The Power Of Negative Thinking

Many modern evangelicals will be shaken by the mere thought of negative thinking.  The positive thinking of Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, and Joel Osteen is definitely not Biblical.  And positive, encouraging Christian radio often does not give you the entire picture.  It should be noted that the Bible does not really speak in terms of positive/negative.  It speaks more of right/wrong, good/evil, and righteous/unrighteous.  The positive/negative category probably comes more from our own therapeutic culture.  But in reality negative thinking is sometimes a good thing.  

The condition of man is definitely not a positive thing.  When Adam the representative of the human race sinned by disobeying God he plunged the entire human race under the sin curse.  We are all born sinners (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3), love darkness instead of light (John 3:19), our righteous deeds are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), none is righteous (Romans 3:10), all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), and we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). 

This is what theologians call total depravity.  This does not mean we are as bad as we could possibly be, but that our entire being is effected by our sin.  Because we have sinned against a holy God we face his wrath and deserve to go to hell.  Because we are dead in our sins we have no desire for God and continue in disobedience.  

This sure is a lot of negativity, it is most definitely not positive thinking.  In fact it is downright discouraging.  If we were left here we would be in total despair.  But thankfully this is not the end of the matter. 

But God in his great love chose to save a people for himself.  He draws us to himself (John 6:44), has made us alive (Ephesians 2:5), and caused us to be born again (1 Peter 1:3).  God helps those who cannot help themselves.  When we are dead in our sins we are unable to respond to God.  Salvation is totally the work of God.  The only thing we contribute is our sin.  Salvation is completely by God's grace, he is sovereign over the entire process.  

All those God draws to himself respond with faith and repentance.  They believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  They trust in Christ alone for salvation.  Jesus lived a perfect life without sin, died on the cross to pay for the sins of his people, and was raised from the dead victorious over sin and death.  Jesus takes our sin on himself and his perfect righteousness is credited to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).  

All this negative thinking actually leads us to the most positive thing of all, that is truth and reality.  We realize we are all sinners in need of a Savior.  We realize that Jesus is the only way to heaven.  We realize our true condition as sinners who are totally unable to save ourselves.  We are totally dependent on God to save us.  It is by his grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.   And to God alone be the glory.