What is the human condition according to the Bible?

Every human being born into this world is a lost sinner (Romans 5:12); the evil is neither in the material itself, nor in the human organism and its faculties. But in a man, descendant of Adam, all is misery and filthiness (Isaiah 1:6). God declares that that state is hopeless (Isaiah 2:22).

Every human creature born in this world is a lost sinner (Rom. 5:12; Ps. 51:5). The evil is neither in the matter itself nor in the human nature (and its faculties) as such. Coming from the hand of the Creator it was pronounced "very good" (Gen. 1:31). However, in man, as a descendant of Adam fallen, all is misery and defilement (Isa. 1:6; Rom. 3:10-18). God has declared this state as hopeless (Isa. 2:22; Eph. 2:12).

Every human creature born in this world is a lost sinner (Rom. 5:12; Ps. 51:5). The evil is neither in the matter itself nor in the human nature (and its faculties) as such. Coming from the hand of the Creator it was pronounced “very good” (Gen. 1:31). However, in man, as a descendant of Adam fallen, all is misery and defilement (Isa. 1:6; Rom. 3:10-18). God has declared this state as hopeless (Isa. 2:22; Eph. 2:12).

In what does the ruin of man consist? By sinning he has placed himself under a burden of guilt and has rendered himself liable to judgment. There is more than this, however. He has also become possessed of a fallen nature utterly and incorrigibly bad, with a heart "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). But even this is not all. Sin has acted like a subtle poison in his veins and has so stupefied and perverted his reason, will and judgment, that "there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God" (Rom. 3:11). Even in the presence of grace and the sweet pleadings of the Gospel men reject the Saviour provided, and with perverse unanimity prefer the empty follies of the world. Like the "great herd of swine" they rush madly to destruction, and hence the only hope is a sovereign interposition of God.

Now the statement of this may be rejected, and God’s revelation of it utterly refused by the very heart which sin has rendered deceitful; but the fact remains, and finds abundant proof on all hands. What is bred in the bone comes out in the flesh, and sin, self-will, enmity against God, is the underlying principle of our fallen nature. We are both sinful and guilty.

Nor could it be otherwise; for men are not only by nature unclean, but practical transgressors, rebellious, unfit for God's presence. Every trial has only proved their unclean and insubject condition. God tried man first in innocence; then as having a conscience and without law; then under law with many privileges, priesthood, prophets, kings; after this by the personal ministry of His beloved Son; and now by the ministry of divine grace by the Holy Ghost. But all have proved man to be evil and insubject to the will of God. Early in man's course God's testimony was, that "the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of man are only evil, and that continually;" and still the divine declaration is, that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:7-8.) This is God's verdict, and the sentence is final. Whether men agree with it or not, it is God's righteous estimate of fallen man. And if men in their natural state do not and cannot please God, how can they be fit for His holy presence? The ways of men invariably prove the wilful and insubject state of their hearts; for if God commands, he disobeys; if God loves, man hates. If God sends His Son to bless and save, they hate Him without a cause; they reject Him, saying, "This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, that the inheritance may be ours." If God preaches peace and remission of sins, they will not believe. As, therefore, the judgment of God upon the Egyptians could no longer be withheld because of their hatred of God and His people, and rejection of His word, so the coming wrath is inevitable because of man's enmity, and wilfulness, and continual insubjection to God and His truth.

Then follows an additional reason why Christians should be gentle and meek towards all men. "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." It is a look backward, what they were in their unregenerate condition. These are the true characteristics of man in the flesh. Here is an answer to the question, What is sin? Sin is foolishness, disobedience, deception, slavery to lusts and unsatisfying pleasures, a life of malice, envy and hatred. It is lawlessness. And such is the natural man in all ages. What was true of these Cretans nineteen hundred years ago is true today of every unregenerated person.

Life in its activity produces conduct, and conduct must be governed. by some principle by which its quality may be determined; moreover, what is good or bad, must be ascertained by reference to some decisive standard. In the language of the present verse, action and conduct are comprehended in the Spirit's definition of man's natural estate. The master-spring which governs these, is disclosed a little further on; as the resulting effect, he is found to be dead in trespasses and sins. These are the names by which God calls whatever is not wrought in Him. He is Judge Himself, and by Him actions are weighed. But, on looking at the hearts of men, His brief but conclusive decision is, that "there is none righteous, there is none that does good." The source of evil conduct is exposed in the same passage, by a declaration of the natural ignorance and alienation of our hearts — "there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God" (Ps. 14; Rom. 3:11). Ignorance and enmity are thus found to form the basis of natural human character. That "trespasses" and "sins" should be a just summary of human conduct, when estimated in the sanctuary of God, is therefore but an obvious result.

At first glance, Romans 5:12 sounds like an unfair judgment on everyone who lived after Adam. But is it? All of us know by experience that we do not live up to all that we know we should do (or not do) in relationship to God and our fellowman. Scripture teaches that we are all descended from Adam, and because we are part of Adam's family (the entire human race), we all have Adam's nature - a sinful heart. "The heart," writes Jeremiah, "is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jer. 17:9.

Unconverted persons know they love the things that are not of God. Whence does it all come? From a heart that is contrary to God — a nature at enmity with God. The heart loves the things that suit its own lusts. We all by nature turn away from God, and all are alike in this, those who have been most restrained by natural checks and the most vicious. There may be least care about it in the least vicious, because a very vicious man would be glad to be out of the scrape. When the prodigal left his father's house, he was as wicked as afterwards, he was glad to get away from his father and to do his own will. There may be a desire to please the father from natural affection; but there is the wish to have the opportunity to do one's own will, and this was all the prodigal wanted. What can we say of such a heart as that? The prodigal son was as guilty, though not so degraded, when he crossed his father's threshold as when eating husks in the far country.