Nobody thinks they're the villain in their own story. Most people would consider themselves to be fairly decent people, not perfect, but certainly not in the position of needing rescuing from themselves. Understanding sin and the human condition is critical before anyone can receive the gospel. Before anyone can receive the gospel message, they must understand why they need it. Millard Erickson, in his book Christian Theology, explains the nature of sin and defines it as a failure to let God be God by putting something or someone in God’s place of supremacy; in other words, a lack of conformity, active or passive, to the moral law of God.[1]  To understand sin and the human condition - that we are essentially corrupt and rebellious - one must first accept that we have a Creator God, sovereign over all things, and that the fall of humanity began with Adam and Eve back in Genesis chapter 3. Accepting this truth, as Erickson points out, “lies in the fact that human beings, since the fall, are sinful by nature and live in a world in which powerful forces seek to induce them to sin.”^[2]

Our understanding of the doctrine of sin, the total depravity of humanity, influences the doctrine of salvation and the message of Christ. The problem is that humanity is guilty before a holy God and that sin equals death. Understanding the nature of God, as Erickson discusses, is critical. If God is holy, pure, and requires humanity to be pure in His presence, then every human being stands in crisis before Him. Even the slightest divergence from God’s standard is sin, and the human condition is very serious.[3] If sin equals death, what does this death encompass? Sin has very serious consequences regarding the relationship between the sinner and God, including physical death- termination of human existence in the bodily or materialized state, spiritual death – the separation of the entire person in our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and eternal death- the extension and finalization of spiritual death.[4] Erickson highlights how sin produces enslavement to destructive patterns, a deep self-centeredness, and an erosion of our capacity to love – consequences that affect every corner of human life.[5]

Erickson states that our sin nature requires a cure with similarly extensive effects.^[6] This cure is in the salvation that only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, provides.  The belief that humans are inherently rational and moral leads us to reach for more comfortable fixes like education and good examples, blinding us to the deeper, more radical change that the problem of sin requires. As Erickson succinctly states, “the more severe our conception of sin, the more supernatural the salvation needed.”[7]

This is not merely abstract theology – it is deeply personal. Brokenness and emptiness usually bring us to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. Controlling my life and outcomes came from a place of fear in my life. I came to realize, as most believers do, that Jesus our Savior can only fill this hole. As I acknowledged my inability to achieve true freedom, I turned to the Lord as my Savior, and my eyes were opened to my own sinfulness and need. Only then could I admit I was a sinner who needed a Savior. This repentance did not bring shame or guilt, but instead took them away as the Holy Spirit led me on my sanctification journey. No matter the path to God, as Christopher Moody discusses in his book Disciple-Making Disciples: A Practical Theology of the Church, whether it is conversion through crushing, the inability to see the Kingdom of God because of cultural/religious expectations and efforts, with the veil finally being removed, or simply being rescued from being a worldly prodigal, God is the one who gives this gift.[8] This process begins by understanding the sin we are being saved from. Moody clearly states, “the initial direction of your spiritual journey is UP, beginning with your Great Confession of Jesus as the God Messiah.”^[9]

In terms of evangelism, the believer cannot present a solution unless both parties correctly name the problem. Moody further argues that “by the work of the Holy Spirit, an egocentric soul can become aware of his depravity and God’s great grace through Christ’s atonement. Through this internal work in the new disciple of Christ, the Holy Spirit has made unwelcome news into Good News!”^[10]

You cannot fully appreciate a rescue if you didn’t know you were drowning. Erickson reminds us that sin is not merely a behavioral problem needing correction – it is a condition requiring transformation, and a guilt requiring atonement. A gospel that softens or skips the reality of our sin nature does not do its hearers any favors – the solution never quite fits the problem. The story of redemption must start with humanity as Scripture clearly presents it, not as we would prefer to see ourselves. The problem is real, universal, and serious. In the next post, we turn to the One who addressed it fully – at the cross.