Essay Two
The Nature of Man
Throughout the history of the Christian church there have persisted two schools of thought on the nature of man, apart from the Spirit of God. One viewpoint holds that the natural man is totally corrupt, incapable of fulfilling the conditions for salvation, and without the sovereign intervention of God, the natural man is irretrievably lost. The second school of thought contends that the natural man, through the exercise of ‘free will’, can initiate or reject God’s plan of salvation for the individual.
These divergent views of the nature of man were as prevalent at the time of Martin Luther as they are today. Erasmus, the Christian humanist of Luther’s day, brought this issue into sharp focus when he published a tract titled, On the Freedom of the Will. Erasmus was urged by the ecclesiastical leaders of the day to state at what point he differed from Luther, for in many ways these two men were fellow laborers during the birth of the Reformation.
There are None Righteous, No not One
Luther thanked Erasmus for centering the discussion on the nature and destiny of man. He wrote to Erasmus, “You alone have gone to the heart of the problem instead of debating the papacy, indulgences, purgatory, and similar trifles. You alone have gone to the core, and I thank you for it.” Luther responded to Erasmus by writing The Bondage of the Will, said to be the greatest piece of theological writing that ever came from Luther’s pen. Luther recognized that “the natural man can practice the civil virtues as a responsible husband, an affectionate father, a decent citizen, and an upright magistrate. He saw that man was capable of the integrity and valor as displayed by the Romans of old, or the Turks of his day. Furthermore, he acknowledged that most of the precepts of the gospel can be outwardly kept. But in the eyes of God, “there are none righteous, no not one.” Motives are never pure. The noblest acts are vitiated by arrogance, self-love, the desire of the eye, and the lust of power. From the religious point of view, man is a sinner. He has therefore no claim upon God. If man is not irretrievably lost, it can only be because God deigns to favor him beyond his desert. The problem then shifts from man to God.” (Here I Stand - A Life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Bainton, page 253)
Luther Believed Man was Impotent in Matters of Salvation
Luther wrote, “God has surely promised his grace to the humbled: that is, to those who mourn over and despair of themselves. But a man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he realizes that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends absolutely on the will, counsel, pleasure, and work of another – God alone. As long as he is persuaded that he can make even the smallest contribution to his salvation, he remains self-confident and does not utterly despair of himself, and so is not humbled before God; but plans out for himself (or at least hopes or longs for) a position, an occasion, a work, which shall bring him final salvation. But he who is out of doubt that his destiny depends entirely on the will of God despairs entirely of himself, chooses nothing for himself, but waits for God to work in him; and such a man is very near to grace for his salvation.” (Bondage of the Will, by Martin Luther, translated by J.I. Packer & O.R. Johnston, page 100)
Erasmus believed Man could fulfill the Conditions for Salvation
Erasmus, as do many of our modern evangelical preachers, conceived of free will as, “a power of the human will by which a man may apply himself to those things that lead to eternal salvation, or turn away from the same. Is it not unjust that God should create man incapable of fulfilling the conditions for salvation, and then at whim save or damn for what cannot be helped?” (Bondage of the Will, page 137)
Luther responded, “Doubtless it gives the greatest possible offence to common sense or natural reason, that God, who is proclaimed as being full of mercy and goodness, should of his own mere will abandon, harden and damn men. . . It seems an iniquitous, cruel, intolerable thought to think of God; and it is this that has been a stumbling block to so many great men down the ages. And who would not stumble at it? I have stumbled at it myself more than once, down to the deepest pit of despair, so that I wished I had never been made a man. (That was before I knew how health-giving that despair was, and how close to grace) This is why so much toil and trouble has been devoted to clearing the goodness of God, and throwing the blame on man’s will.” (Bondage of the Will, page 55)
Luther rightly saw that the natural man was incapable of contributing to his eternal salvation. However, he had not yet been given understanding of God’s ultimate plan for the reconciliation of mankind, which reveals to us the fullness of God’s mercy and goodness.
Reformation or Crucifixion of the Natural Man?
The danger of the Erasmian view of the nature of man is that Christians will substitute the reformation of the natural man for crucifixion of the natural man. Erasmus declared, “If this be so, who will try and reform his life?” Luther replied, Nobody! Nobody can! God has no time for your practitioners of self-reformation, for they are hypocrites. The elect, who fear God, will be reformed by the Holy Spirit; the rest will perish unreformed. Who will believe (you say) that God loves him? I reply, Nobody! Nobody can! But the elect shall believe it; and the rest will perish without believing it, raging and blaspheming, as you describe them.” (Bondage of the Will, page 99)
Transforming Themselves into Apostles of Christ
Because of the Erasmian view of the nature of man, we find many Christians building their lives on the reformation of the natural man. The difficulty in dealing with the natural man arises from the fact that he can accomplish his self-exalting purposes either through evil, hostile, anti-social behavior, or, through cleverly concealed altruistic behavior manifest in apparent good works. In fact, the natural man can be reformed to the point of appearing as an angel of light, or a minister of righteousness. In II Corinthians 11:13-15 we read, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” In Matthew 7:22, the apostles of Christ working through the natural man claim to prophecy, cast out devils, and do many wonderful works in the name of Jesus. Christ says he will profess unto them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Certainly Christ is not talking to the new creature which is borne of the spirit, but to the old carnal nature which cannot enter his kingdom.
Thomas Jefferson’s Erasmian View of Christianity
Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and founder of the University of Virginia, believed that a Christian was saved by his good works. Gary Scott Smith, author of Faith and the Presidency, wrote on pages 61 and 65, ”Jefferson wished that Christians and other theists would stop debating Christ’s divinity, and focus on his character and moral teachings. The planter rejected the doctrines of Christ’s virgin birth, vicarious atonement, and bodily resurrection. He was convinced that people had an intrinsic disposition to do good rather than evil, to live an upright rather than an immoral life. He maintained that if he ever founded a new denomination, “its fundamental principle would be the reverse of Calvin’s belief, that is, we are saved by our good works which are within our power, and not by our faith which is not in our power.” Jefferson’s Erasmian view of Christianity, founded on the belief that man’s first duty is the reformation of the natural man, now permeates our Christian communities and institutions.
Ye are the Temple of God
Instead of putting off the old man, we try to give him an extreme makeover and hope that God will accept him. However, the scriptures are very plain that the old nature is totally unacceptable to God no matter how upright the old nature may appear. The Christian is warned that he must build his spiritual life wholly on the new creature, which is Christ in us. In I Corinthians 3:11-16 we read, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
Put off the Old Man and Put on the New Man
The scriptures tell us there are two natures dwelling within the body of the Christian. In Ephesians 4:22-24 we read, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” These two natures are engaged in continual conflict to control our minds, which in turn controls our behavior. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he (man) thinketh in his heart, so is he.” In Romans 12:1-2 Paul beseeches us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice”, and that we be transformed into the new nature “by the renewing of your mind” in the word of God. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3)
As Luther indicated, this transformation is impossible until we utterly despair (or repent) of our whole sinful nature, not just the sins of the old nature. In Romans 7:18 Paul declares, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” In Romans 8:6-7 we read, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
Beware of our Reformed Carnal Nature Posing as God
Most Christians acknowledge that the carnal nature (or carnally controlled mind) cannot keep God’s law, but at the same time they assign to this carnal nature the capacity to believe God, to receive spiritual gifts, and to confess Christ as Lord and Saviour. As soon as we assert this element of goodness in the carnal man we set the stage for his reformation and eventual exaltation in the temple of God, “which temple ye are.” (I Corinthians 3:17) In II Thessalonians 2:3-4 we read, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
The Natural Man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God
In I Corinthians 2:12 we read, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given us of God.” We can’t even appreciate the things God has for us until he first gives us his Spirit (new nature), let alone receive spiritual gifts. In I Corinthians 2:14 we read, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The only thing God asks us to do with our old carnal nature is to crucify it. In Romans 6:6 we read, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him (Christ), that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” In Colossians 3:3-5 we read, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.”
Death is swallowed up in Victory
Once we acknowledge and accept the appointed destiny of our carnal nature, God gives us victory over sin and death. We are assured that this sinful nature, which we all must wrestle with, will be finally put off at death. Paul rejoices in this fact in I Corinthians 15:54-55. “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
The scriptures admonish us not to know (or identify) ourselves, or our brethren, by the old carnal nature. In II Corinthians 5:16 we read, Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh.” In Galatians 5:17 we read, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” While our flesh is still lusting after the Spirit in this mortal body, we are to reckon our carnal man as already dead, and in faith, trust God for our eventual and complete transformation, as death is swallowed up in victory.