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