"Haters of God." Romans 1:30
"The carnal mind is enmity against God." Romans 8:7
Men set up for themselves, an idol of their
own fancy, instead of the true God, and then fall down and
worship it.
Every natural man is an enemy to God--as He is revealed in
His word. The infinitely holy, just, powerful, and true
God--is not the God whom he loves, but the God whom he
loathes! The Pagans finding that they could not be like God
in holiness, made their gods like themselves in filthiness;
and thereby they show what sort of a god the natural man
would have. God is holy; can an unholy creature love His
unspotted holiness?
There is not a man, who is wedded to his lusts--as all the
unregenerate are--but would desire to blot out the God of
justice. Can the malefactor love his condemning judge? Can
an unjustified sinner love a just God? No, he cannot!
Men naturally would rather have a blind idol--than the
all-seeing God. They no more love the all-seeing, every
where present God--than the thief loves to have the judge
witness to his evil deeds. If it could be carried by
votes, God would be voted out of the world;
for the language of the carnal heart is, "The Lord does not
see us. The Lord has abandoned the earth." Ezekiel 8:12
Every unrenewed man is an enemy to the true God.
"They say unto God--Leave us alone! We have no desire to
know Your ways!" Job 21:14
Thomas Boston, Human Nature in its
Fourfold State
