zeal as enthusiasm and madness; and something for which they deserve the
hatred of all their neighbors. People
may get together, drink, and party all night, and sinners don’t think that it
is objectionable. The nightclub may be
open every night at great expense, the singers and many others may be engaged
all day in preparing for the evening’s entertainment; thus the devil may
sponsor a series of meetings that continues nightly for years, and they see no
harm in it. Ladies may go and stay
until midnight every evening. Poor
people may go and spend their time and money, waste their health and lives, and
ruin their souls; and there is no objection to all of this. But let Christians do anything like this,
and exercise one tenth as much zeal in promoting the honor of God and the
salvation of souls; why, it would be talked about from Dan to Beersheba. Sinners may go to a ball, or party, or a
bar, and stay nearly all night; but how awful it is for ladies to go out to
evening church meetings. Imagine! Christians having a series of meetings and
praying until 10 o'clock at night!
Abominable! Why, I have seen
such things spoken against in newspaper articles! They are subjects that are talked about and ridiculed on planes,
commuter trains, in barrooms, and wherever unrepentant sinners are
assembled.
Politicians
may demonstrate the greatest zeal concerning politics. They hold their caucuses; post their
hand-bills; blaze away in the public journals; appoint their ward-committees;
ransack every nook and cranny; parade through the streets with their music;
fire their guns; show their flags; haul their floats through the streets on
wheels; and send their vehicles up and down the streets with hand-bills posted
on their sides to bring men to the polls.
Millions of dollars may be spent to win an election, and all this is
just fine. But, Oh, let Christians,
begin to serve God with the same kind of zeal, and make as much effort to build
up God’s kingdom, and save the souls of men; and I would be surprised if the
wicked did not mob them, and cry out that such efforts would ruin the
nation. They would brand such
activities as the most overly enthusiastic, even downright madness.
Is
it because politics are so much more important than the salvation of
souls? Is it, because no effort is
necessary to arouse a slumbering world, and bring sinners to act, think, and
feel as they should on the subject of salvation. No! There is plenty of
reason for the highest possible degree of Christian effort, and sinners know it
very well; but their enmity against God is so great that such efforts cannot be
made without arousing all the hell there is within them.
We
easily believe an ill report of one whom we hate. If a man hears any evil of an enemy, he believes it on the
slightest testimony. He does not want
to ask if the report is reliable, but he eagerly listens to every word of
gossip and willingly accepts almost any and every falsehood that serves to
blacken the reputation of his enemy.
The reason for this is that his ill will is satisfied with such
reports. He hopes that they are true,
and therefore easily believes them. We often see this feature of the human
heart developing itself on the subject of religion. Sinners eagerly listen to every false and slanderous report that
may be circulated about the friends of God.
It is surprising to see what absurd and ridiculous things they will
believe. They show the sincerest desire
to believe evil of those who say they are friends of God. It is amazing to see the enmity of their
hearts manifesting itself to such a degree that often, there is nothing too
absurd, ridiculous, and contradictory for them to believe if it has a tendency
to cast contempt and ridicule on the cause of God.
We
naturally love to give publicity to any evil report about our enemies. We desire to have others feel towards them
as we do. We are happy to hear and to
circulate those reports that injures the enemy we hate. Listen to that man. He meets with a neighbor and says, “have you
heard such and such about that individual?”
“No, I have not.” “Ah, I thought
you knew it, or I wouldn’t have said anything about it”. Now hear him dive into the whole subject,
relate, and aggravate every little detail that he has heard, and comment on
them as he goes along. After exhausting
the subject, he closes by saying “I hope you will not mention this, but it is
true”. Then he moves on. Later he comes across another neighbor and
tells him the same things as if it is a great secret. Again, he hopes his neighbor will keep his mouth shut, but he
still thinks the fact cannot be disputed.
Everywhere
he goes, he does and says the same thing.
He hopes these rumors will not spread to harm the poor man. It’s a mournful event. He is truly sorry that any such thing has happened. In all this, he is a hypocrite, and he knows
it. He is glad the event has happened,
and he delights to publish it. He
enjoys the exclusive privilege of being the one to carry the knowledge of the
situation to every door. How often do
we witness this same principle used against God. If something takes place that is disgraceful among the professed
friends of God and damages the interests of religion, how ready sinners are to
give it universal publicity.
They
will talk about it; publish it on every chance they get; blaze it abroad in the
public prints, e-mail it to everybody on their list, and send it in every
direction on the wings of the wind. If
anyone becomes deranged in connection with a religious revival, alas, what a
fuss is made about it. Thirty thousand
citizens of the United States may be murdered every year by strong drink. Drugs result in untold damage to lives and
families. Homicide, and suicide, and
all manner of abominations may be the result of selling alcohol, and yet the
indignation of sinners is not aroused.
But if some nervous individual becomes deranged, in view of his
abominable crimes against his Maker, in connection with a revival or an
extended meeting; the press groans under the burden of the doleful complaints
that are poured out on the public ear.
2.
Impenitent sinners hate God with a MORTAL HATRED.
That
is, if they had the power, they would destroy His very existence. Probably very few sinners are aware that
they have this degree of enmity, and may be shocked at my statement. Nevertheless, it is true! There are several reasons why they don’t
know that their heart is in such a state.
Most of them have never dared to entertain feelings of hatred towards
God. Many don’t desire to destroy God,
because they don’t think that destroying God is possible. Sinners never plan or desire to do many
things because they never think that it is possible. Does anybody here plan to become a king? Have you ever entertained any thoughts of
being a king? Have you ever felt any
ambition to be a king? You probably
never have because you don’t think that it is possible. Suppose a throne, a crown, and a scepter,
were placed right in front of you; and the robe of royalty was handed over to
you for you to accept; do you now think
that you have enough incentive to want to be a king. Suppose that after you accept the crown, and swayed the scepter
over one nation, you had the opportunity to extend your empire, and make your
dominion universal over all nations.
Don’t you believe that you would instantly desire to do it? And now, suppose that after all the
governments of this world became subject to your scepter; you were offered the
opportunity to extend your dominion over the entire universe of worlds, and
should you think that it is possible, to include God himself under your
control. Are you too good, under such
circumstances, to aim at exercising dominion over the universe and over God
himself? Sinners, who would trust the
best among you? You don’t know your
hearts if you think that under such circumstances there would be any limit to
your ambition.
Sinners
do not realize the greatness of their enmity against God, because, so far, God
has let them go unpunished, and they don’t believe that God will send them to
hell for their sins. If God will let
them have their own way, as long as He does not interfere to punish them for
their sins, or disturb them in their courses of iniquity, their enmity remains
comparatively at rest. But who among
them would not rise up and murder Him if they had the power, if God should
attempt to punish them for their sins.
No,
they would rather see God in hell, than consent that He should justly deal with
them in justice.
It
is clear that the enmity of sinners against God is MORTAL from the fact that
they are in rebellion against Him, and in league with devils to oppose His
government and undermine His throne. Sinners
do not obey Him. The whole weight of
their influence and example is opposed to His government. They do everything under the circumstances
they are in to annihilate His authority and destroy His government. Rebellion is always aimed at the life of the
sovereign, and it is impossible for sinners to be more absolutely in rebellion
against God than they are.
This
question has already been tested. God
once placed Himself in the hands of men.
The second person in the Godhead took to Himself a human nature, and
placed His human nature at the mercy of men.
And what happened? They did not rest until they had murdered Him. Do you say, that those who murdered Christ
were Jews? Do you say that you have a
different spirit? This has always been
the favorite plea of sinners.
The
ancient Jews persecuted and murdered the prophets. The Jews of Christ's day claimed that they honored the prophets
and built their sepulchers. These Jews
insisted that, if they had lived in the days of the prophets, they would not
have persecuted them. But they
persecuted and murdered Christ; and Christ himself informs them, that by
persecuting Him, they showed that they approved the deeds of their
fathers. Now sinner, suppose you lived
under a monarchy. Suppose your fathers
had rebelled against the rightful king, and placed a usurper on the throne. You are their children. And although you did not participate in the
original rebellion, yet now you maintain the same ground that they took. You support the usurper, and refuse to obey
your rightful sovereign. Now, is not
this, in law and in equity, for all practical purposes, justifying the conduct
of your fathers; becoming a partaker in their crimes, incurring the same guilt,
and deserving the same condemnation.
Suppose, you did not originally murder Christ; still, is it not true,
that you now refuse to obey Him as your rightful sovereign. You support the authority of Satan, who has
usurped the government of this world by refusing to repent, by withholding your
service and your heart from Jesus Christ.
Do you not, for all practical purposes, become a partaker in the crime
of those who murdered Him? He claimed
their obedience; and they rose up and washed their hands in His blood. He claims your obedience, you utterly refuse
it; and thus show that you approve of the deeds of those Jews. It shows that, if He were in your power,
rather than submit to His authority, you would murder Him again. This conduct makes you in the eye of common
law, a partaker in their crime. In the
eye of conscience, of reason, and of common sense; in the eye of God and in the
judgment of heaven, earth, and hell, you are guilty of the blood of Christ, and
this demonstration proves, that if it were in your power, you would dethrone
and murder the Almighty.
3.
Sinners hate God supremely.
That
is, they hate Him more than they hate anything, everything, anybody, and
everybody else in the universe. Don’t
be shocked at this. Don’t think that
this is a rash and extravagant statement.
It is a sober, but an awful truth.
Look at this. All other enmity
can be overcome by kindness. The
greatest enemy you have on earth may subdue your enmity by kindness, and win
you over to become his friend. But how
can it be that all the kindness of God, kindness that is infinitely greater
than any human being has had in his power to show you, has not overcome your
enmity, but you still remain in rebellion against Him.
A
mere change of circumstances, in any other case of enmity, will change your
heart. For example, suppose we have two
political opponents; between whom a hereditary enmity exists. Their fathers were bitter enemies. They have always been enemies. They have both believed and spoken nothing
but evil about each other. Now, let a
change of politics bring them both on the same side of a political question,
and they instantly become friends. Let
them have an opportunity to play into each other's hands. Let both their hearts be set on the election
of the same candidate and see how cordially they will co-operate. How warmly they will take each other by the
hand. They will walk, sit, dine
together; and attend political meetings.
They will defend each other's reputation, magnify each other's virtues,
and throw the kind mantle of charity over each other's vices. And all this they will do heartily. Their real feelings towards each other are
changed. Their hearts are really
changed towards each other, and they can truly say, that although they were
once mortal enemies, they now love each other.
All this has taken place because of a change of circumstances, without
any interference by the Holy Ghost. Let
the President of the United States appoint his greatest political opponent to
the first office in his cabinet, and he makes him his friend. Suppose the greatest enemy of the president
in this city, who has said and done more than any man in the United States to
prevent his election, should be reduced to poverty, and had no means to support
himself and his family. Now suppose,
when the news of his plight reaches the president, he appoints that man to a
post of high honor and compensation, wouldn’t this change his heart? Would he complain that he could not become
the president's friend until the Holy Ghost had changed his heart? No.
Such kindness would be like pouring coals of fire on his head. It would melt him down in an instant. It would change the whole current of his
soul.
Here
you are. All the offers of heaven and
the threats of hell are poured out on you.
All of God’s boundless love and compassion is manifested in giving His
only begotten and well beloved Son to die for you. Mercy stoops down from heaven with bleeding hands and offers to
save you. Hell roars from beneath and
threatens to devour you when God approaches you with a world of moving, melting
motives gathered from earth, heaven, hell, and rolls their mountain-weight on
you. How can it be that none of these
considerations will change your heart, unless made effective by the Holy Ghost?
If
men did not hate God supremely, they would INSTANTLY REPENT.
Suppose,
that when you go home tonight, at the deep hour of midnight; when you are all
asleep in an upstairs bedroom of your
house; suddenly, the cry of fire wakes you up.
You look up, and find your house wrapped in flames all around you. You leap from your bed, and find the floor under
your feet just ready to give way. The
roof over your head is beginning to give way, and ready to fall in on you, with
a crash. Your little ones awake, and
are shrieking and clinging to your pajamas.
You see no way to escape. At
this moment of unutterable anguish and despair, someone comes dashing through
the flames with his hair and clothes on fire, seizes you in your fear with one
hand, and gathers his other long and strong arm around your little ones, and
again rushes through the flames at the risk of his life. You faint in terror. In a few moments, you open your eyes in the
street, and find yourself supported in the arms of your deliverer. He is rubbing your temples with a moist
towel and fanning you, to restore your fainting life.
You
look up, and behold, in the scorched and smoky features of the person who
rescued you, the man whom you have supremely hated. He smiles in your face, and says, “Please do not fear, your children
are all alive; they are all standing around you”. Now, would you, could you look coldly at him, and say, “Oh I wish
I could repent, that I have hated you so much.
I wish I could be sorry for my sin against you.” Could you say this? No.
If you could, you would instantly roll over on your face, wash his feet
with your tears, and wipe them with the hairs of your head. This scene would change your heart in a
moment, and after this, the name of that man would be music in your ears. If you heard him slandered, or saw him abused,
you would rise up with grief and indignation.
And now, sinner, how is it, that you complain that you cannot repent of
your sins against God? Behold His
loving kindness and His tender mercy.
How can you look up? How can you
not repent? How can you keep from dissolving
in broken-hearted penitence at His blessed feet? Behold His bleeding hands!
See His wounded side!
Listen! Hear His deep
death-groan, when He cries, “it is finished”, and gives up the ghost for your
sins. Sinner, are you marble, or
unyielding! Has your heart been
casehardened in the fires of hell, that you don't repent? Surely, nothing but enmity, deep as
perdition, can be proof against the infinitely moving inducements to repent.
But
perhaps you will say that you do not like to hear about hell and damnation,
that you love mercy, and if ministers would present the love and mercy of God,
and present God as a God of mercy, sinners would love him. But, this is not true. Sinners are just as opposed to the mercy of
God, as they are to any of His other attributes. This is matter of fact and everyday experience. Listen, what is that outcry? I can hear those cries of, “crucify Him,
crucify Him”, that is carried down the winds, and breaks on our ears from the
distance of more than 1800 years? Why,
God has revealed His mercy and the whole world is outraged against it. Jesus Christ has come on the kind errand of
salvation, and the world rises up to silence Him. Mercy, is the very attribute of God, against which mankind is arrayed. For thousands of years, the sword of
vindictive justice has slept in its sheath, and God has been unfolding and
holding out the attribute of mercy. All
the opposition in the world, to God, and to religion, is aimed particularly at
His mercy. What is Christianity? What is the Bible? What are revivals of religion?
What are all those things that have caused so much opposition on earth
and in hell? Only exhibitions of the
mercy of the blessed God! When justice
ascends the throne, the faultfinding mouths of sinners will be stopped. Justice, will soon hush the turmoil and the
loud opposition of sinners against their Maker. Then, every mouth shall be stopped, and the whole world will be
found guilty before God. Now, God
dispenses His mercy; and the whole earth is outraged against it. And why are you such a hypocrite by
pretending to love the mercy of God. If
you truly love God’s mercy, why don’t you accept it? If you love a God of mercy, why haven’t all the moving
manifestations of it that have passed before you melted you down and subdued
your heart? O sinner, sinner, speak no
more proudly. Don’t boast that you love
any attribute of God, because as long as you remain impenitent and you say you
love Him, you are a liar, and the truth is not in you.
REMARKS.
1.
You can now see why Universalists and other sinners are upset with religious
revivals. It is because God comes so
manifestly forth in the exercise of His mercy.
They cannot bear such an exhibition of God. It disturbs all the sediment
and lurking enmity of their hearts.
These professed friends of God and men, as soon as God displays Himself,
and men become the recipients of His mercy, are greatly offended by it.
2.
You see the importance of preaching clearly and frequently about the enmity of
sinners’ hearts against God. There is,
and has been for ages, in most instances, a striking defect in presenting this
most important subject. Ministers seem
to have been afraid to charge men with being the enemies of God. I never heard this doctrine mentioned in my
life in such a way that I understood it before my own conversion. Many ministers seem to think that total
depravity consists in nothing more than the absence of love to God.
The
church does not seem to realize, or believe, that the carnal mind is absolute
enmity against God. Although there is
no other truth more clearly taught in the word of God, or more unanswerably
evident from matters of fact; yet so few sinners have been made to see and
believe it. I have hundreds of times
talked with people who have sat under Gospel preaching their whole lives, and
who never had been made to see this fundamental truth of the Gospel.
The
need for a new birth and the influence of the Holy Spirit, are based on on this
truth. Without understanding and
believing that the carnal mind in enmity with God, how can we expect the world
to be converted to God?
3.
From this subject, we see that if sinners took an oath that they hate God, it
would not make it any more obvious. If
all the men in the universe should take an oath that the sun shines at noon, it
would not add one particle to the evidence that the sun shines, or make it any
more obvious to others. It is a simple
matter of fact, of which we can have no higher testimony than our own
senses. So, it is matter of fact that
sinners are the enemies of God. They
act it out, before all men. It is as
obvious, as the fact that they exist.
How it ever came to be questioned, or forgotten, or overlooked, is, to
me, most mysterious.
4.
As I said this morning, many professing Christians today could not make it more
obvious that they are the enemies of God, if they should take an oath of
it. They speak against revivals, and
those engaged in promoting them. They
publicize the faults, real or supposed, of those who are the friends of
God. They slander, and manifest their
opposition to God in so many ways, that their hypocrisy and enmity against God
are clearly seen.
5.
Those people, who have not known by their own experience that they have been
enemies of God, have not been converted.
In fact, they haven’t even been truly convicted. What have they repented of? Have they repented merely of their outward
sins? This is impossible, unless they
have understood, and condemned the fountain of iniquity, from which these
abominations have proceeded. The source
of their offending is that they have been the enemies of God. In fact, their minding of the flesh is
enmity against God all by itself. And
how can they talk of having repented, when they have never so much as known the
origin of their chief guilt? Impossible!
6.
Those sinners that deny that they are the enemies of God will probably not be
converted until they confess their enmity.
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and
forsakes them will have mercy.” (Prov
28:13) Many people will admit that they
are sinners, but they will deny that they are the enemies of God. Thus they cover up most of their sins;
acknowledge their outward acts of wickedness, but deny the enmity from which
those acts flow. While they do this,
God will never forgive them.
7.
These messages reveal a very different view of total depravity from the view
that regards depravity as physical, or constitutional, or as belonging to the
substance of the body or mind. All depravity
is voluntary, and consists in voluntary transgressions. It is the sinners’ own willful act. It is something of his creation that he has
a perfect control over, and he is entirely responsible for. Oh the darkness, confusion, and utter
nonsense of that view of depravity that exhibits it as something that lies behind
and is the cause of all actual transgressions.
That it is something created within the sinner, and he is born with
it. That it is some physical pollution
transmitted from Adam through the agency of God or the devil before the sinner
is old enough to exercise his free will. That this physical pollution is sinful and it deserves God’s
wrath. This is absurd and impossible.
It
is not only absurd and impossible, but is virtually charging God with all the
sin in the world, and if it is firmly believed, makes repentance in every such
case a natural impossibility. As long
as the sinner believes that he should be condemned not only for his conduct,
but also for his nature, and while he believes that his conduct is the natural
and necessary result of a depraved constitution, and that his nature must be
changed before he can obey his Maker, it is clearly impossible for him to blame
himself for his sins. He must not only
cease to be a reasonable being, but to have common sense, before he can justify
God and condemn himself on these principles.
No wonder that those who maintain such a view of depravity as this
should also maintain that sinners are unable to repent. It is true, that based on these principles
of depravity, and with these views, sinners cannot repent by themselves, nor can
God make them repent. The only way in
which God can bring a sinner to repent is by correcting his views: by showing
him what sin is; and causing him to see that it is because of his conduct, and
not because of his nature, that he is to repent; and that it is his conduct and
not his nature that needs to be changed.
To teach physical or constitutional depravity, is not only to teach
heresy and nonsense: but it leads the sinner to inevitably justify himself and
condemn God; and renders repentance, as long as the sinner believes it,
impossible.
8.
You can see why sinners find it so hard to be religious. The problem is their unwillingness to give
up their selfishness.
9.
You can’t reasonably pretend that these messages deny moral depravity. I have purposely denied physical depravity;
but certainly, these messages maintain moral depravity; for which the sinner is
to blame; for which he must repent, in all its length and breadth. It would seem, that some think that denying
that our nature is depraved in itself is a virtual denial of all depravity. In other words, they seem to think that it
is a virtual denial of the guilty source of all actual transgression. I have tried to show that the cause of sin
is not to be found in a sinful constitution, or nature, but in a wrong original
choice. The sinner prefers
self-gratification to the will of his Maker; and this choice becomes the
settled preference of his soul; and constitutes the deep fountain, from which
flows the putrid water of spiritual and eternal death. I am unable to see how you can call moral
depravity anything that either consists in a depraved physical constitution, or
is the natural result of it. Why should
that be called moral depravity?
Certainly, a physical depravity can have no relationship to moral law,
that it deserves punishment. It is
indeed marvelous, that in the 21st century, it should be considered heresy to
call sin a transgression of the law and that it must be the act of a voluntary
agent. Has it come to this, that those
who virtually deny all moral depravity, and virtually blame God with all the
sins of the world; gravely complain of heresy in those who maintain moral
depravity in all its length and breadth, but who deny a sinful physical or
constitutional depravity? What’s next? If it is heresy to say that sin is a
transgression of the law, then the apostle Paul must have been a heretic.
10.
From this subject it is clear that sinners must either be annihilated,
converted, or lost forever. With a mind
that is enmity against God, it is impossible that they should be happy. Infidels have no cause to sneer at the
doctrine of the new birth. If there
were no Bibles, the doctrine of total depravity, as exhibited in these
messages, would still be established as a matter of fact. And it cannot be denied, that unless men
pass through that change of mind, that the Bible calls the new birth, or a
change of heart, they must be annihilated or damned for all eternity.
11.
Sinners are not almost Christians. We
sometimes hear people say of some impenitent sinners, that they are almost
Christians. The truth is, the most
moral impenitent sinner in the world, is much closer to a devil than a
Christian. Look at that sensitive young
lady. Is she an impenitent sinner? Then she only needs to die to reveal who she
is closer to. Any tragedy that destroys
her life would make her a devil. No,
she doesn’t need to be influenced to turn her into a depraved individual; just
remove all her restraints, and the very enmity of hell will boil over in her heart
at once. Let God remove His supporting
hand from under her. Let Him hold back,
for only a moment, her breath of life, and she would open her eyes in eternity,
and if she dared, would curse Him to his face.
12.
It would be impossible for sinners to enjoy heaven if they were permitted to go
there in their present state of mind.
Break down the body. Let their
mind burst forth into the presence of God.
Let them look around, behold His glories, and see “holiness to the Lord”
inscribed on everything around them.
Let them listen to the songs of praise.
Let them perch on the loftiest tower in heaven. Let them hear the song of ‘holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty’, and so great would be their enmity, if they were unconverted,
that, if permitted, they would dive into the darkest cavern of hell, just to
escape from the presence of the infinitely holy Lord God.
13.
As long as sinners remain unrepentant, they don’t obey God any more than the
devil does. Their carnal mind is not
subject to the law of God, neither can it be.
In this state of mind, until the supreme preference of their mind is
changed, until they have given up minding the flesh, and obey God, it is
worthless to talk about obedience. The
first act of obedience that you ever will or can perform is to stop minding the
flesh, and give your heart to God.
14.
You see the wickedness and folly of those parents who think
their unconverted children are friendly toward religion. You cannot teach them a greater heresy, than
that they are friendly to religion or to God.
I have often heard Christian parents say that their children were not
enemies of religion. No wonder that
such children were never converted under such teaching as this. This is exactly what the devil wants you to
teach them. You give your children the
impression that they are friendly to religion already, and they will never know
why they need a new heart. While in
this state of mind, and laboring under this delusion, they cannot even be
convicted, let alone converted.
15.
You can see from this subject, the folly, and the falsehood of saying that an
impenitent sinner is a good-hearted man; when the fact is his heart is enmity
against God.
Finally. You see how necessary it is that there must
be a hell. If you are an enemy of God,
what shall be done with you if you die in your sins? Heaven is no place for you.
It would be worse to you than hell if you were allowed to go there. A hell is deserved by sinners, and is
evidently needed for those who die in their enmity against God. Now, sinner, your heart is revealed. You must be convinced of the truth of what I
have said. Remember that your enmity is
voluntary. It is of your own creation.
It is something that you have cherished and exercised for a long time. Will you
give it up? What has God done that you
should continue to hate Him? What is
there in sin that you should prefer it to God?
Why, Oh why, will you indulge for one moment longer in this spirit of horrible
rebellion and enmity against the blessed God?
Go just a little further. Cling
to your enmity just a little longer; and the knell of eternal death will toll
over your damned soul, and all the corners of despair will echo with your
groans.