[342]. A Message From A Poem - Who Is The Natural Man?

[342]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WHO IS THE NATURAL MAN?

The “natural man” is a term used by Paul in his letters. What does it mean? It refers to the state we were/are in from birth. It is man according to nature with no change in his spiritual condition.

The natural man is one who is a sinner without Jesus Christ; it is a man/woman who is outside the sheepfold of the Lord, the Shepherd. It is a man who is unregenerated, not reconciled, unredeemed, unsaved, lost, and has not been born again. The new birth is essential – {{John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”}}

He who is the opposite of the descriptions just used is a spiritual man. Therefore the world has two classes – the natural man and the spiritual man.

The scripture contains many descriptions of the natural man. Here are three of them -

Jesus said – {{Matthew 15:18-19 “but the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man? Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”}}

{{Romans 1:29-31 “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful,”}}

Sometimes the term “fleshly man” can be substituted for the natural man. It is also possible for the Christian to exhibit some of those fleshly tendencies because he still has the natural man’s old nature, which is the flesh. That is why Paul could say Galatians 5:16-17 “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh, for the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please,”}}

The third description of the natural man is this one – {{Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, about which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God,”}}

Our desire is that the natural man becomes a spiritual man. We pray the Lord will draw men and women to Himself for salvation. The world is increasing dramatically in wickedness and hate towards Christians and Israel. Paul warned of this in 2 Timothy 3:1 but we can actually see it in our generation. The Lord will come again soon.

Why do people lie and cheat, and steal, and many more worse sins? This answer is this. It is NATURAL for them to do that. Just like a hatched duck is straight into the water, so the natural man acts naturally and sins.

In the poem I examine what a natural man is and his behaviour, and in the last stanza there is a request for the natural man to turn to God.

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WHO IS THE NATURAL MAN?

The natural man chooses his own destiny;

Relationship with God is a choice he rejects.

Faced with God’s holiness he is in mutiny;

Whatever is of God he readily neglects.

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Those in the world have minds that are captivated

By sins’ attractions, and delusions of evil.

With goodness negated, they are motivated

Towards chaos and hurt, and greater upheaval.

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Why does mankind choose this destructive course to chase,

The pursuit of which, the final closure will be,

The certain way to humiliation’s disgrace.

People bind chains for themselves seeking to be free.

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The true fact is that mankind is already bound

By the subtleties of sin, and its fallen way.

Man swims ever forward, but his spirit is drowned,

For he has lost direction, and has gone astray.

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Disobedience to God brought about man’s fall,

And from that time, what was light has become darkness;

What was peace became disharmony to appal;

What was good and right became bad in full starkness.

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That is the natural man – now separated;

On a sinful journey from God set apart.

Not the Lord, but himself he has elevated,

And reigns in humanism with an evil heart.

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The bible clearly states that man is reprobate.

He is lost and can not find his own salvation.

Left to his own devices he will find hell’s gate

Where all is tragic, and leads to his damnation.

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The natural man seeks not God, and from Him flees.

He can not willingly by himself, seek the Lord.

Sin’s shame and cowardice will bring him to his knees,

But not in repentance, because his soul is flawed.

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He loves pleasure, not God, and does what he pleases.

He is diseased with the sins of Romans One.

Any vain substitute for God, his life seizes,

Then shuts the door and with that action, God is done.

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The natural man is lost and is damned forever,

But when the Lord God intervenes in loving grace,

He reaches out in mercy and love. Whoever

Accepts that fact, the true goodness of God can trace.

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You, in your natural state of separation,

Turn to God with faith, in repentance and sorrow.

The sinner He will embrace for His salvation;

Then gone forever, hell’s door in your tomorrow.

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26 December 2021 Ron Ferguson Metre = 12 throughout A-B-A-B