Let’s start with the scripture, specifically Ephesians 2:1-9. There are many other verses that address our sin nature, but his passage does a great job summing up it all up.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he love us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,”
The first thing to notice is the word you, who does the you refer to? Given that this is a letter to the church at Ephesus (1:1), we know that the you is plural referring to all the saints there. It is also safe to conclude that this statement applies to all persons who become believers. Therefore, all believers were dead in their sins. Our condition was not that of being gravely sick, but dead. However, as noted by the tense of the verbs, this is no longer the case for us. A corollary to this is the truth that all who are not now alive; are currently dead in their sins. (I promise I will explain the practical application of all of this… later.)
“following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air,”
The important thing to note, is that you and I were followers of Satan. Though we were not likely conscious followers of the Devil, we were still followers indeed. There are two options a person has, to follow the world and in doing so the Devil, or to follow Christ. By implication we are either actively worshipping Christ the Lord or worshipping the evil one. Therefore, when we were dead we worshipped the evil one by following in his ways.
“the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ”
The evil one is actively working against the Lord by working in his creation to turn them away from the truth. Additionally, this verse tells us the truth about our wretched condition before the Lord saved us. Here we learn that we were not only sons of disobedience, but also, by nature children of wrath. The phrase “by nature” indicates that this was natural and inherent in us. We were born this way because of Adam’s sin. Consider Romans 5, especially verses 18 & 19, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” (I could say more about this verse, but my objective is to focus on our sin nature.)
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ”
But God, what glorious words those are! But God loved us so much that he died for us so that we might have life. This is the same God that Isaiah describes as “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Throughout scripture the purity and holiness of the Lord are stated. Likewise, his abhorrence towards sin can also be noted. This is the remarkable thing, that though we were worshipping Satan by living according to the passions of our flesh, though we were dead without any love for God, he died for us so we might have eternal life! God, who cannot tolerate sin, died for sinners.
“—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Yet, not only did he give us wretched sinners eternal life washing us white as snow, he raised us up with him! He has now, adopted us as children and all the promises in the word are ours in Christ Jesus. His grace and kindness towards us cannot be measured, for we deserve none of what he has given to us. As the scripture states, we deserve the wrath of the Lord because of our disobedience, yet receive mercy, love, and grace.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Much can be said on this verse, but let us agree that our salvation is a gift of God we do not deserve. In my opinion knowing how wretched mankind is, is the basis for obtaining the peace of God in a plethora of circumstances. For instance, when we consider that all we deserve is hell, any suffering on earth seems trivial in comparison and we find that our salvation is indeed reason enough to rejoice in the hard times. However, I want to apply this to an even more personal example that perhaps others might relate to too.
When I was in high school I dated an unbeliever and gave away my virginity. As a result I felt many emotions not the least of which, was shame and worry. I was worried about what others might think of me, especially a man who might marry me. Now, please, do not let the brevity of the description lead you to believe that any of this was easy for me. I often cried and lacked the peace of the Lord, but now, because the Doctrine of Sin I have found freedom.
These verses, and many more, testify that it is for a sinner just like me that Christ died. We can be comforted by knowing that whatever sins we have committed, the Lord paid for them on the cross out of his love for us. One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 1:18, ‘“Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD: ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”’
Secondly, this passage teaches me that all of mankind is as wretched as I am. I no longer concern myself with what others may think of me because I know the truth; they are sinners too. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. If a person reacts negatively to the truth of who I am, it only demonstrates that they have not yet learned the truth about who they are. Our sin is first and foremost against the Lord, and if the Lord is willing to die on a cross out of love for me, then so should a sinful man be willing to forgive me for not waiting until marriage. Can you begin to see how very practical and freeing theology and doctrine can be?
Finally, I remember when I was a freshmen in college a group of guys saying they didn’t think someone who was not a virgin should wear white on their wedding day. This hurt me greatly and I went back to my dorm and cried. But you see, if, I only knew the truth I would have been spared that pain. I no longer see myself as a victim. There are plenty of people in the church who will look down upon me or you because of our sins, but we ought not to let that bother us. For we know who we are in Christ Jesus. Instead, with pity, we ought to pray for those people for the Lord knows they are missing out on many immeasurable blessings the Lord has for them.
My brothers and sisters I pray that the Lord may give you all spiritual wisdom and understanding so you might know the truth and walk in it, having the peace of the Lord, which passes all understanding. And may you be encouraged to know more theology because of the richness of its application to our lives.