Recognizing the Natural Man | 1 Nephi 20:1-8

Isaiah points out several worldly behaviors and attributes of the natural man that the Lord specifically wants me to recognize and overcome. I have tried to come up with a general one or two word description for each attribute to simplify the concepts, but each reader will want to tailor these attribute descriptions specifically to themselves.

Insincerity / Deceit:
This attribute is about what is written deep in the heart. The natural man tends to lock away the lusts of the flesh behind a carefully crafted facade of deceit, so the outer man may have an aura of faith and righteousness but the inner soul is cankered with darkness and filthiness.

“Swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness.”

	SWEAR, verb
	1.	To affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed.
	2.	To promise upon oath.
	3.	To give evidence an oath; as, to swear to the truth of a statement. He swore that the prisoner was not present at the riot.

Hypocrisy:
This attribute is very similar to the last attribute and may find its beginnings in the heart of the natural man, but it always blossoms into flowers that are readily apparent to all those around by their vivid colors of rebellion and their acrid smells of corruption. For example, Judah of the time who professed to be righteous, did not follow after the true and living God but instead, had turned their hearts to idolatry which lead to all out rebellion towards God, corruption of all of their sacred places of worship, and ultimately brought destruction and captivity upon the people.

“Call themselves of the holy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of Israel.”

Pride:
The natural man is particularly prone to pride, he does what he can to increase his ego and to lift himself above those around him. Pride contains a vast group of characteristics which are the main motivators behind all of the attributes of the natural man. The Lord mentions several characteristics such as stubbornness, being opinionated, stiffnecked, haughty, and contemptuous.

“Thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass.”

	OBSTINATE, adjective
	1.	Stubborn; pertinaciously adhering to an opinion or purpose; fixed firmly in resolution; not yielding to reason, arguments or other means.
	2.	Not yielding or not easily subdued or removed; as an obstinate fever; obstinate obstructions; an obstinate cough.

Ingratitude:
The carnal man is drawn to the worship of self and the creations of his own hands taking credit for the acts and will of a loving Heavenly Father. This is a very dangerous sin to be involved with as Brigham Young stated, “I do not know of any, excepting the unpardonable sin, that is greater than the sin of ingratitude.”

“I have even from the beginning declared to thee; before it came to pass I showed them thee; and I showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say—Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them.”

Unrighteous Dominion:
The mortal man can be obsessed with seeking after power and authority over others. He does this by coercion, subjection, or simply by holding back the truth.

“Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them?”

Know-it-all:
The worldly man trusts in the arm of flesh more than in God. He thinks that all knowledge is created from within the mind through observation of the physical world around him. He cannot comprehend that real knowledge and wisdom is gained by looking upward towards heaven.

“They were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say—Behold I knew them.”

Deaf / Blind:
The natural man does not want to be told what to do. He wants to turn to his own desires rather than listen to the desires of a perfect, all-knowing God. He stubbornly refuses to look and listen with his spiritual eyes and ears.

“Thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time thine ear was not opened.”

Faithless / Untrustworthy:
The earthbound man is naturally neglectful and cannot be trusted because he only looks out for himself and his own desires.

“I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously.”

	TREACHEROUSLY, adverb
	By violating allegiance or faith pledged; by betraying a trust; faithlessly; perfidiously; as, to surrender a fort to an enemy treacherously; to disclose a secret treacherously.

	FAITHLESS, adjective
	1.	Without belief in the revealed truths of religion; unbelieving.
	2.	Not believing; not giving credit to.
	3.	Not adhering to allegiance or duty; disloyal; perfidious; treacherous; as a faithless subject.
	4.	Not true to a master or employer; neglectful; as a faithless servant.
	5.	Not true to the marriage covenant; false; as a faithless husband or wife.
	6.	Not observant of promises.
	7.	Deceptive.

Sinful:
The natural born man is susceptible to all manner of sin. He follows not after the laws of God but seeks after pleasure for himself. This attribute is the catch all or the et cetera.

“[Thou] wast called a transgressor from the womb.”