"No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape. Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil." Ecclesiastes 8:8, 11 (CSB)
I once worked with a man who had a particular addiction, and when confronted about his addiction he would smirkingly say, "I'm not addicted, I can stop whenever I want to. I just don't want to." This was his playful way of trivializing his present situation, and made it seem far less binding than, in reality, it was. His statement wasn't all that far from the truth though. God tells us that man has no more ability to stop sinning than he can control the wind or deny the day of one's death. The hold wickedness has on us is just as undeniable. When it commands, we move in obedient response. Now we don't engage in sin with tears in our eyes and screams of "don't make me do this!" No, we willingly practice wickedness. Such is the hold sin has on us. We are bound by it and most of the time, don't even realize it. We say, along with my previous coworker, "I can stop whenever I want to; I just don't want to." We will never want to, because wickedness will not allow us to escape its hold. This is why, without God's overpowering grace, we will never repent from sin. We would never turn from our sin and believingly rest in Jesus if not for His grace. This is why God rhetorically asks through the prophet Jeremiah, "Can the Cushite change his skin, or a leopard his spots? If so, you might be able to do what is good, you who are instructed in evil." (Jeremiah 13:23) We are bound, totally. We couldn't free ourselves, even if we wanted to; but that's irrelevant, because we will never want to.
This will that is bound by wickedness is hardened by mercy. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tells us that because the execution of judgment against evil is delayed, the evil heart is emboldened to commit even more evil. God is gracious in granting us a stay of execution. The goodness of God should lead us to repentance.(Romans 2:4) But like Lamech, we abuse the mercy of God. We consider Him slack, or weak, or unaware. The Holy Spirit tells us that "The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 CSB) Wicked hearts interpret things in a wicked manner.
This is the death spiral. We are slaves of wickedness. Moreover we are willing slaves of wickedness. On top of that; when we are given opportunities to repent, when we are advised to switch masters, as it were, we give a hearty "No thank you. I'll have some more of the same, if you don't mind." All of humanity is in this death spiral. Every individual human is in this death spiral. This is why every individual that finds himself/herself on the outside of this abyss can only say,
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! " Ephesians 2:4-5 (CSB)
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