07/02/2025
Conscious or Confused?
There is something about self-it is the heart of who we are as human beings. Self or sense of self defines who we think we are. It is the line that demarcates humans from other creatures such as animals. While animals exist like men, animals have no sense of self or self-consciousness. Animals live on instincts alone.
Now, we KNOW, that there are humans, men and women who have become degraded and live like animals. What causes human beings to live like animals is not because they do not have self-consciousness; it is because they have lost the ORIGINAL sense of self because of SIN. This is a common human denominator: because all men are sinners by nature, all men have a degraded sense of self because sin ; it is sin that could make men act or behave like animals. This is what theologians refer to as the universal human depravity. It is universal because all men are mortally sick and morally depraved because of sin.
When men act on self instinct alone, it is because of sin in their heart: that is why they can NOW be selfish, unkind, unloving, ungrateful, prideful, willful, unmerciful and to other degrees of what the sin nature can make sinful men do!
C. S. Lewis, in his book, “The Problem of Pain” said these words while arguing about the power of the gospel to cure the mortal illness of sin: “It is against this background that the Gospel appeared as good news. It brought news of POSSIBLE healing to men who KNEW that they are MORTALLY ill.”
Now, this is a PROGNOSIS; this is good news: sinful men want good news that they would be cured from their spiritual terminal sickness of sin.
Yes, the gospel has the power to save sinners, to cure them of their sin sickness. But sinful men will not be cured by the gospel if they are told the good news ALONE about their sin condition. The gospel must not preach prognosis alone; it must preach DIAGNOSIS too.
In the words of a religious author: “Christianity now has to preach the diagnosis-in itself very bad news-before it can win HEARING (from sick sinners) for a cure.”
Sinners must be made conscious of their sin condition (diagnosis) and then they must be told their sin condition can be cured by the gospel through faith in Christ Jesus (prognosis). This then must become the sinner’s new SELF self-CONSCIOUSNESS that must drive them to the DESIRE to be cured, to be saved! Such sinners will cry out for mercy like desperate Bartimeaus: “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Those who are self-conscious and remain in their sin condition are confused about their true condition. Those who are told they can be healed of their sin condition but are not told about the nature of their condition will be confused about the cure. For you cannot understand the REMEDY (the Gospel) without a proper understanding of your MALADY(Sin).
Are you conscious or confused?
Capitalization and words in parentheses are mine for emphasis
Shalom!
