CLOGHER VALLEY CLOGHER VALLEY BIBLE CLASSBIBLE CLASS

THE REFORMED FAITHTHE REFORMED FAITH

A STUDY IN

THEOLOGY AND DOCTRINE

TULIPT otal Depravity of Man

U nconditional Election

L imited Atonement or Particular Redemption

I rrestible Grace or

Effectual Calling

P erseverance of the Saints or

Eternal Security

TULIP

T otal Depravity of Man

THE TERMINOLOGYTHE TERMINOLOGY• “The quality or condition of being depraved

or corrupt”

• “The innate corruption of human nature due to original sin”

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd Edition, 1983.

IMPACT OF TOTAL DEPRAVITYIMPACT OF TOTAL DEPRAVITY

• Renders man absolutely corrupt or ungodly

• Inherited as a result of Adam’s sin

• The corruption is initially that of the heart or the inner nature

• It proceeds to affect the whole being; mind, will, actions, words etc…

TOTAL DEPRAVITY AND TOTAL DEPRAVITY AND SALVATIONSALVATION

“Man chooses that which is according to his nature , and therefore he will never choose or prefer that which is divine or spiritual, a new nature must be imparted to him; in other words, he must be born again”

Arthur Pink, The Sovereignty of God, Banner of Truth Trust, 1961. Page 93.

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDSOUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS

“Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?

The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.”

Westminster Standards, Shorter Catechism, Question 18.

ORIGNAL SINORIGNAL SIN

“Original sin is the natural sinfulness of Adam’s descendents, by natural generation”

Dr Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms, Ambassador Emerald International, 1998, Page 258.

COMPONENTS OF COMPONENTS OF ORGINAL SINORGINAL SIN

Derived from Adam, the first man.

Rom 5:12

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

COMPONENTS OF COMPONENTS OF ORGINAL SINORGINAL SIN

Part of humanity from the womb. One’s

environment or circumstances do not produce

sin but his inherited nature.

Psa 51:5

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin

did my mother conceive me.

COMPONENTS OF COMPONENTS OF ORGINAL SINORGINAL SIN

Root of all actual sins committed by humanity

Mark 7:20-23“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, laciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

COMPONENTS OF COMPONENTS OF ORGINAL SINORGINAL SIN

Original Guilt

Romans 5:18

“by the offence of one judgment came upon

all men to condemnation”

COMPONENTS OF COMPONENTS OF ORGINAL SINORGINAL SIN

Original Pollution

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there isnone that seeketh after God. They are all goneout of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not

one.

THE DOCTRINE OF IMPUTATIONTHE DOCTRINE OF IMPUTATION

• Adam acted in Eden as the representative of humanity

• The guilt and pollution of his sin was legally transmitted to all of humanity

Romans 5:19“by one man’s disobedience many were madesinners”

Total Depravity and Total InabilityTotal Depravity and Total Inability

• Total Inability is a consequence of Total Depravity

• Man may perform good socially• He is incapable of any good in relation to God• He has no spiritual interest whatsoever because he

is a dead creature• This is in spite of his natural consciousness of the

existence of God, which compounds his depravity still further

Calvin on DepravityCalvin on Depravity“…man is so totally overwhelmed as with a deluge,

that no part is free from sin: and therefore whatever proceeds from him is accounted sin; as Paul says that all the affections or thoughts of the flesh are enmity against God, and therefore death (Romans 8:6-7)”.

Quoted in Dictionary of Theological Terms, Dr Alan Cairns, Page 256.

The Error of the Arminian The Error of the Arminian Version of DepravityVersion of Depravity

Error

• Adam’s pollution passed onto humanity but not his guilt.

• That sin is a matter of the will or the choice of the sinner.

• The sinner is therefore naturally capable of choosing God.

Response• It is illogical to suggest that

there can be pollution without guilt.

• The sinner sins because he is a sinner as his wickedness is a matter of his heart.

• This is to say that the sinner has some godly life which is a denial of Paul’s description of the sinner being “dead in trespasses and sins”.

Arthur Pink and the Arthur Pink and the Sovereignty of GodSovereignty of God

• Chapter 5 – “The Sovereignty of God

and the Human Will”

• Pink examined the human will under three headings to show that man was totally depraved

1:1: THE NATURE OF THE THE NATURE OF THE HUMAN WILLHUMAN WILL

• Man does not have a free will.• The will is under the control of the mind• The Bible teaches that the heart and not the will

governs man; Proverbs 4:23, Mark 7:21 and Matthew 15:8

• “Hence we say that it is not the will which makes man impervious to all appeals to ‘forsake his way’, but his corrupt and evil heart” (Pink)

2:2: THE BONDAGE OF THE THE BONDAGE OF THE HUMAN WILLHUMAN WILL

• “The sinner is free, but free in one direction only – free to fall, free to sin, Romans 6:20”. (Pink)

• As gravity pushes a falling object down man is pushed downward into sin by his heart.

• It is God’s restraining influences which prevents all men from becoming immoral or murderous.

• The only thing which can save men is God’s grace which lifts the sinner from his bondage which forces him down.

3:3: THE IMPOTENCY OF THE IMPOTENCY OF THE HUMAN WILLTHE HUMAN WILL

• Pink asked the question “Does it lie within the power of the sinner to yield himself up to God?”

• He appealed to Paul’s description of the sinner being dead, as a dead man cannot live so a sinner cannot come to God of his own free will.

3:3: THE IMPOTENCY OF THE IMPOTENCY OF THE HUMAN WILLTHE HUMAN WILL

• He appealed to scriptures that emphasise the need for God to work in the sinner’s heart:John 6:44“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him”Psalm 110:3“My people shall be willing in the day of my power”

3:3: THE IMPOTENCY OF THE IMPOTENCY OF THE HUMAN WILLTHE HUMAN WILL

• The will can only be made free under the power and influence of Christ:

John 8:36

“If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed”

IN SUMMARYIN SUMMARY1: Although man is depraved he is still a responsible

creature who will answer for his sins to God

2: The sinner must be urged to repent because grace changes the direction of the will

3: More than anything the sinner requires the power of God to deliver him from his depravity

4: This is fundamental doctrine vital to our understanding of the gospel and humanity

FOR NEXT TIMEFOR NEXT TIME

1: Unconditional Election

2: Search for the Bible passages which teach election, predestination or

foreknowledge.

3: Read what the Shorter Catechism has to say on the subject.