Depravity

DEPRAVITY

by Tony Alamo

Selfishness is the exclusive regard of a person to his or her own interest or happiness; or that supreme self-love or self-preference which leads a person in his actions to direct his purposes to the advancement of his own interest, power, or happiness, without regarding the interest of others: Selfishness, in its worst or unqualified sense, is the very essence of human depravity: it stands in direct opposition to benevolence, which is the essence of the divine nature.1 As God is love (to those who keep His commandments)2 so man, in his unsaved, unregenerated state, is selfishness, self-love.

Love in God's Word means to keep God's commandments. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (I John 5:3).

II Tim. 3:1-5 says, "This know also, that in the last days [which is now] perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves [depraved], covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce [like the nature of the Antichrist beast], despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

This is Jesus speaking: "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments [some heretics say that there is no Hell where people suffer torment. They try to make Jesus seem like a liar to you, but it is impossible for Christ to lie],3 and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus [this flunky], that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame [not in some garbage dump outside of town]. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him [this underling, this guttersnipe, Lazarus] to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he [the flunky] may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets [the infallible Word of God]; let them hear them. And he [the depraved man's soul] said [arguing that the Word of God is not good enough when God esteems His Word to be higher than His name],4 Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he [Abraham] said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead [like Jesus who rose from the dead. The world still doesn't believe in Hell, but like the depraved man, THEY WILL]" (Luke 16:19-31).

Do you want to go there to find out for yourself, or will you believe Jesus, Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and the Word of God?5 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

If you believe, if you're not interested in going into that place of torment, then say this prayer of repentance to God in the name of Jesus.

Prayer

My Lord and my God, have mercy upon my soul, a sinner. 1 I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. 2 I believe that He died on the cross and shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of all my sins. 3 I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit 4 and that He sits on the right hand of God at this moment, hearing my confession of sin and this prayer. 5 I open up the door of my heart and I invite You into my heart, Lord Jesus. 6 Wash all of my filthy sins away in the precious blood that You shed in my place on the cross at Calvary. 7 You will not turn me away, Lord Jesus, You will forgive my sins and save my soul. I know because Your Word, the Bible says so. 8 Your Word says that You will turn no one away, and that includes me. 9 Therefore, I know that You have heard me, and I know that You have answered me, and I know that I am saved. 10 And I thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving my soul, and I will show my thankfulness by doing as You command and sin no more. 11

You've just completed the first step in a series of five steps which are necessary to receive salvation. Your second step is to deny yourself and take up the cross daily for the purpose of mortifying yourself, that is, for putting to death your own will, your soulful self, and the world with all of its lusts. All these must be baptized into the death of Christ.

Step three is your resurrection from the satanic life of Adam unto the sinless life of Christ. Step four is your ascension into a position of authority to reign for God on earth, and the fifth step is to reign for God on earth to the end for the purpose of bringing about the kingdom of Heaven on earth. You must learn the Word of God, then submit yourself and do what the Word says, so that the Church and the world may see evidence of your submission to God's Word, His order, and His authority in and by you.

Praise the Lord. May God reward you abundantly.

Pastor Tony Alamo

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Depravity footnotes:

1. Ex. 20:3-17, I Cor. Ch. 13, I John 3:14-18 return

2. Deut 5:10, 7:9, Neh 1:7, Dan. 9:4, John 14:21, I John 5:2-3, II John 1:6 return

3. Rom. 3:4, Heb. 6:18, Titus 1:2, John 14:6 return

4. Psa. 138:2, Heb. 6:13 return

5. Deut. 32:21-22, Psa. 9:17, Prov. 15:24, Matt. 3:12, 10:28, Luke 12:5, II Thes. 1:9, II Pet. 2:4-9, Jude 6, Rev. 14:9-11, 19:20, 20:10, 15, 21:8 return

Prayer footnotes:

1. Psa. 51:5, Rom. 3:10-12, 23 return

2. Matt. 26:63-64, 27:54, Luke 1:30-33, John 9:35-37, Rom. 1:3-4 return

3. Acts 4:12, 20:28, Rom. 3:25, I John 1:7, Rev. 5:9 return

4. Psa. 16:9-10, Matt. 28:5-7, Mark 16:9, 12, 14, John 2:19, 21, 10:17-18, 11:25, Acts 2:24, 3:15, Rom. 8:11, I Cor. 15:3-7 return

5. Luke 22:69, Acts 2:25-36, Heb. 10:12-13 return

6. I Cor. 3:16, Rev. 3:20 return

7. Eph. 2:13-22, Heb. 9:22, 13:12, 20-21, I John 1:7, Rev. 1:5, 7:14 return

8. Matt. 26:28, Acts 2:21, 4:12, Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14 return

9. Matt. 21:22, John 6:35, 37-40, Rom. 10:13 return

10. Heb. 11:6 return

11. John 5:14, 8:11, Rom. 6:4, I Cor. 15:10, Rev. 7:14, 22:14 return