Our Problem Lies Within

Something has gone wrong with the image of God in mankind. This problem is out outside of us but within. In this brief clip, Steven Lawson describes the effects of sin on God’s image-bearers, revealing our need for the grace of God in salvation.

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Transcript:

If we are to have a right diagnosis of what has gone wrong with the image of God in man, it would be boiled down to one simple word. The word is “sin.” The problem is not outside of us; the real problem is what is inside of us. It is sin.

So, what is sin? Well, sin is any lack of conformity to the holiness of God. It is any lack of obedience from the heart to the Word of God. It is falling short of the glory of God. It is any departure from the will of God. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. It’s what lies inside of us. We are the problem. Specifically, it is sin that is within us. It is the image of God that has been dramatically and drastically marred by sin.

The image of God is still within us. The image of God—that which gives capacity to humans to know God, to love God, to obey God but because of sin—all of that has been rendered inoperative. To use an illustration, think of a car that has been totaled, a car that has undergone a very serious wreck. It still remains a car. It still has the wheels and the steering wheel and all of that, but it is completely inoperative. It cannot be driven. It cannot meet the design for which it was originally built. And so it is with the image of God and sin. We still have the image of God, but we have undergone a total wreck because of sin. Theologians refer to it as “total depravity,” whereby our mind, our affections, and our will have been totally devastated by sin.