Monday, January 7, 2008

Can man in his natural state come to God?

Man is unable to come to God because of his nature. Charles Spurgeon gives this beautiful example, one day a man said, that he did not believe any man had the power to walk to the house of God unless the Father drew him. This was very foolish saying according to Spurgeon. Because as long as a man was alive and had legs, it was as easy for him to walk to the house of God as to the house of Satan. There is no lack of physical power in coming to Christ, as physically men are alive, they can raise a hand in coming to Christ, they can walk down the isle in coming to Christ, they can say a prayer in coming to Christ. But just because they did all these things physically, it does not mean they truly came to Christ. The defect is not in the body, as the natural man is alive and strong physically, the defect is in the mind and in the heart. It is spiritual. As he is spiritually dead.

Spurgeon gives the example of a lion and a sheep. The lion has legs so does sheep, the lion has a mouth so does a sheep, the lion have ears so does a sheep. Physically both can walk and eat. But the lion will not eat grass like a sheep neither the sheep will eat meat like a lion. The distinction is in the nature. By nature, the Lion is different than a sheep. In the same way by the natural man s nature is so corrupt that he has neither the will nor the power to come to Christ unless drawn by the Spirit.