The Opposition of Man to the Doctrine of Total Inability by A. W. Pink. Since all sinners are involved in such spiritual darkness, this makes them unaware of their present condition and condemnation. It is not surprising that they are so displeased when their fearful danger is plainly pointed out. Such faithful warnings tend to disturb their present peace and comfort, and to destroy their future hopes and prospects of happiness. If they were once made to truly realize the imminent danger of the damnation of hell, their ease, security, and joy would be completely dispelled. They cannot bear, therefore, to hear the plain truth respecting their wretchedness and guilt. Sinners could not bear to hear the plain teachings of the prophets or Christ on this account. This explains their bitter complaints and fierce opposition. They regard as enemies those who try to befriend them. They stop their ears and run from them. The tenetual man, even the most zealous religionist, has no perception of the spiritual blindness. and that he is highly displeased when charged with it is evident. Jesus said, For judgment I come into this world, a day which don't see, may see, and a day which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words and said to him, Are we blind also? And Jesus said to them, If you are blind, you should have no sin. But now you say, We see. Therefore your sin remains. John 9 verses 39 to 41. God's Son became incarnate for the purpose of bringing to light the hidden things of darkness. He came to expose things that those made conscious of their blindness might receive sight. But the day who had spiritual sight in their own estimation should be made blind, judicially abandoned to the pride of their evil horse. Deinfatuated Pharisees had no desire for such an experience. denying their blindness, they were left in their sin. Verily, verily, I say to you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3, verse 3. He cannot see the things of God. because by nature he is enveloped in total spiritual darkness. Even though external light shines on him, he has no eyes with which to see it. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1 verse 5. When the Lord of life and light appeared among them, Men had no eyes to see His beauty, but despised and rejected Him. And so it is still. Every verse in Scripture which treats of the Spirit's illumination confirms this solemn fact. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give delight of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 6. This giving of light and knowledge is by divine power, being analogous to that power by which the light of the first creation was provided. As far as spiritual, saving knowledge of the truth is concerned, the mind of fallen man is like the chaos before God said, let there be light. Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And in that state, it is impossible for man to understand the things of the Spirit. Not only is the understanding of the natural man completely under the dominion of darkness, but his will is paralyzed against good. And if that is so, the sinner is indeed impotent. This fact was made clear by Christ when he affirmed, No man can come to me. Except a father which has sinned may draw him, John 6 verse 44. And why is it that the sinner cannot come to Christ by his own unheeded powers, because he has no inclination to do so, and therefore no volition in that direction? The Greek might be rendered. He will not come to me. There is not the slightest desire in the unregenerate heart to do so. The will of fallen man is depraved, being completely in bondage to sin. There is not merely a negative lack of inclination. But there is a positive disinclination. The unwillingness consists of aversion. The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can be Romans 8 verse 7. And not only is there an aversion against God, there is a hatred of him. Christ said to his disciples, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15 verse 18. This hatred is inveterate obstinacy. The Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Exodus 32 verse 9. All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. Romans 10 verse 21. Man is incorrigible, and in himself his case is hopeless. Your people shall be willing in the day of your power. because they have no power whatever of their own to effect such willingness. Since we have demonstrated from the scripture of truth that the natural man is utterly unable to discern spiritual things, much less to choose them, there is little need for us to labor the point that he is quite incompetent to perform any spiritual act. Nor is this only a logical inference drawn by theologians. It is expressly affirmed in the Word. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8 verse 8. There is no denying the meaning of that terrible indictment, as there is no likelihood of its originating with man himself. Jeremiah said, O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that walks, to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10 verse 23. All power to direct our steps in the paths of righteousness was lost by us at the fall, and therefore we are entirely dependent on God to work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Little is this solemn truth a man's moral impotence is known today, And as widely as it is denied by modern thought and teaching, there was a time when it was generally contended for. In the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England, to which all her ministers must still solemnly and formally subscribe, the tenth reads thus. To condition a man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upon God. Wherefore, we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God. In the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 6 begins thus. Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This, their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purpose, to order it to His own glory. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. this being the root of all mankind. The guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death and sin of corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation, from this original corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to do all evil, to proceed all actual transgressions.