Calvary Bible Church
8318 Carpenter Road
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
Booklet One – Evangelism Lessons
For Those Who Want To Know GOD
LESSON ONE – TEACHER’S Edition
MAN’S CONDITION FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
I. Introduction
Have you ever stopped to consider God’s view of mankind? How does God describe mankind in the Bible? You are part of mankind, and therefore, these questions pertain to you. How does God describe you? This lesson will answer these questions and others.
II. God Says That All Human Beings Are Sinners.
In the Bible, God tells us repeatedly that His view of all human beings is that they are sinners. Consider some of the many Bible passages where God says this.
1. I Kings 8:46 “OT”.
A. According to this verse, how many people sin? ANSWER: All: “For there is no one who does not sin.”
TN: Here the teacher might ask the student if he knew that the Bible said this about all mankind. Further, the teacher might ask the student the question, “Who is the most perfect person that you are a friend with?” After allowing the student to state who it is, the teacher can respond by saying, “According to this Bible verse, does your friend sin?”
2. Psalm 14:2-3 “OT”. There are several questions that we need to answer from this passage of Scripture.
A. According to this verse, who is looking down from heaven?
ANSWER: God--“The LORD looks down from heaven.”
B. And upon whom is God looking?
ANSWER: Human Beings--“on the sons of men.”
Don’t let the words, “sons of men” confuse you. The verse simply means, “The LORD (God) is looking down from heaven on human beings.” This means that God is looking down from heaven on YOU
and on ME and everyone else too! Are you daily conscious of this truth--that God is looking down from heaven on all human beings, including YOU? That is what God tells us in this verse, and there are many other Bible verses that affirm this same truth!
TN: Here the teacher might want to emphasize similar Scriptures to the student: Ps. 66:7, “God’s eyes watch the nations”; or Prov. 5:21, “A man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths”; or Prov. 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good”; or Ps. 94:9, “Does he who formed the eye not see?”; or Ps. 11:4, “The LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.”
C. According to the last two phrases in vs. 2b, God is watching mankind for what two purposes? ANSWER: (1.) “To see if there are any who understand.”
(This means “any who understand God.” God is looking down from heaven to see if any one understands Him. To understand something means to comprehend it or to have good insight into it. God is looking down from heaven to see if anyone comprehends Him or has good insight into Him!) ANSWER: (2.) “To see if there are any who seek God.”
D. Vs. 3 tells us what God has found as He has watched all of mankind.
According to the first four words of vs. 3, are any persons “seeking God?” ANSWER: No.
God clearly says that “all” have turned aside from seeking Him!
(Perhaps we should briefly pause here and mention that Ps. 14:2-3 is
written about the whole human race, including every person in the human race. This is God’s indictment against everyone who lives or has ever lived on planet earth. However, as we will see in future lessons, God has intervened in the lives of some people and given them a mind and a heart to seek Him. Without God’s powerful intervention in the lives of people, God is telling us in Ps. 14:2-3 that no one seeks Him.)
TN: Here the teacher might need to elaborate further that “seeking God” means seeking the true and living God with all one’s heart in order to have a relationship with Him for the purpose of living solely and fully for Him.
Every person seeks some god: but this verse means that due to sin in our lives, no one on the face of the earth seeks the true and living God for the purpose of having a relationship with Him in order that we might learn how to live in God’s earth. Therefore, the verses go on to say that all have become corrupt.)
E. What else does vs. 3 tell us that God has noticed about mankind from watching? Mankind has “become: ANSWER: Corrupt.” and “there is no one who does ANSWER: Good.” “not even: ANSWER: One.”
TN: The teacher should be aware that the student might object by saying something like, “But there are some people who do good, and I even think that I do good sometimes. People do good to their children, their neighbors, their friends, etc., so what does this verse mean then?” In order to answer such an objection, the teacher needs to understand that vs. 3 does not mean that human beings do not do good socially or horizontally to other people. When the verse says that no one does good, it means that no one does good toward God, vertically. The opposite of “good” is bad, and when the verse says that “no one does good” among other things, the verse means that “everyone does bad toward God.”
Perhaps it should also be mentioned that oftentimes when this passage of Scripture is comprehended, it causes anger, resentment and denial. This is because most people tend to think of themselves as being pretty good folks. It is always the other guy who is not so good! Also, most people think that they do seek after God because they go to church or pray to God or talk about Him, or do other religious things, etc. But the truth is, as has been mentioned in the previous paragraph, man is not good at all toward God. Toward his fellow man, man is often good. But toward God, man is sinful and does not do anything good Godwardly. As well, though most men do seek a god, it is not the true and living God which they seek, but their own mental image of what God is like. This mental image is not an accurate picture of the true and living God. Therefore, men do not seek God as He really is. They seek the god that they have imagined in their own minds. Only by studying the Bible can a person discover who God is and what God is really like.
The teacher should also be aware that these verses are talking about every person prior to when God intervenes in a person’s life through forgiving him and empowering him to do good toward God. Once a person is saved, he begins to seek God and do good toward God. Therefore, Ps. 14:2-3 is not speaking of those who have been saved.
F. Summary and application of Ps. 14:2-3. So, according to Psalm 14:2-3, how many have turned aside from seeking God? ANSWER: All. How many do “good” according to vs. 3? ANSWER: None. What does “corrupt” mean? ANSWER: Bad or evil or rotten.
TN: The teacher might need to illustrate the meaning of “corrupt” since it is no longer a commonly spoken word in many regions of the country. If the student does not know the meaning, the teacher might ask, “What is meant when we say that the country’s government is ‘corrupt’”? “Corrupt” simply means “evil, rotten or bad morals.”
God is saying in these verses that everyone is evil, rotten, and filled with bad morals. Should the student object that he does not have bad morals, the teacher should ask him if he has ever lied. Lying is one example, among many, of bad morals.
3. Ecclesiastes 7:20 “OT”.
A. Write out the entire verse: ANSWER: “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”
TN: The teacher might need to explain the meaning of the word, “righteous.” A universally accepted meaning of “righteous” is conformity to a standard. God has established a standard for man. Because God is perfect, He must establish a perfect standard for man, and this is exactly what God has done. God expects perfection of man (Matt. 5:48). This is all that God can accept. For God to accept anything less would make Him to be imperfect. According to Ecclesiastes 7:20, there is not a righteous man; that is, there is not any man on earth who measures up to God’s standard of perfection.
4. Romans 3:9 “NT”.
A. What two races of people do this verse mention? ANSWER: Jews
and Gentiles.
(When this verse says, “Jews and Gentiles,” it simply means the whole human race, the entire world, all of mankind! The Bible often divides man into two classes of people--Jews and Gentiles. The nation of Israel (Jews) were God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, and everyone else was considered a Gentile. “Gentile” simply means “other nations” except the Jews.)
B. What does God say about both of them? ANSWER: Both are
under sin.
C. Notice that vs. 9 uses the word “charge.” What does it mean to have “charges” pressed against an individual? If someone is “charged” with a crime, what does that mean? ANSWER: It means the person is accused of having committed a crime.
D. How many are “charged” with sin? ANSWER: Everyone.
TN: The teacher might need to explain that technically speaking, “to charge” a person is only to accuse a person. It does not mean that the person is actually guilty. If a person is “charged” with a crime, it means that he is accused of having committed a crime, not that the verdict of guilt has been determined. However, because it is in the Bible, the Word of God, that is accusing everyone of sin, the accusation is the same as the verdict. The Bible accuses every person of sin because every person is indeed guilty of committing sin.
5. Romans 3:10-12 “NT”.
A. Where have you read these verses before? ANSWER: PS. 14:2-3.
TN: The student should recognize that Romans 3:10-12 is a quotation of Ps. 14:2-3 (see #2 above). The teacher might mention that the NT often quotes from the OT because the writers of the NT believed the OT to be the Word of God and therefore true in everything that it said.
6. Romans 3:23 “NT”.
A. According to this verse, how many does God say have sinned? ANSWER: All--“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
TN: The teacher can do some excellent teaching from this verse by impressing on the student the literal meaning of some of the words used in the verse. The verse says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The Greek word for “have sinned” means to “miss the mark.” The word is intended to picture every person shooting at the bull’s eye of perfection (which is God’s standard), and yet all have missed the mark. All of mankind has strung his moral bow, drawn his test arrows, shot at God’s bull’s-eye, perfection, and all have missed the mark, and this many times over! No one has ever hit God’s bull’s eye of perfection.
Further, the verse says, “All have come short of God’s glory.” God’s glory is His PERFECTION. He is perfectly perfect and thus glorious in nature. All humans have attempted to be perfect in one way or another and yet have discovered that they have “fallen short.”
7. Galatians 3:22 “NT”.
A. What percentage of the world is in prison to sin? ANSWER: “The
whole world is a prisoner of sin.” (100%)
(Take note too that this verse says that “The Scripture declares this.” It matters not if I acknowledge that I am a prisoner to sin or if you acknowledge that you are. God’s Word says that we are. If we deny that we are sinners, our argument is not with each other but with God.)
TN: The teacher might want to impress on the student the concept of a “prisoner.” A “prisoner” is one who is behind bars, locked up, chained or controlled. When the verse says that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, it means that the whole world is in bondage to sin, or controlled by sin. The teacher might attempt to help the student see that there are sins in every person’s life that have firm control over the person.
Again though, the teacher must be aware that this verse is speaking of all people before they get saved and are set free by Christ and the power of His Spirit. The teacher should also point out to the student that the verse says, “The Scripture declares.” Scripture is another term for Bible. Further, when it says the Scripture declares, it means that God declares it since God authored the Bible. Therefore, the topic is not open to opinion because God has given His Word on it!
From these seven passages, is there any doubt as to where man stands before God, his Creator? From God’s perspective, all men, without exception, are what? ANSWER: Sinners. This includes you; it includes me.