Chapter Two — DNA (The Depraved Nature of Adam)
Preface
Chapter 1 — 3 Realms of Existence
Chapter 2 — DNA (The Depraved Nature of Adam)
Chapter 3 — BPM (The Broken Planet Model)
Chapter 4 — End Times Made Easy (ETME)
Chapter 5 — Sheep To Nations (STN)
Chapter 6 — The Second Death
Why do you lie?
Why do you steal? Why do you hate? Why do you lust? Why do you covet what others have? Why do you look down on others with condemnation or judgment? (Some even look up to God with judgment.)
I’m not asking whether you do these things. You do. So do I. Every human being who has ever lived does, and no one had to teach us how. We call these traits “sin”. And the question this chapter answers is not whether they’re in you — it’s where they come from and what can be done about it. Great questions. I’m glad I asked them for you.
Here is the short answer, and it will carry us through the whole chapter: our main problem cannot be addressed by us at all. We must turn to God for the solution to our inner pollution. And — perhaps most shocking — religion is useless in activating the cure. Hang tight; this will zoom by pretty quickly. It isn’t difficult to grasp.
Where This Came From
One of my early epiphanies came to me about 15 years ago. I was pondering the state of mankind — really, sitting with the question of what is wrong with us — when this concept entered my mind in a very clear manner, all at once, the way a light comes on in a dark room. That is how God operates in His Gift of Knowledge to me: through epiphanies. I didn’t build this metaphor. It was handed to me. And in my 64 years I have found nothing that works better for conveying the need for the cross of Christ to set us right with God.
While not everyone may understand what deoxyribonucleic acid is, almost every adult knows what DNA (for short) is. We know that it is a physical part of our innermost workings that determines our physical appearance and traits.
Hold that picture. We begin with the problem — our depravity. Then we pivot to the cure: salvation through Jesus’ death.
Depravity
If this word is new to you, it just means our evil nature — what’s wrong with us deep within. “Depraved” is a form of that same word as it applies to the human condition we all share.
Right away, millions or billions of people will push back on this concept of an evil that is inherent in our very structure. I can’t help that. I can only explain what I know. But if you deny that you are evil at your core, you have some explaining to do — go back and answer the questions that opened this chapter.
The Origin
If we crack open that dusty old Bible we got from grandma, the third chapter of the Book of Genesis shows us where it started. The first two people, a man and a woman named Adam and Eve, were confronted by a crafty character who is not their God. It told them a lie mixed with some truth. And worse, it convinced them to do the one thing God had clearly told them NOT to do. Being naïve and vulnerable youngsters, they did it.
That character, of course, is Satan — an angel from the Spirit Realm, guilty of much sin in his own life, and doomed to the Lake of Fire we discussed in Chapter One. He got them to eat of a fruit that gave them knowledge they were not created with: the knowledge of good and evil. Before this, they only knew of good, but had nothing to juxtapose it with. It was just their natural way to be good.
By the way, the lie wasn’t that they would know what God knows, or that they would become like Him. That part was true. The sin was disobeying God.
And God, Who expects all His creatures to obey Him — since He alone knows what is best — cursed them with a decree: they would (eventually) die. Interesting. Apparently, they were first created to live on and on, indefinitely. Death was not part of the design. It was the sentence.
“But why?” you might ask. Why did God give humans the ability to turn from Him and His ways in the first place? The answer is simple, and it cuts to the heart of most objections about God: without the ability to turn away from God and His will, the ability to turn toward Him is meaningless. If we were made to automatically obey and love Him, there is no reward for God in that. Love and obedience become useless to anyone — even Him.
So that is key. No ability to sin, no reward in not sinning. No ability to not love? No reward in loving.
But what happened in the garden goes far beyond action. It instantly moved into a condition of their being — not just what they did, thought, or said. Adam and Eve, in their curse from God, received a new nature — not the one He created for them. It was now tainted and fallen from what it was, pure and good. They became depraved: having a nature of depravity.
I know. This hurts. It hurts a lot — especially for us living now, who weren’t the ones who fell into it. We were born into it at our conception. And this is where the DNA analogy comes into play.
I didn’t ask for a fallen nature — did you? Of course not. I inherited it from my mom and dad. But neither did I ask for my hair color, eye color, stature, gender, or any of the other facets of my physical self (that micro-habitat, called a body, that my soul lives in and my spirit is connected to). I just am what I am because of the DNA I inherited from my biological parents.
And exactly like the physical DNA that makes me what I am physically, I also inherited a Spiritual DNA that makes me what I am within. That is the Depraved Nature of Adam.
This is echoed in the Bible by Isaiah, a prophet of God, who said this about our fallen nature:
“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we try to show our goodness, it is like showing God a filthy, bloody, menstrual rag. And like dried leaves that have fallen from a tree, the wind sweeps us away.” (Paraphrase of Isaiah 64:6)
Not a pleasant image, is it? It isn’t meant to be. That is how God sees our “righteousness” — the very best goodness we can muster. Sit with that a moment before moving on, because everything that follows depends on it.
What This Does to Religion
Can you see what this does to literally EVERY religion, creed, or effort to make ourselves acceptable to God? It obliterates it.
I have to say this plainly, and I’m speaking to you, not at you: the rosary and the tithe cannot touch your DNA. Finding yourself through meditation takes you right back to the self that carries the problem. No amount of submission and observance can remove what is woven into your inner structure — and no deity other than the One Who made you has any solution to offer at all. I am not picking on Catholics or Buddhists or Muslims here. I am saying the same thing to every one of them, and to you: there is NO RELIGION known to man that can make you right with God. Why not? Because your issue is internal, and no amount of outward effort can change what you are made of.
Test the logic on the physical side of the metaphor. Can you, by willing it, change your eye color? Can you, by willing it, change your ethnicity? Can you, by willing it, change your gender? No — and I mean by willing it. Whatever the modern world claims it can alter on the surface, no act of will has ever changed what a person is made of at the level of their cells. I am using facts about your physical self to explain a spiritual reality about you: your nature is not subject to your willpower. It is built within you and cannot be removed at all while you are in your physical body. And unfortunately, the effects of your actions and nature will carry over to your eternal state if you do not address it in the now.
Further Ramifications of Man’s Sin
One of the oldest and most persistent objections toward God is the existence of evil in this fallen world. But this is missing the point entirely. God did not create sin. Satan and man did that all on their own (first Satan, then he helped man). But why did God allow them to? Easy — He allowed it because they wanted it. His permissiveness is not responsibility. We cannot blame Him for our depravity. We brought that on ourselves, as a race. And though you and I were brought into it at our very conception, we still have performed evil deeds all on our own.
No, the problem is not God’s fault — it’s man’s. And though God did not create the issue, He did create the solution to it. His Word tells us that the entire creation is wailing and moaning until the sons of God are revealed (that’s the saints — those who come to God by faith in Jesus). See Romans 8:
“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (18-22, NLT)
If this is still a problem for you and you have decided to judge the Judge over it, remember that He has provided a way out for you, personally, if you will just accept it. And that is where we go next: the cure.
The Cure
“So what can we do?” you might appropriately ask. The answer is that you, yourself, cannot do anything to fix this problem with your very innermost makeup.
You can’t give enough money. You can’t volunteer enough. You can’t lead enough people to God. You can’t pray enough (right words or not). You can’t join a group, church, mosque, or temple. Forget the cults that claim to hold The Keys to the kingdom of God. None of it can save you. Baptism and circumcision are useless for this too.
This is why I am against all forms of religion. The only religion ever instituted by God is Judaism — the Law of Moses — which, when understood, is no solution at all but the illustration of the need for something else. Just read Paul, trained and appointed by Jesus to share the truth:
“…a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 2:16, BSB)
And this is the point. If I believe that God solved my problem between Him and me (which He did), then I cannot do anything to add to that solution. But if I ignore His solution to my inner pollution and try to fix it on my own — or try to aid Him in fixing it — I am no longer under His method. I have made up my own.
Can a baby help dad fix the car? Not really. Can a person in intensive care perform his own life-saving operation? Nope. Can I remove my DNA by doing or saying anything, and still have a body? Not even close. Can I show God my “righteous deeds” and impress Him? Remember what Isaiah said they look like to Him. That’s a big, fat no.
Then what?
The Cross of Christ
For whatever reason (which is God’s prerogative), He has determined and decreed that a blood sacrifice works to atone for the sinful acts and nature of mankind. I don’t make up the rules; I just show them to you.
And He has decreed that the sacrifice must be perfect. That’s a big problem for literally every person born of Adam and Eve, since every one of us carries the Depraved Nature of Adam. Now we have hit a wall. There is literally NOTHING — including dying for it — that we can do to fix the issue with the tissue.
So here is His ingenious solution: place a perfect human, one who does NOT carry the DNA of Adam and Eve, into the population — and have THAT person be the sacrifice for all people. This person must be of the same nature (soul, spirit, body) but without the toxic inheritance.
Enter Jesus of Nazareth. A perfect Man, who did not inherit His parents’ DNA. “But how can that be?” you might ask, since we all inherit it. Excellent question. Here is the answer: His physical body, as an embryo, was placed into the womb of a teenage girl without using her egg or a man’s sperm. I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming.
This is where I part ways with the Catholic teaching about Mary. They built an elaborate framework around her — the immaculate conception, “the mother of God,” prayers offered to her as though she were all-knowing and ever-present. None of it is necessary, and none of it is biblical. The reality is far simpler: Mary was just as depraved as anyone else, and her depravity never entered the equation — because her egg was never used. Miss that one mechanical fact and you’re forced to invent a super-person to protect Jesus’ perfection. See it, and the whole scaffolding becomes unnecessary. Mary was a faithful, ordinary, depraved young woman whom God honored with an extraordinary role. That is her glory, and it is enough.
Just know this: Jesus had a human body made especially for one purpose — to atone for the sins of all mankind.
Application
Now, how does this atonement (payment) apply to us as individuals? It isn’t automatic. The idea of all people being saved by Christ without acknowledging His work simply will not work. That removes all responsibility from the individual, and that is NOT God’s way. His way is very simple — easy enough for anyone to grasp.
In order for the death of Jesus to count for you, you need to understand what it is about. Again, nothing to actually do here. But you do need to understand it and respond appropriately. So here is the formula, if you will:
- Acknowledge that you need it (due to the depraved nature you took on at your body’s conception).
- Acknowledge that there is nothing you can add or do to replace or enhance the death He suffered for you. Not one thing.
- Agree that it is sufficient — and only it is sufficient — for the payment. This takes faith.
- Turn your life over to Jesus, since He paid for it and now owns it. Yes, He owns you from that point on. Don’t want to be owned by Him? Then the alternative is to die in your sins and face eternal punishment — though whether “eternal” means what you’ve been told it means is a question I take up in Chapter Six, and the answer matters more than you know. And in Chapter Five, I’ll show you a truth from the Bible that is almost never discussed in churches. The truth is not so black and white.
And that’s it. Don’t add to or subtract from His completed work on the cross. Don’t add to or subtract from the faith that God asks of you in His plan. Don’t treat His mercy and grace as something that can be sidestepped or avoided. Can you do that? If so, you have HOPE that God will save you.
Faith, according to the Bible, is not something we can generate on our own. It is a gift from God. No, really:
“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9, BSB)
Final words on DNA
I’ve spent quite a lot of words on this concept to make sure you get it. And here is why it matters beyond your own soul: once you have it, it is the most effective way I know to share the good news with someone else.
Think about what this metaphor does that no other method can do. It removes us versus them entirely. You and your hearer are in exactly the same state — because even as a saved person, you still carry the depraved nature. It never goes away on this side of death or glorification. The DNA is in the body of every human being who ever lived, except Jesus. So when you share it, you are not a clean person lecturing a dirty one. You are one patient telling another patient where the Physician is. There is no ladder to look down from. That is the whole genius of it, and it is why it works where the Ten Commandments approach, the join-my-church approach, and even personal testimony (“well, that’s great for you, but…”) so often fail.
At the same time, this removes nothing good from the life of a believer. Getting baptized is something we are told to do — to show others that the inner change has turned us to God through Jesus, identifying with His death, burial, and resurrection for us. Attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, Bible-living church can be a very healthy thing for a family. I don’t say to avoid it; I say make sure it’s healthy, which a lot of churches are not. And helping someone come to the cross of Christ does not have to include joining your particular group.
I know that last line steps on some toes among the Baptists and Evangelicals. I say it anyway, and here is my authority for doing so:
“Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, BSB)
Me too, Paul. I answer to my Savior, not to any group — and He is your Judge too, not me. I do love the brethren, even when we disagree.
DNA — it’s what you’re made of, not what you think, say, or do. Remember it and use it often — no charge.
Group Discussion and/or Personal Reflection
Questions
- What does the term DNA stand for regarding our spiritual nature?
- Why is this method superior to all others (in most situations—always follow the Spirit’s lead, not mine)?
- Why is the Virgin Birth so necessary?
- Did Jesus’ embryo use Mary’s egg?
- What is needed for the cross of Christ to apply to you personally?
Answers
- Depraved Nature of Adam. Spiritual DNA.
- It removes all barriers of us versus them. (Not my exact words in the chapter, but the gist of it.)
- Because if Jesus had the DNA of Adam (through Mary), He would be imperfect (depraved) — just like us.
- No. Not possible and still be effective.
- Believe it, receive it, apply it. And give yourself over to the One Who hung on it. Impossible for you? Wait for the safety net of chapter 5. (Not actual salvation, but better than the alternative.)
