In Ephesians 2, Paul goes on totalk about why we are sinners, why we're dead in our trespasses and sins. Andhe describes the characteristics, the terrible condition of a person withoutJesus Christ.

Whatis our condition and problem before salvation? One, we're dead. We “weredead in trespasses and sins” (v. 1). Secondly, in verse two, Paul pointsout: “In which you once walked according to the course of this world,according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works inthe sons of disobedience” This was the beginning of man's spiritual death—hisdisobedience to the will of God. God said, "Do not eat of the tree ofthe knowledge of good and evil. In the day that you eat of it you shall surelydie" (Genesis 2:17 ). Satan said, "Ye shall not surely die"(Gen. 3:4), and because they believed this lie, the first man and woman sinnedand experienced immediate spiritual death and ultimate physical death. Sincethat time, mankind has lived in disobedience to God. We are born into thisworld as “sons of Adam” (Romans 5:12-19). Today we need to realize that thereare three forces that encourage man in his disobedience: the world, the devil,and the flesh.

Theworld, or world-system, puts pressure on each person to try to get him toconform (Romans 12:2). The fashions of Madison Avenue, money, education, fame,all drive us to conform. Jesus Christ proclaimed that He was not "of thisworld" and neither are His people (John 8:23 ; 17:14 ). But the unsavedperson, either consciously or unconsciously, is controlled by the values andattitudes of this world.

Thedevil is "the spirit that now worketh in the children ofdisobedience." This does not mean that Satan is personally at work inthe life of each unbeliever, since Satan as a created being is limited inspace. Unlike God, who is omnipresent, Satan cannot be in all places at onetime. But because of his demonic associates (Eph. 6:11-12), and his power overthe world system (John 12:31 ), Satan influences the lives of all unbelievers,and also seeks to influence believers. He wants to make people "childrenof disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2; 5:6). He himself was disobedient toGod, so he wants others to disobey Him too.

Oneof Satan's chief tools for getting people to disobey God is lies. He is a liar(John 8:44 ), and it was his lie at the beginning of human history, "Youshall not surely die," that plunged the human race into sin. Theunsaved multitudes in today's world system disobey God because they believe thelies of Satan. When a person believes and practices a lie, he becomes a child, “ason of disobedience”.

Theflesh is the third force that encourages the unbeliever to disobey God. By theflesh Paul does not mean the body, because of itself, the body is not sinful.The flesh refers to that fallen nature that we were born with, that wants tocontrol the body and the mind and make us disobey God. Why does a dog bark? Whydoes he behave like a dog? It’s because he has a dog's nature." If somehowyou could transplant into the dog the nature of the cat, his behavior wouldchange radically. Why does a sinner behave like a sinner? Because he is bornwith and has the nature of a sinner (Psalms 51:5; 58:3). This sinful nature theBible calls "the flesh." We are not sinners because we sin. We sin becausewe are sinners. Sometimes we get this backward.

Isit any wonder that the unsaved person is disobedient to God? He is controlledby the world, the flesh, and the devil, the three great enemies of God! And hecannot change his own nature and of himself overcome the world and the devil.He needs outside help, and that help can come only from God through His grace,through the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit, and through the death and resurrectionof His Son Jesus Christ.

Today,thank the Lord for His wonderful grace and power that can set us free and deliverus from this terrible condition of disobedience!