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Each human being is born in sin. King
David said, “Behold, I was shapen in
iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,”
(Psam 51:5). Not that his mother engaged in a sinful act when he was
conceived, but rather that since both his mother and father were sinners, he
too inherited from them a sin nature. This sin nature in humans produces
sin. For instance, “...every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,”
(James 1:14). Some have tried to blame the devil for their sins. While the
devil is a deceiver and is in the false religion business complete with his
“ministers of righteousness”
(2 Corinthians 11:15), it is man's sin nature that draws him into sins.
The Lord Jesus spoke about the sinful
condition of the human race in John 8:23-24, saying,
“...Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are
of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am
he, ye shall
die in your sins.” The people to whom
Jesus said these words were unbelieving Jews. They had both seen and heard
Him and yet continued in their unbelief. He said to them another time,
“But ye believe not, because ye are not of
my sheep...” (John 10:26). Those “from
beneath,” are “of this world,” and are not Christ's “sheep.” They are
unbelievers.
There are consequences for unbelief. The
Lord Jesus spelled out one consequence as stated above: “if ye believe not
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Those who continue in unbelief
demonstrate their sin nature and shall die in their sins: lost, spiritually
dead and separated from God. Their future will ultimately be eternity in the
lake that burns with fire and sulphur. Unbelievers may reform themselves,
but they are still bound by their sin nature: evilly affected in their
intellect, emotions and their wills. Thus they think sinful thoughts, love
sinful things, hate God and exercise their wills to sin. They
“cannot cease from sin,” (2 Peter 2:14).
The King James Bible has the word “he” in
italic type in the phrase “I am he.” This is their way of showing that the
word is not in the original language. What Jesus really said was this: “if
ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.” When Moses asked God
who he should tell the Israelites had sent him we read:
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he
said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me
unto you,” (Exodus 3:14). Do you believe
that Jesus is the “I AM” - the ever-living self-existent God who came as a
real man in order to have a body to sacrifice for sins? If not, you have
missed the point of the whole Bible and ye shall die in your sins.
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