January 8th: Total Depravity
Speaker: Duncan Wyncoll
Here is the foundation for the Doctrines of Grace. In what sense is man totally depraved?
Romans 3.10-26
Introduction
1. Newton’s Amazing ‘Grace’
2. Grace (Gk. Charis) – Undeserved & unmerited favour of God
3. Eph 2.8,9 – ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith, & that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast’
4. But have people truly understood the profound nature of God’s Grace in Salvation?
5. ‘Doctrine(s) of Grace’ – several foundational/inter-related doctrines. It’s a systematic way to explain the Bible’s teaching on Salvation
6. Need for grace (sin), the plan for grace (election), the means of grace (the cross), the attraction of grace (call), & the confidence of grace (assurance)
7. They’re NOT an attempt to impose a system on Scripture, but to make sense of & to articulate what scripture itself systematically teaches
Andrew Fuller (English Calvinist) – ‘The man who has no creed has no belief… & he whose belief is not formed into a system has only a few loose, unconnected thoughts, without entering into the harmony & glory of the gospel. Every well-informed & consistent believer must have a system - which he supposes to contain the leading principles of Divine revelation’.
Background – Doctrines of Grace: Reformed Theology
· Augustine vs. Pelagius
· Doctrines which were reclaimed during Protestant Reformation (16th Century)
· Oct 31, 1517 Martin Luther, 95 theses – accusing the Roman Catholic Church of neglecting & abandoning the biblical doctrine of justification by faith
· D of G, referred to as Calvinism – John Calvin, Geneva, Father of Reformed Theology. Writer, teacher & preacher – Institutes of Christian Religion. These were clearly taught in in writings/preaching.
· But he didn’t come up with the 5 Points (TULIP)
James Arminius (Dutch pastor) sought to temper JC’s Reformed doctrine of salvation
· 1610 – Issued the “Arminian Remonstrance”
1. Conditional Election
2. Unlimited atonement
3. Sinfulness capable of being overcome
4. Resistible grace
5. Precariousness of the Saints
· Calvinists responded by calling International conference in 1618: Synod of Dort
· 100 Delegates (Ger, Switz, Eng), 154 sessions over 7 months
1. Of divine Predestination (Unconditional Election)
2. Of the Death of Christ, & the Redemption of Men (Limited atonement)
3. Of the Corruption of Man (Total Depravity)
4. Of his conversion to God, & the Manner thereof (Irresistible Grace)
5. Of the perseverance of the Saints
The order was then shuffled to TULIP
“Arminian theology (giving up of the Doctrines of Grace) is a major (if not the major) cause of all the ills of Evangelicalism” – Essential for the right understanding & propagation of the Gospel
CH Spurgeon – “5 great lamps which help to irradiate the cross, 5 great emanations springing from the glorious covenant of the Triune God”
Total Depravity – Total inability, or Radical depravity or Pervasive depravity
· Maintains that the extent of the impact of Sin since the Fall of man is so devastating & pervasive, as to make man’s salvation completely dependent on the work of God alone
· God alone is responsible for saving men
· In the unregenerate state man will NOT choose God
Eph 2.1 – ‘who were dead in trespasses & sins’
· Unbelievers often hold an optimistic view of human nature – people are basically good, & only corrupted by influence of culture/environment etc
· Biblical view is that men are sinners who will invariably reject God
· So, humans societies need competent civil authorities to restrain evil (Romans 13.1-4)
Christians are always skeptical of Utopian visions of society
Illus: Virginia, US. Set up free ‘loaner’ bikes, in key locations. Nice idea! But didn’t take human sin/nature into account. Within days whole project was a disaster.
BCF 9.3 (Free Will): “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, has completely lost all ability of will to perform any of the spiritual good which accompanies salvation...he is altogether averse to spiritual good, & dead in sins. He is not able by his own strength to convert himself, or to prepare himself for conversion [desire or seek it].”
EVERYONE is affected
Gen 6.5 – ‘& God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, & that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually’
· Impact of sin is not just on societal level, but on the personal/individual level
Rom 3.10 – ‘There is none righteous, no not one’
· Some people are unbelievers just because they have not yet heard a compelling enough message, or culturally relevant gospel presentation? (Misunderstanding)
Acts 16.14 – ‘whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul’ (Lydia)
· It’s uncomfortable, but truthful & realistic
· Necessary/vital for preachers to understand man’s true condition
· Need to understand God’s wrath against sin - to appreciate His love, mercy & grace
TOTAL does not mean that we are as corrupt as possible! (Sin is progressive) BUT it means every part of man’s being is corrupted/perverted/sinful/contaminated
Illus: Like ink stirred into water. One drop may not be visible, but every part affected.
So - everything we do is spoilt!
All departments of a man’s being are affected
1. UNDERSTANDING/MIND
· ‘The mind holds the highest rank in the human constitution’ (Calvin). Heart & will should be governed by the mind
· Paul says we should be governed by “a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1.7)
· Depravity of mind. Blind to life’s most important things. Disabled. Even theologians!
Eph 4.18 - “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them.” Understanding about spiritual things.
· The Gentile mind for 1000s years has produced world religions – just darkness. Why? Just lack of knowledge?
No. The Jewish mind given the Truth for centuries; 2 Cor 3.14 - “But their minds were blinded”
Romans 3.11 - “There is none that understandeth.”
· Calvin: unconverted man is ‘animal’ man – depraved. A powerful intellect wasted. Doesn’t know why he exists.
John 3.3 - “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
2. HEART
· Depravity of heart
Jer 17.9 - “The heart is deceitful above all things & desperately wicked.”
· Full of selfish desires, drunk on worldly pleasures & sin, does not want God
Mark 7.21 - “Out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts…& defile the man.”
· Thoughts driven by the heart. M Henry: the heart cheats the mind
· The heart is in charge of the mind.
Eph 4.18 - “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
John 3.19 - “Light is come into the world, & men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”
· Deeds become addictions, driving the heart, which drives the mind.
3. WILL (key issue)
· Stubborn refusal
John 5.40 - “& ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
· Offered infinitely more than £1 billion, yet men refuse!
Luke 13.34 - “O Jerusalem, …how often would I have gathered thy children together…& ye would not!”
John 8.43 “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot [endure to] hear my words.”
· Christ spoke plainly, but stubborness prevented understanding
· Christ's miracles & preaching: “never man spake like this man”, but men would not turn
Luke 16.30 - The rich man objects “if one went...from the dead they will repent…” Abraham replies “...neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.”
· The will has taken over; the disorderly state of man. Addicted to sin, stubborn, ignorant
4. CONSCIENCE
· This is gradually silenced, stifled, reprogrammed.
1 Tim 4.2 - “Having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”
Tit 1.15 - “their mind & conscience is defiled.”
Rom 1.18 – ‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who hold (down) the truth in unrighteousness;’
A few other Observations/Comments about Total Depravity
A. Total Depravity does NOT mean we are no longer God’s image bearers because of our sin.
a. It’s not absolute depravity; we still bear His image, even after the fall
b. Unsaved people do possess some qualities
c. But we are beyond self-help with regard to Salvation
B. We’re sinners from conception
a. Our sin nature can be traced back in unbroken succession to Adam
b. Rom 5.12 – ‘Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, & death by sin; & so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned’
C. We’re sinners because of actual transgressions
a. In thought, word & deed – sins of commission & omission.
b. Isaiah 53.6 – ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way’
c. 1 John 1.8 – ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, & the truth is not in us’
D. This doctrine demonstrates the gap between the holiness/purity of God & the sinfulness of man
Hab 1.13 – ‘Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, & canst not look on iniquity’
Conclusion
Each soul is like a Castle – protected by a moat, drawbridge, bolted doors & thick walls.
Nothing can break into the Castle – except the Lord.
Then the heart is rebellious, & the mind can’t grasp the Truth – we become uninstructable
1 Cor 2.14 – ‘But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned’.
Understanding this is the foundation for the Doctrines of Grace
All Of Grace - Nothing but the work of the Spirit can change a person
Rom 1.16 – ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation’
God’s chosen method of converting souls
