"By nature" is the operative phrase. What is the "nature" of those doing the law, having never received the law?
Fleshly or Spiritual?
Obviously it is Spiritual - because at some point the Holy Spirit spoke to them through their conscience about right and wrong and their desire to follow after righteousness allowed the entrance of the Savior to which they will someday turn to and ask, "What are these wounds in Thine hands?" and Jesus will tell them the old, old story of His love.
Total Depravity is not what I'm talking about. Total Depravity is an erroneous idea (sorry and WADR my wonderful Calvinism friends :) I just don't find it to be Biblical) which removes all choice from the equation.
What I'm trying to get through to you is that there is a diff between choosing to obey and performing the obedience.
You've never tried to bench press one too many reps, where the only way you can get that bar back to the top of the bench is with the help of a spotter?
In the same way, when temptation comes, you may desire to escape it and the guilt you know giving in will bring, but the only way you're going to "resist the devil" is through the help of our Heavenly Spotter. If you disagree, that's fine, but with all the Bible has to say about spotty leopards, nothing good in us, and total inability to do anything apart from Christ, I don't understand how you can maintain your position.
People that mind the flesh can change and not only can they choose to obey, they can perform obedience. There are examples in the NT of Gentiles that formerly lived in the flesh but upon hearing the gospel, changed, went from minding the flesh to minding things of the Spirit.
The context about a leopard not changing it spots is about Israel at a time in their history when they had hardened their hearts and refused to repent, hence they are compared to a leopard unable to change its spots. That passage therefore cannot be used in a universal sense about all men since it is specifically talking about Israel at a specific time in their history. The Bible has many examples of men repenting and 'changing their spots'.
Also, look at it this way: God created the leopard with its spots. Did God create man with sin? If so, then God has culpability in the sins men commit and therefore God could not justly, rightly condemn man for the sins God made man to commit against his will.
If Israel could not ever change its spots, then why did God ever chose/elect them to begin with knowing their spots cannot be changed? What purpose is there in Jeremiah preaching to them when they cannot change their spots? What was the point in God ever teaching them His ways, commanding them to obey Him, giving them a law of their own to have already knowing they could not change their spots?
But again, the context is specifically about Israel at a specific time in their history when they forgot God and trusted in falsehoods (Jeremiah 13:25). They chose of their own will to be in their sin, not ordained by God to be in sin as some Calvinists would have us think. Again, God ordained the leopard to have spots but did not ordain men to have sin for such makes God culpable for the sins men commit. God, thru Jeremiah, said to Israel "
But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive." "If ye will not hear it" - the conditional "IF" shows Israel had a choice to hear and if they did not then he would become sorry and weep for they would become captive.
Note in Jeremiah 18:8-10 that nations, as Israel, have choices. "IF" Israel would hear the words of God: "
If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them." God would spare them IF they repent. But IF Israel would not hear and repent then they would go into captivity: "
If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them". Again, Israel had a choice and Israel chose not to repent. Yet in the OT book of Jonah, Nineveh DID choose to repent and God repented of the evil He said He would do to them, Jonah 3:10. Was Nineveh as a leopard unable to change their spots?
Lastly, Jeremiah 13:23 "
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah is not talking about how they were born but how they chose to live. 'Accustomed' means learned, taught hence they learned sinning not born that way.
You say you do not agree with the idea of total depravity, but then you speak about "
spotty leopards, nothing good in us, and total inability to do anything apart from Christ,". Calvinists use the same text (Jeremiah 13:25) and same words (nothing good in man, total inability) as you do in promoting total depravity. You say man cannot change his spots, there is no good in man and man has 'total inability' What do you call this if it is not total depravity?
(The same is true in Isaiah 64:6. Again, that passage is speaking specifically about Israel when they were living in iniquity, hence their righteousness was as filthy rags before God. So it cannot be used universally about all men for the context does speak of God meeting/entreating those that work righteousness, Isaiah 64:5.)
