The Hearts of Man

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AStudying God’s Word

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Studying God’s Word

Introduction

Last week we looked at the first murder in the world. Cain murdered his brother Abel most likely out of jealousy and despite a direct warning from God to master his sin.

• • Write on the board, “Is it wise to follow your heart?”
  What did we learn about the sacrifices of Cain and Abel and how that applies to our lives? Abel’s sacrifice was from his firstfruits and offered in faith, making it acceptable to God. God is pleased with humble offerings when we recognize that we are simply giving back to him what he has already provided for us.
  • Don’t forget! Review the Optional Supplements and determine where you can use them.
  Today will be our last lesson focusing on the Corruption that entered the world as Adam rebelled against God. We have seen how Satan deceived Eve and how her eating the forbidden fruit led to Adam’s willful disobedience to God. We know that the corruption has spread to the entire creation and that someday that curse will be removed as God restores the fallen world to its original perfect state.

All People Have a Sin Nature

In this lesson, we will be turning the focus to mankind in general, and then we’ll take a closer look at how sin impacts each one of us.

Let’s read Romans 5:12–21 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• What type of literature is the book of Romans? It is an epistle—a letter of instruction from Paul to the Christians in Rome.
• Who is the one man referred to in verse 12? Adam.
• What was the result of his actions? Sin and death spread to all men when Adam sinned.
• Who is Adam contrasted with in this passage? Jesus Christ.
• What common idea is found in verses 12, 15, 17, 18, and 19? Sin came through one man (Adam), and righteousness comes through one Man (Jesus).
• How many people face the consequence of Adam’s sin? All people are sinful because of Adam’s disobedience.

  Keep one finger or a bookmark in Romans 5. We are going to look at several cross-references from all over Scripture so that we can let Scripture interpret Scripture.

• Slide #8
  How does Romans 3:23 relate to this idea? It makes it clear that all people have sinned and fall short of God’s standard of perfect obedience—his glory.

• Slide #9
  What does Genesis 6:5 tell us about mankind? Man’s heart is evil continually.
• Is this description before or after Adam sinned? After the fall and before the flood.
• When the Bible speaks of the heart, what is it referring to? This is a figure of speech for the emotions and thoughts of a person—one’s causal core and seat of emotions and thoughts.

• Slide #10
  After the flood, God speaks of the nature of man. What do we learn about the heart of man from Genesis 8:21? The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.

• Slide #11
  After David committed adultery and murder, he penned a psalm of confession. In Psalm 51:5 what does David reveal about the origin of his sinful nature? He was sinful from the time he was conceived.

• Slide #12
  How does the prophet Jeremiah describe man’s heart in Jeremiah 17:9? The heart is more deceitful than anything, desperately sick (wicked), and unable to be understood.
• How could we summarize the teaching of the origin and extent of sin according to what we have just read? All people are sinful through Adam’s sin, and each person has sinned because of the desperately wicked nature of the heart.

Discover the Truth

All of this is the basis for the inherited sin nature that we refer to as original sin. Some people misunderstand that term to refer to Adam’s first sin, but original sin actually means that every person is born with a sin nature that causes us to rebel against God—even from birth.

Some people try to object to this idea and claim that it is unfair because we shouldn’t be blamed for what Adam did. There are a lot of theological nuances to this discussion that we are not going to take time to explore today, but there is one very important idea to consider. If it is unfair that Adam’s sin is accounted to each person, then it is also unfair that Christ’s righteousness and payment for sin should be accounted to anyone else.

To be consistent, and to make sure we are conforming our thinking to what we just read in Romans 5, we must accept the teaching that our sinful nature came from Adam as our representative head. This actually should give us great hope, knowing that just as we have all sinned in Adam, we can all be made righteous through Christ. If we are going to deny that Adam made us sinful then, to be consistent, we should deny that we can be made righteous in Christ.

However, this concept of original sin is very contrary to what the world teaches. Popular psychology and the media try to teach people that they are basically good or that they are born as blank slates and that if they just follow their hearts, all their dreams can come true.

Pop Culture vs. Scripture Activity

• How many of you allow your children to watch movies produced by Disney or have watched them yourself? Most should raise their hands.

  Disney, Pixar, and countless other production companies produce movies that reflect a worldview. In most cases, that worldview is directly opposite of Scripture, and the messages they communicate need to be weighed carefully against what Scripture teaches. Pass out the Pop Culture vs. Scripture Activity worksheets.

  On this worksheet, there are two different excerpts from movies. Take a few minutes to think about the messages that are being communicated and how they compare to Scripture. Keep in mind what we have just learned about original sin.

Connect to the Truth

• Slide #14
  After reading over the Cinderella lyrics, what did you conclude about the message the song presents compared to the Bible? Verse 1: God makes the rules, and they are not up for discussion. We are to submit to them in humility. Verse 2: A true inner beauty comes from godliness (1 Peter 3:1–6), and if the heart is wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), to follow it would be foolish because it could lead us astray. Verses 3–5: Rather than following our own dreams, we should be seeking to honor God with our lives. Following our own hearts will not lead to glorifying God but to gratifying the lusts of the flesh (1 John 2:15–17).

  If you look carefully, many films like this one are promoting unbiblical views. We often think these films are family-friendly if they don’t include any vulgar language or sex, but is this really the message we want to teach our children?

  The second movie was produced by Christians—but that doesn’t mean we immediately let our guard down. Even things that come with “Christian” on the label need to be compared to Scripture.

• With that in mind, how does what Michael says about his heart compare to Scripture? Before he was saved, he got a divorce because he followed his heart rather than leading it. He is trying to show Caleb that because our hearts are wicked, we must instruct, or lead, them toward godly pursuits, not those that will satisfy the flesh.

  Knowing what the Bible says about our heart—in our default setting we are selfish creatures—we must be careful to make sure that our hearts are in line with God’s. We know that at conversion we are made a new creation and that we can now overcome our sinful desires (2 Corinthians 5:17). But this is only possible because we have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us in that battle. As Paul explains in Romans 6, we have been crucified with Christ that we may “no longer be slaves to sin,” and we can now obey God as “slaves of righteousness.”

  If time allows, ask the students to talk about other places they have encountered this message, including in Christian radio and books or other forms of media.

  It is not by following our hearts or chasing our dreams that we should be living our lives, but by seeking to follow the example of Christ in putting others before ourselves (Philippians 2) and seeking to obey God with his strength.

Jesus Paid the Penalty for Sin

We have talked about the sinful side of human nature—the part that brings judgment. But there is a great hope for us despite our sin.

Let’s read John 3:16–21 together to remind us of that hope. Have someone read the passage aloud.

Most of you can probably quote verse 16, but a lot of other important information follows this statement. And it is important not to forget to examine the context of a familiar verse. We are jumping into the middle of a conversation between a prominent Jewish teacher and Jesus.

• Who was Jesus speaking to? Nicodemus, a Jewish elder (v.1).
• What caused God to send the Son? His love for the world.
• What is the result of believing in Jesus? Not perishing, but having eternal life.
• Why did God send the Son into the world? That the world might be saved through him.
• What brings condemnation to mankind? Their disbelief in the Son and their love for darkness (evil works) rather than light has already condemned all men.
• Why do men hate the light? The light exposes their evil deeds before a holy God.
• How does this passage relate to the condition of the heart of mankind that we talked about earlier? The darkness in this passage is related to the darkness of the hearts of all people apart from Christ. Their evil deeds are evidence of their evil hearts.

• Slide #17
  We know that God the Father sent his only begotten Son, so how does 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 help us make the connection between Jesus, Adam, and the condemnation of sin? Just as we saw in Romans 5, the condemnation of sin that passed to all men through Adam has been taken away for all who are in Christ.

• Slide #18
  Many people deny that we are born into a sinful state. What does Psalm 51:5–6 have to say about our nature at birth? Just as David was, we are conceived in a state of sin. This passage does not mean that the act of David’s conception was a sin, but that his nature has been tainted from sin since his conception. If time allows, you may also refer to Job 14:4, 15:14; Psalm 58:3–4; Ephesians 2:1–3.

Discover the Truth

Despite our tendency to love darkness more than light, a condition that leaves mankind condemned, Jesus was sent to pay the penalty for that condition—called sin. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again of the Spirit of God to be free from the condemnation that came with his first birth—a birth that left him with a sinful heart.

Although we were all born in original sin, God was gracious and merciful to us in sending his Son to die on our behalf. Jesus calls everyone to believe in what he has done as the Savior of the world.

Application

Although Adam brought sin into the world through an act of rebellion, Jesus freely offers to remove that penalty for all who believe in him. Just as death spread to all men and all are born with a sinful nature because of Adam, Jesus made a way to avoid the penalty of death for all who trust in him.

The world encourages us to fulfill our selfish desires while we follow our hearts and chase our dreams. The Father calls us to serve others and be like his Son. Scripture is very clear in its description of the evil that is within the heart of every person from conception. If we examine the desires of our own hearts, we must admit that there is selfishness at our core. It is that sin that condemns us before a holy God, and he would be just to condemn us to hell for that rebellion.

But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to pay the penalty that we deserve. God’s love is demonstrated in this act, and those who were stained because of Adam’s sin can be washed clean in the blood of Christ. When we look to the Son in repentance and faith, we have passed from death to life—from perishing to eternal life.

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  What evidence could you offer to someone who doubts that all people are sinful from conception? First, there is the clear testimony of Scripture (Psalm 51:5, 58:3, etc.), but a visit to a playground or a daycare center should make it clear that young children are sinful creatures. No one has to teach a child to lie or steal or deceive to get what they want—it is part of their nature.
• If a person believes that the doctrine of original sin is unfair, are they being consistent when they look for salvation from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? No. If it is not fair that Adam’s sin is accounted to all, it is also not fair that Christ’s righteousness could be accounted to anyone. This attitude often leads people to rely on their own works for righteousness.
• If sin is passed to all of Adam’s descendants, why is it important to affirm that Adam and Eve were the original parents of all people? If Adam and Eve were not the parents of every person, then those who were born outside the line of Adam would not have inherited his sin nature and would not be in need of salvation. It could not be said that Christ has made salvation possible to all of the human race since part of that group would have no need for salvation.
• What hope do you find in knowing that for assurance of your salvation you can look to what Christ has done rather than looking to your own works to commend you to God? If we are honest with ourselves, our hearts are still deceitful even after having been born again, and there is a constant battle to defeat the desires of the flesh. Even as we strive to do what pleases God, we fail. And, before we were saved we had accumulated a sin debt that demands payment. Praise God that he has secured our righteousness through Christ and that his mercy has saved us and not our works (Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 3:1–7)!
• In what ways do you think you may have been deceived by the world’s message of “follow your heart”? What do you need to do to repent of that? Discuss various answers, encouraging the students to take to heart the truths of Romans 12:1–2 and continue to be conformed to the image of Christ.
• As you look at the culture we live in, how do you see the false message of the goodness of humanity promoted? How can this be an opportunity to share the gospel? Discuss various answers, and discuss how we can point to God’s standard of righteousness to help people see their sinful hearts. As people see their own sin, they can realize their need for a Savior.
• How has this lesson helped you to understand the need to share the gospel with those around you? Knowing that every person has sinned and has a deceitful heart should help motivate us to share the truth with others so that they might experience God’s forgiveness and offer him the worship he alone deserves.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class and take requests if time allows.

• Read 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 as a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
• Ask God for compassion and boldness to share his gospel with others who have accepted the false messages from the culture.
• Thank God for the truth of his Word that can dispel falsehoods in the  culture.