108: The Unregenerate Man and the Born Again Man

What You'll Discover in this Episode:

The Unregenerate Man and the Born Again Man

In Romans 5:12, God shows the state of the unsaved man. This is the unregenerate man. The man who has not been born again. The reality is, there is a spiritual benefit to those that believe or born again.

The Problem of Sin

Let us look at the problem of sin that separates man from God.  The reason why we focus on sin in biblical counseling is because it is man’s basic problem. The sin done to you or the sin you commit others is getting in the way.

Through one man, that is, Adam, sin entered the world, and has spread to all men. All men are born into sin, and all men sin. Through sin, death has spread to all humanity.

We are all separated by God by sin. We are each facing eternal death, which is eternal separation from God because of sin. This is spiritual death (separation from God.)

We see in this verse that man has the problem of sin and has no power in and of himself to deliver himself from this problem of sin. He is separated from God, dead in his sins, his spirit is dead, and he will continue into eternity in this state of spiritual separation from God.

How do you counsel a non-believer?

A lot of times, a non-believer will come to you for counsel, and they need salvation. They come to you for a conflict that is going on in their life and they are not born again. They need salvation!

Do we help people? Yes. We do what we can to help them, but we lead them to eternal life with God – the gospel. When God cross your path with somebody that seeks counseling, you as a biblical counselor now can direct them to their need for forgiveness in relationship with him.

The entire world lies under the sway of the wicked ones, but the heart of the problem is not a question of not being able to function properly or having a “disease”. It is not something you can “unlearn”. The heart of the problem of the humankind is not a question of not being able to function. It is not their personal circumstances or behavior, but the basic problem is the problem of sin. Through Adam, we became a race of sinners, rebelling against God, and we became people who serve self instead of God. In Adam, our nature is the problem.

• We need to have a solid doctrine.
• There needs to be an admission.

Christ Offers A New Source of Life

Christ offers a parentage. We are no longer Adam’s family. We are Christ’s family – spiritually alive children of God. We partake on a new Christ-sourced life that is no longer dominated by sin.

How does a counselor discern a counselee?

First, find out if they are natural, 1 Corinthians 2:14. The unregenerate man does not have the spirit of God. Their spirit has not been made alive by God. Therefore, he does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.

The biblical counselor has the obligation to take this person in a spiritual direction. If they are not saved, he cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. So, the first step in counseling is to make sure the person is born again.

Next is to ask them, are they walking in victory or not mature? Are they spiritual or carnal? Are they experiencing a dynamic Christian life? A Christian can Christian can be living carnally, 1 Corinthians 3:1-4.

Help see a Christian see what God has done for them through Romans 5-8. A life can be a victorious life. We do not have to live a carnal Christian life. God has given us everything we need to live a spiritual life.

A person saved is in standing with God. When a person is born again, it solves many problems. Romans 5:17

Adam and Christ have both reign over humankind. If you live in Adam, death and sin will reign over you. If you live in Christ, you will reign in life. You will live in victory, abundance, and righteousness. All the problems of life are related to be in Adam and the remedies are in Christ.

As a biblical counselor, you need to step back and take the picture. If death is reining over your counselee, you know there is an opportunity for them to reign in life. That is the hope.

People need to be broken free from the reign of Adam and be brought into a new life, not dominated by the bondage of sin and death. Grace can be abounding much more in Christ.

Psychology and Behavioral Modification

Psychology declares man is basically good and just needs to be modified and have their “self” made more confident to change.  

People need to break free from the reign of Adam. The Bible declares man is born into sin and needs to be reborn, not molded, or shaped, but remade into a new likeness, become spiritually alive. Self should not be pumped up or given more control, but self is crucified, and it becomes a life of faith in the Son of God.

You need a new life. You don’t need to fix the old life. Man is born into sin and needs to be reborn. You are not going to find this in psychological theory. The old self needs to be crucified. 

How to Reign In Life

1. First, we received abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness.
   
2. Second, those who have received this grace and the righteousness of Jesus Christ will reign in life.
   

Reign in life- overcome trials and defeat. Keep pressing on. This is the way to a life of victory- understanding that we are righteous before God, and receiving the abundance of grace given as a resource to live the Christian life by.  Christians have these spiritual resources of God’s grace available for ability to reign in life.

As Christians learn of and know these truths for they can begin to access God’s grace for living a more victorious Christian life. Walk consistently in God’s grace and empowerment in order for the person to reign in life.