The Natural Man and his Religion

The Religion of the Natural Man is made up of pride, ignorance, and a guilty conscience: these effectually keep the sinner far from God. Grace, on the contrary, moves us to draw near to God by the blood of Jesus. It was the obedience of faith that made Abel the acceptable worshipper.

The fairest things in the world’s sight are the foulest in the sight of God; to wit, the world’s Wisdom and the world’s Religion.

To judge by the number of creeds in the world, its Religions are many; yet there are but two - man’s Religion and God’s. The former ever builds on the false righteousness of the flesh; the latter on the rock Christ.

All the Religion of the Natural Man turns the Bible upside down: it begins with works, and then leads men to hope for mercy. Whereas the Bible begins with the pardon of sin, and then enjoins obedience.

Nadab and Abihu went up with Moses into the mount with God, yet afterwards perished while offering strange fire. Were natural men that profess Christ to be caught up into heaven, and sent down to earth again, they would be still but Nadabs and Abihus at enmity with God. The carnal mind must be crucified; it cannot be mended or improved.

The man who worships God without the new birth is a mocker of God, not a worshipper.

It is natural to the corrupt heart of man to deny its weakness and sinfulness, and to boast of its strength and righteousness.

If Adam in his state of uprightness could not uphold himself, how shall we, his corrupt seed, by native strength rise up out of our fall?

There are many stirrings of conscience in the Natural Man which are not grace, though often mistaken for it. Balaam, Saul, and many others, had such stirrings - conscience pulling one way and the heart another. Without grace there is no self-abhorrence, and therefore no looking to the blood of Christ. Where grace is, the soul desires deliverance from the power of sin as well as its punishment.

If you be not converted to God, you have not to be doing good works, but to learn that you can do none, and that you are to come empty to receive God’s gift of eternal life by faith in Christ Jesus. Your best prayer for mercy is the true confession of your sin. Made alive in Christ, you are to bring forth fruit to God. That fruit will not be apples of Sodom or grapes of Gomorrah: such are all your good works in your natural state - your fruit will be from Jesus, the true and living vine.