Total Depravity (Inability)
Five Points in Five Weeks
A Brief ReviewWhile thoroughly
biblical…Articulated by
AugustinePelagians/semi-
PelagiansCalvin recovers
AugustineArminius rejects Calvin
Wesley, etc.Five points rebut
Arminius at Dordt
Man in creationThe Fall of ManOriginal SinTotal Depravity/Total InabilityWhy They Matter
Plan for Tonight
The Imago Dei at Creation
Contrasts greatly with our being merely evolution’s apex
Seen in Gen. 1:26
What exactly is it? Many theories I prefer the
“restoration hermeneutic”:Eph. 4:21-24Col. 3:10Yields knowledge and
righteousness as keyOne is toward God,
the other toward manThus fits the Great
Commandment
Why It MattersThe reason we treat
each other wellGen. 9:6 Jas. 3:9
NOT the intrinsic value of humans as the apex of evolution
Or out of humanistic philosophy
Pristine Free WillOnly Adam had genuine
free willWarned that would die –
spiritually and physically – if sinned
Given a free choice, what does our representative do???
Trusting God’ provision or buying Satan’s deception
Pleasure versus obedienceKEY: free to sin or not to
sin
But Adam Sins
What was the deal with Adam?Had genuine choice: could sin or not sinRepresentative for all humans
Just like we all live with the “vote” of our government representatives. See Romans 5: 12ff.
To say we still have free will in the same sense is to deny that it was affected by the FallAnd the Bible won’t let us do that
Sin Enters Paradise: The Fall
Calvin sees man driven by self-admiration and blind self-love
Leads us to defend our abilitiesAnd to think we’re more free than we are
Like William Ernest HenleyI thank whatever gods that beFor my unconquerable soul …I am the master of my fateAnd the captain of my soul
Like Chinese handcuffs, trying to be more free cost us freedom
NOW: Free to do as we like…but only like to sin by nature
Key to Fallen Man: Pride
Seven Effects of the FallLoss of innocence
Enter TRUE guilt And FALSE guilt
Image of God distorted Self-focus replaces pure
communityFellowship lost
Lonely, restless hearts result
Environment cursed Romans 8:20-22
Man and woman punished
Now Adam and Eve bring forth after their OWN kind Genesis 5:3
We now need divine grace in a dramatic way
And Significantly…Genesis 5:3: Adam
fathers children made in HIS image
Share the spiritual death of their father
Born with a sin nature
In Short, We are DepravedHere is the rub
SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES
Sin is more than specific behaviors, but a corruption of the heart
Total Depravi
ty
Total Inability
Original Sin
Scriptural Basis for Original SinGenesis 6:5-6; 8:21Psalm 14:1-3Psalm 51:5Psalm 58:3Psalm 130:3Ecclesiastes 7:20Ecclesiastes 9:23
Jeremiah 17:9John 5:42Romans 1:29-32Ephesians 2:1-3Matthew 7:18John 6:44,651 Corinthians 2:14
Original SinJob 14:4: clean cannot
come from unclean Calvin defines:
“A hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused into all parts of the soul”
Nature precedes acts, like an apple tree is that before bearing apples
Psalm 51:1; Isaiah 48:8Sinful and rebellious from
birthBorn spiritually dead
(Eph. 2:1)Children of disobedience
(Eph. 2:2)By nature children of
wrath (Eph. 2:3)Romans 1: God restrains
to keep from being worse, though loosens grip with increasing sin
SO, we don’t just DO evil; we ARE evilSinners by nature AND by choice
Driven by self-loveAct according to our fallen natureDead, so unable to see God
Understanding is blindedTastes and feelings pervertedWill is depravedNatural gifts corrupted
Light in some matters but not spiritual
More on Original Sin
To choose right, one must:Discern the right thing by reasonChoose itFollow it
Sinful persons cannot do any of theseSo, compare God working in us to WILL and DO of
his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13)The struggle of Romans 7 is only true of believersThough “natural law” remains and has some affinity
with second table of Law, though not firstWe will only those things in accordance with our
nature
Depraved Will??
Says Bernard:“Simply to will is of man; to will ill, of a corrupt nature;
to will well, of grace.”We will according to our nature:
The devil: wills only evilGod: wills only goodNatural man: more like the devilSaved man: struggles with the twoGlorified man: no longer will struggle
No “free will” in heaven: by nature, we will only will good
Willing
Original sinMeans we’re spiritually deadBorn in a sin nature that inevitably will bear
sinful fruitWills no longer desire the good
In sum
Total DepravityDepraved in all
aspects of our beingNot completely badOr bad as might beOr nature
completely evilCan do some
relatively good thingsBUT…not in the
name of Jesus (not even a cup of cold water)
Rather, weStand under the
curse of GodAnd alienated from
Him, we are unable to love Him
CalvinistsDead in our sins, so
unable to move toward God
Even if we could, our corrupted nature means we wouldn’t choose it anyway
We are dead and without hope
Classic PositionMaintains original sinBut God grants
prevenient grace that moves us to point of choice
Modern PositionNot so much sin nature,
but just individual sinsWill can choose God or
not…on its own“Wise men still seek Him”
Total InabilityArminians
Why It MattersDiagnosis precedes
treatment So, our natural state tells
us what needs to be “fixed” Merely sick in sin so we can
drive ourselves to the doctor?
Do we have a will completely unaffected by the Fall? And if not, can we biblically
justify the doctrine of prevenient grace?
If we are dead in trespasses and totally unable to do anything about it, how can we be saved?
Human NaturePhilip Zimbardo’s
prison experimentAbu GhraibBook: The Lucifer
EffectConcludes: Put in a
position of power, most anyone can turn mean
James Madison, original sin in mind, intentionally set up checks and balances in our government to protect the people
More Reasons It MattersPolitical
Relevance to ParentsChildren are thus
born in sinEdwards’ strong
views led to some seeing them as “vipers in diapers”
Yet, clearly discipline, teaching needed
Large part of rationale for infant baptism
Eliminates idea of an “age of accountability”
And Finally…Sets our
expectations for the world
If people born in sin and without God……what do you
expect?Moreover,
What do they need?
In Our Next Round…ELECTION