^{1 Corinthians 2:14} But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

There is a common Calvinist teaching spreading through all the churches called the inherited sin nature (Total Depravity). This doctrine originated with Augustine and Calvin borrowed it from him. Many claim this is the reason why men sin. I do not agree with this concept.

As I read the scriptures I see how that Lucifer sinned against God. One third of the angels of heaven followed Lucifer in sin. None of the angels were born with a sin nature. They were all created. Equally so, Adam and Eve were created, not born. They also sinned against God without an inherited sin nature.

Then I look to Cain and Abel, the first two sons born to Adam and Eve. Abel walked with God while Cain did not. How could it be that Cain inherited a sin nature that Abel did not? Neither of the two was born again. Then we see how Seth walked with God. Enoch walked with God. Methuselah walked with God. Noah walked with God. Nowhere was it taught that men inherited a sin nature from the fall of Adam. So how did these men prevail over sin while others failed? They prevailed because they loved God and therefore walked with God in obedience. The others failed because they loved themselves and pleasures more than God. This is what leads men to sin. This is the natural man.

The natural man is a lover of self. This is what led Lucifer into sin. The scriptures tell us that Lucifer was lifted up by reason of his beauty (vanity). When Lucifer fell in love for himself, he then became proud (lifted up). Then covetousness followed and he wanted to be like the most high. The problem was that Lucifer didn’t want to be like God in integrity of heart, but in power. He wanted to rule over the angels of heaven and be worshipped like God. This is the curse of vanity. Vanity is self centered and leads to insanity. What makes a man think he can conquer God? It’s the insanity of vanity.

Lucifer’s covetousness led to rebellion (anarchy) whereby he committed fraud against God and deceived one third of the angels to follow him. This ultimately led to war (violence) and Lucifer and his angels were cast out of heaven.

So what we see here is a progression in heart that leads to insanity and ultimately death.

1. Love of self.
2. Pride.
3. Covetousness.
4. Rebellion.
5. Fraud.
6. Violence.
7. Death.

This progression was repeated in the Garden of Eden when Lucifer tempted Eve. She didn’t care about the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Eve knew that tree only brought forth death. But when Lucifer said she would become like God knowing good and evil, and would not die, that was more than she could resist. This gave birth to vanity in Eve that she never before knew. Then she was lifted up in pride and coveted the fruit. All of a sudden she saw how the fruit was pleasant to the eyes and good for food. Then she ate the fruit, and in turn gave it to Adam to eat. So she rebelled against God and then defrauded Adam. Adam loved Eve more than he loved God. Therefore God cast them out of the garden and cursed them as he did to Lucifer and his angels in heaven. The end of sin is always violence and death.

When God killed all life on earth in the flood of Noah’s day, God said the earth had become filled with violence. This was the evidence of mans vanity and how a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Vanity, like a disease, begins with one and spreads until all are infected by it. Violence increases and the end of this is death. So goes the world today. This is the way of the natural man.

Many are familiar with the philosophy of the natural man, since this is the philosophy that all naturally minded people live by.

1. Look out for number one, self.
2. If it feels good do it.
3. If it looks good get it.
4. If is sounds good, self promoting, believe it.
5. If anyone offends me, get vengeance.

Sin is synonymous with crime and fraud. The intent is to deceive people for personal gain and/or to bring damage to another person. Sin is self serving while apathetic towards God and others. Sin comes from within the heart of a person. This is not inherited. It’s just the natural progression of a selfish person’s heart. Righteousness must be taught. This is why we are to train a child in the way they should go, and when they are older they will not depart from it. Those not trained in righteousness from childhood will follow the natural progression of vanity. This is why God chose through the foolishness of preaching that men would be saved. The battle is in the hearts of men.

In the establishment of our public school system, the goal was to teach knowledge, religion and morality. Since the removal of religion and morality in the public school system, we have all witnessed the progression of vanity in our society to the point of insanity, fraud and violence. This is the way of the natural man. Atheists believe they can be moral without the need of God. This is called humanism. As we can observe in society repeatedly, this is obviously not the case. Without God’s guidance men become more wicked with time, and this wickedness spreads to others. As it is written; because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold. The more vain people in society become, the vainer the rest of society will become.

Without God, society becomes hedonistic where pleasure has the ultimate importance and is the most important pursuit of humanity. What is the most powerful tool used to access unlimited pleasures? Money! This is why it’s written; the love of money is the root of all evil. There is nothing a vain person will not do for money, in the pursuit of self glorification and pleasure. There is no limit to the harm a vain person will do for the gain of money. There is no person too valuable to be sacrificed by a vain person in the pursuit of money and pleasure. There is no limit to the torment that vain people will therefore inherit from God. If vain people lived eternally free, they would eternally torment others for their own pleasures. We see this in every country by every government. God will not allow this to continue.

People are by nature untrustworthy, malevolent and self-serving. They appeal to the prejudices, emotions, fears and expectations of others to deceive and prey on them for personal gain, glory and power. They despise and seek to destroy anyone and anything that opposes them. This is why they crucified the Lord of Glory, our Lord Jesus Christ.

These people are opposed to everything God stands for. They are anti-Christ.

The theologies of nearly all denominations today have gone after the way of vanity. Preachers are teaching that you must love yourself before you can love God and others. This is completely opposite to what Jesus taught. We are to love not our own lives unto the death. We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Unless we deny ourselves and take up our crosses we cannot be his disciples. The love of self is how all evil got started.

Preachers are teaching a faith without faithfulness. They are teaching an unconditional love that allows men to be saved while continuing in the sins of their vanity. They are teaching apology in place of repentance but still calling it repentance. They are teaching obedience to God as working for your salvation, therefore you don’t have to obey God to be saved. They teach that the commandments of God, such as baptism, are non essential. They deny the baptism of the Holy Ghost which God promised to all those that repent and are baptized. It’s all vanity!

2 Timothy 3

¹This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ²For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. ⁶For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ⁷Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. ⁹But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

Ecclesiastes 1

¹The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. ²Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. ³What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

⁴One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. ⁵The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. ⁶The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. ⁷All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. ⁸All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. ¹⁰Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. ¹¹There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

¹²I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. ¹⁴I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. ¹⁵That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. ¹⁶I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. ¹⁷And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. ¹⁸For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.