The Spiritual Helplessness of Man — E.A. Johnston

I used to have a religion where I decided for Jesus when I wanted to because all it took was a decision on my part to become a Christian. Then I threw myself into Christian service with all my energy and all my might and I lived for God the best way I knew how, which didn't always work out too good.

It didn't work out because I was trying to live a supernatural life in the power of mortal flesh and it can't be done, friends. That's why that mud puddle in that ditch is always waiting for you. You can only go so long in the flesh and down you'll go.

I finally realized that if I wanted to experience a life of consistency, then I needed to trade religions. Finally, I got rid of the man-centered religion and immersed myself in the more biblical one, which we will talk about this evening, friends.

Spiritual Helplessness in Salvation and Sanctification

The title of my message this evening is The Spiritual Helplessness of Man because once we see that, then things can begin to change in our walk with God. My Bible says we come to Christ without strength.

We live for Christ by his strength, admitting our weakness. This is seen in Romans 5, 6, which states for when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly. We see the spiritual helplessness of man in coming to Christ.

A great theme of scripture is man's reliance upon God for all things. Unfortunately, modern evangelism has gone against the stream of scripture. We portray Jesus as a helpless beggar who stands knocking at the door of your heart.

All he can do is knock in his impotence and wait like an insurance salesman with his hat in his hand. Won't you let him in? That kind of Jesus and that kind of gospel doesn't have the power to save a flea, much less a sinner hardened in sin.

Man's Inability to Come to Christ

No friends. It is not Jesus who stands helpless, but man. That's the theme of scripture. Two verses come to mind. In John 5, 7 we read, The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool, but while I am coming another steppeth down before me.

That impotent man is an apt picture of man's spiritual helplessness who cannot get to the healing waters on his own strength because he doesn't have any. And in John 6, 44, this theme is confirmed where Jesus speaks plainly about the spiritual helplessness of man.

No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. Man in his natural condition is like that impotent man, helpless to get to Christ on his own without God the Father enabling him to come by giving him a new faculty, without implanting in him a new principle which is regeneration.

He can't get there. He's unable to turn to him. But once a poor sinner is saved by God, then man is helpless to live unto God in his own strength. Jesus declared this in John 15, 5,. I am the vine, ye are the branches.

He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. Like I said, friends, we come to Christ without strength, and we live for Christ by his strength, admitting our weakness.

Divine Strength for Christian Living

The Spirit of God sanctifies and empowers man to live for him by his Spirit, as we see in Zechariah 4, 6,. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. The spiritual helplessness of man is seen both in salvation and in living for him.

God's Sovereign Work in Salvation

It is his work all the way through, for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure. If God saves you, friend, it is because he gave you saving faith. Salvation is in the hands of God, not in the hands of man, like most evangelism tells us today.

It is God who wroughts a work upon the heart, giving it a faculty to receive spiritual things. Ezekiel 36, 26 speaks plainly in this regard, as does the whole truth of Scripture. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

Abandoning Man-Centered Religion for God's Power

The spiritual helplessness of man is seen throughout my Bible. You may have to get to the point, like I did, where I had to trade in my religion, which wasn't working too good for me. The man-centered gospel couldn't get the job done.

I had to trade it in for the God-centered gospel of my Bible. A man is spiritually helpless to get to Christ on his own. A poor sinner is just like that impotent man who could not make it to the healing waters in his own strength.

Jesus had to get the job done by saying, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And I found out, friends, that the spiritual helplessness of man doesn't stop there with salvation, for I can't live for God without His divine enablement by His Spirit.

How can a mortal man walk with a holy God only when the life of God is in the soul of man? When we finally get to the place of desperation where we're willing to confess our utter corruption, our utter inability, and admit our weakness and spiritual helplessness, then we admit our utter dependence upon Him to live the Christian life every minute of the day.

Like I said, I had to trade in my man-centered religion for one that had the power of God offer His glory. Let us pray.