What does it mean to be spiritually dead before the new birth?

Spiritual death refers to the condition of all humanity post-Fall, as stated in Ephesians 2:1: 'And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.' This condition portrays a profound inability to respond to God or to comprehend spiritual realities. The spiritually dead person is described as being wholly corrupt, cut off from the life of God, and unable to contribute to their own regeneration. The new birth, therefore, is not merely an enhancement of one's state but a radical transformation initiated solely by God's sovereign grace, making a dead soul alive to Him.