Every unbeliever is a member of this spiritual kingdom of the city of man. Unbelievers do not experience the peace that comes from knowing their sins are forgiven. They do not know the love of a merciful and yet just God. They do not know the joy of a permanent and lasting eternal blessedness in the presence of their heavenly Father.

When sin entered the beautiful and good world that God had created, the distinction was made between those who would follow in the rebellion of the devil, who did not submit to God, and those who by God’s grace would be saved to be friends with the Holy Triune God. The spiritual reality of those who are under the influence of the evil one, citizens of the city of man, is different—in fact, in complete antithesis—to those who are citizens of the kingdom of God, a  kingdom of joy, peace, love, holiness, righteousness, and humility.

Those Belonging to the City of Man Follow Their Own Rules and Judgments That Fit Their Sinful Desires

Rather than submit to the Creator, those who either knowingly or unwittingly follow in the rebellion of Satan are “following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). They are functioning according to a different principle—the principle of pride which results in disobedience to the Lord.

When Satan deceived Eve in the garden of Eden, he was able to persuade her to trust her own understanding, and thereby make herself the judge of what was good and evil. She thought more highly of herself and her knowledge than of her Creator, who had made her and all other good things she had experienced. So, we see that pride is a principle of the city of man. Man does not want to listen to the precepts of God’s Word; rather, he wants to make his own rules that fit his own desires.

The City of Man Is a City Filled With Misery, Faction, Hate, Unholiness and Wickedness

The prophet Isaiah had this to say about those who made their own rules in opposition to the Lord:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Read More