Consequences of Unchecked Human Depravity in Scripture
The Bible presents human depravity as a pervasive condition stemming from the Fall of Man, leading to a range of severe consequences for individuals and societies. This depravity is understood as a revolt against God by the first parents, resulting in sin and misery for all their descendants [2].
One significant consequence is spiritual blindness, where individuals are unable to comprehend divine truth [3]. This spiritual blindness is an effect of sin, unbelief, and uncharitableness, and it can lead to further evil [3]. The heart of humanity is described as inherently evil and corrupt, with minds depraved and lacking understanding [1]. This condition is evident from birth, as humans are "born in sin" and are by nature "children of wrath" [1].
Unchecked human depravity manifests in various forms of moral corruption. The prophet Hosea details the "spiritual adultery" of Israel, which encompasses religious apostasy and moral depravity, leading to the destruction of their kingdom and rejection by God [9]. Matthew Henry, commenting on Genesis 6, attributes the wickedness of the old world to humanity's degeneracy and rebellion against God, necessitating divine judgment [10]. The book of Jeremiah highlights the folly of impenitence, portraying sinners as "stupid senseless people" who refuse to heed divine warnings, thereby bringing ruin upon themselves [11].
The consequences of sin extend beyond individual spiritual states to affect entire communities and the physical world. God's judgment for sin can include famine and the cutting off of both human and animal life from a land [7]. Disobedience to God's law, idolatry, pride, unbelief, and covetousness are all cited as reasons for divine punishment [8]. The Law of Moses, for instance, outlines ceremonial uncleanness, which temporarily cut individuals off from social and religious privileges, emphasizing the sacredness of the human body and the seriousness of defilement [4, 5]. Despising God's word and breaking His commandments results in being "utterly cut off," with one's iniquity remaining upon them [6].
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Fall of Man, The — By the disobedience of Adam -- Ge 3:6,11,12; Ro 5:12,15,19. Through temptation of the devil -- Ge 3:1-5; 2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:14. Man in consequence of Made in the image of Adam. -- Ge 5:3; 1Co 15:48,49. Born in sin. -- Job 15:14; 25:4; Ps 51:5; Isa 48:8; Joh 3:6. A child of wrath. -- Eph 2:3. Evil in heart. -- Ge 6:5; 8:21; Jer 16:12; Mt 15:19. Blinded in heart. -- Eph 4:18. Corrupt and perverse in his ways. -- Ge 6:12; Ps 10:5; Ro 3:12-16. Depraved in mind. -- Ro 8:5-7; Eph 4:17; Col 1:21; Tit 1:15. Without understanding. -- Ps 14:2,3; Ro 3:11; 1:31. ”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Fall of man — An expression probably borrowed from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, to express the fact of the revolt of our first parents from God, and the consequent sin and misery in which they and all their posterity were involved. The history of the Fall is recorded in Gen. 2 and 3. That history is to be literally interpreted. It records facts which underlie the whole system of revealed truth. It is referred to by our Lord and his apostles not only as being true, but as furnishing the ground of all God's subsequent dispensations and dealings with the children of m”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Blindness, Spiritual — Explained -- Joh 1:5; 1Co 2:14. The effect of sin -- Isa 29:10; Mt 6:23; Joh 3:19,20. Unbelief, the effect of -- Ro 11:8; 2Co 4:3,4. Uncharitableness, a proof of -- 1Jo 2:9,11. A work of the devil -- 2Co 4:4. Leads to all evil -- Eph 4:17-19. Is consistent with communion with God -- 1Jo 1:6,7. Of ministers, fatal to themselves and to the people -- Mt 15:14. The wicked are in -- Ps 82:5; Jer 5:21. The self-righteous are in -- Mt 23:19,26; Re 3:17. The wicked wilfully guilty of -- Isa 26:11; Ro 1:19-21. Judicially inflicted -- Ps 69:23; Isa 29:10”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Uncleanness — The distinctive idea attached to ceremonial uncleanness among the Hebrews was that it cut a person off for the time from social privileges, and left his citizenship among God's people for the while in abeyance. There is an intense reality in the fact of the divine law taking hold of a man by the ordinary infirmities of flesh, and setting its stamp, as it were, in the lowest clay of which he is moulded. The sacredness attached to the human body is parallel to that which invested the ark of the covenant itself. It is as though Jehovah thereby would teach m”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Defilement — Forbidden to the Jews -- Le 11:44,45. Things liable to ceremonial The person. -- Le 5:3. Garments. -- Le 13:59. Furniture, &c. -- Le 15:9,10; Nu 19:14,15. Houses. -- Le 14:44. The land. -- Le 18:25; De 21:23. The sanctuary. -- Le 20:3; Zep 3:4. Ceremonial caused by Eating unclean things. -- Le 11:8; Ac 10:11,14. Eating things that died. -- Le 17:15. Touching a dead body or a bone. -- Nu 9:6,7; 19:11,16. Touching a grave. -- Nu 19:16. Touching a dead beast. -- Le 5:2; 11:24-28. Being alone with a dead body. -- Nu 19:14. Mourning for the dead. -- Le 21:1-3”
- Numbers “Because he has despised Yahweh’s word, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off. His iniquity shall be on him.’” -- Numbers 15:31”
- Ezekiel “Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread, and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal; -- Ezekiel 14:13”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Punishment of the Wicked, The — Is from God -- Le 26:18; Isa 13:11. On account of their Sin. -- La 3:39. Iniquity. -- Jer 36:31; Eze 3:17-18; 18:4,13,20; Am 3:2. Idolatry. -- Le 26:30; Isa 10:10,11. Rejection of the law of God. -- 1Sa 15:23; Ho 4:6-9. Ignorance of God. -- 2Th 1:8. Evil ways and doings. -- Jer 21:14; Ho 4:9; 12:2. Pride. -- Isa 10:12; 24:21; Lu 14:11. Unbelief. -- Mr 16:16; Ro 11:20; Heb 3:18,19; 4:2. Covetousness. -- Isa 57:17; Jer 51:13. Oppressing. -- Isa 49:26; Jer 30:16,20. Persecuting. -- Jer 11:21,22; Mt 23:34-36. Disobeying God. -- Ne 9:26,27;”
- Hosea (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Hosea 4 (introduction): II. The Ungodliness of Israel. Its Punishment, and Final Deliverance - Hosea 4-14 The spiritual adultery of Israel, with its consequences, which the prophet has exposed in the first part, and chiefly in a symbolical mode, is more elaborately detailed here, not only with regard to its true nature, viz., the religious apostasy and moral depravity which prevailed throughout the ten tribes, but also in its inevitable consequences, viz., the destruction of the kingdom and rejection of the people; and this is done with a repeated side-glance at Judah. To t”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 6:1: For the glory of God's justice, and for warning to a wicked world, before the history of the ruin of the old world, we have a full account of its degeneracy, its apostasy from God and rebellion against him. The destroying of it was an act, not of an absolute sovereignty, but of necessary justice, for the maintaining of the honour of God's government. Now here we have an account of two things which occasioned the wickedness of the old world: - 1. The increase of mankind: Men began to multiply upon the face of the earth. This was the effect of the blessing (Gen 1:28”
- Jeremiah (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 8:4: The prophet here is instructed to set before this people the folly of their impenitence, which was it that brought this ruin upon them. They are here represented as the most stupid senseless people in the world, that would not be made wise by all the methods that Infinite Wisdom took to bring them to themselves and their right mind, and so to prevent the ruin that was coming upon them. I. They would not attend to the dictates of reason. They would not act in the affairs of their souls with the same common prudence with which they acted in other things. Sinners wo”