All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
— Romans 3:23
Just as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin, death; and thus death passed on to all men because all have sinned
— Romans 5:12
Before we were born again we were under God’s judgment. The reason God gave the law in the Old Testament was for all the world to fall under His judgment. Because God gave the law, man could know his true condition. By giving the law, God was saying to mankind, “It matters to Me what you do! I have not created human beings to be so sinful and so fallen!” Many people may not think it matters whether or not they are in God’s kingdom, but it matters to Him. God gave the law to expose people’s sinful and unrighteous condition and bring them under His judgment. Before we were born again we were also under His judgment.
Not only were we under God’s judgment, but we were condemned. To be condemned is both to be found guilty and to be completely disapproved. For us, God’s judgment was “unto condemnation” (Rom. 5:16). “He who believes into Him [the Son] is not condemned; but he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Before we were born again, our position was one of condemnation.
Adapted from Born Again, page 29-30.
Tomorrow: “We Were Under Sin, Wrath, Disobedience”