What is this passage from?
What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals!
Humanity, the greatest and most magnificent expression of the created realm. But do you know the story of Hamlet? It's a story that reveals humanities darkest flaws. The young prince Hamlet comes to discover that his beloved father the King of Denmark has been murdered by The Kings own brother, Hamlet's uncle who marries Hamlet's mother then assumes the throne of Denmark. This sets Hamlet on a course of murderous revenge that won't end until the story ends in bloodshed. In this process, Hamlet's view of humanity is dramatically changed. Listen to what he says to Ophelia, the woman he has pledged his love to...
What are we to think of what Hamlet says concerning the human race? Was he right the first time or was he right the second time? Which of these to portrait of humanity is most Christian? If our assessment of the human race is to be informed and matured by the full instruction of the Holy Scripture, then what we will find is these two perspectives regarding nature of humanity are not mutually exclusive. They are in severe contradiction to each other but they exist side by side in each one of us.
We live in an existence in contradiction we are a humanity without integrity. Let me explain to you what I mean. As Christians we should be able to say without hesitation what a piece of work is man.
In Psalm 8 King David says....
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
I believe, what is dominant in David’s mind at this point, is that scene in the Garden of Eden when God himself at the climax of creation draws up on his own limitless genius, and fashions a human being out of the dust of the earth, breathing into his creation His very own life. It is then said about this man and the woman fashioned from his side they would be the bearer of God's own image. Such dignity had not even been said of God's angels.
As originally designed the man and woman we're in the creation of unimaginable possibilities and potentialities that would serve reflect back to God the glories of His own image. Even though this image has been marred, it still exists. It has been darkened to be sure but but it has not been destroyed. So we can still say and we must say what a piece of work is a man. We see it in the evidences of a Rembrandt painting. We detected in the sounds of the Chopin piano sonnet. We see it in the physical coordination of a great athlete. We observe it in the skills of a first rate surgeon. I find that detail talents and the skills and the insights that are unique to our humanity created in the image of God be a source of incredible pleasure and delight. Frankly, this is the case with people who aren't even Christians. Every human being is an image bearer of the living God. Not just a microbiologist that one day will find the cure for cancer but the single mom down the street who never manage to get married living on welfare with four dirty faced children. Have you ever paused to consider the dignity that Jesus Christ granted to people? From the sophisticated to the simple? It's not that he sought to invalidate sociological distinctions. He simply recognized that both Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman were image bearers of his father. What a piece of work is a man.
But this is not all the Bible tells us about ourselves. Sadly, we are a people of a great contradiction. We have been made in the image of God himself, but yet now it is also true that the whole of are being has been marred by a deeply rooted perversity. This is a deviation from God's original design. Please never forget that humanity in the truest sense is without sin. This is exemplified by the perfect man himself Jesus Christ. This is what heaven will be. We will not be deified, we will be made human in the fullest sense. Sin is alien to athenic Humanity. Sin is the intruder. And we have become sinners through and through. One writer has said it like this, "We are so entirely controlled by the power of sin that the whole mind the whole heart and all our actions are under it's influence". Failure to rightly understand the extent of human falleness inevitably results in a distorted understanding of divine grace, apart from which, there is no eternal salvation. On one hand, if man is just week and in need of strength from God, then the death of his son wasn't relevant. But if man is completely helpless, hopeless, that he is blind, deaf, he's lost, he is powerless that he is dead then the solution he needs is altogether different than just strength. The prayer of the first man is this... "Dear God, if I am to get into heaven then you must give me grace to compensate for what I lack.". The prayer of the second man is... "Dear God, if I'm to get into heaven, then every bit of it must be at your grace.".
History
In 1610 the followers of a Dutch seminary professor James Arminius drew up 5 articles of faith. The Armenians, as they've came to be called, insisted that the Belgian confession of faith and the Heidelberg Catechism, which are both historic documents of the faith of the Protestant church, we're in a error and were in need of change. Particularly at issue was the issue of the salvation of humans. So, a huge meeting was convened to examine the views of Arminius in light of the Scriptures. 84 members from 5 different countries met in 154 sessions in the course of 7 months. They unanimously rejected each of these 5 articles. But to merely reject them did not seem sufficient to them, and so 5 corresponding articles were written in order that they might positively set forth the scriptural teaching of this important issue. They had come to be known as the 5 points of Calvinism.
Known by the acrostic T U L I P.
· Total depravity
· Unconditional election
· limited atonement
· Irresistible grace
· Perseverance and the preservation of the saints.
Historically, these have often been referred to as the doctrines of grace for the mere fact they capture the very essence of God's work in redeeming man the very first article of Arminianism was a strike at at the doctrine of human falleness. What they said is human beings have been affected by the intrusion of sin. They were not saying man was born neutral but yes man has been affected by sin but man has not been left helpless. Human beings are not to be regarded to be enslaved by sin but possessing he will that is free to choose good over evil in spiritual matters. If a human being then cooperates with the invitation of God's Spirit he can be born again. To be sure he needs the spirits assistance he does not require the spirits regeneration therefore faith is to be understood not as a gift from God to the sinner faith is to be understood as the sinner’s gift to God. It is the sinner’s contribution to salvation. This was Arminianism’s first line of attack at Christian orthodoxy. Here is the irony what was recognized by the Protestant reformers as heresy in the last 200 years has become the predominant View in American evangelicalism. In my simple explanation of Arminianism you might sit in think well that's what I believe. That's what I've been taught people are sick people are struggling people need help but if they will simply choose God he supply all they need to make things better. In this day this message is what binds the predetermined way to the church advances. Because you see the very thing that makes the good news good can only be rightly interpreted by the full implication of the bad news. I'm not saying that someone has to be conscious in all that is being discussed today in order to be saved. What I am saying is; Arminianism radically underestimates man's need, and consequently diminishes God's provision, and therefore compromises the very integrity of the only message that can save our fallen race. And the key to all of this, the fulcrum in all of this, is the "T" in TULIP.
Total Depravity
Let's clarify what this means because a great deal of confusions surrounds the doctrine of total depravity.
Let me start with 3 negative statements and follow that up by 3 positive statements.
Negative Statements
First
Total depravity does not mean that human beings have no sense of right and wrong.
This does not mean that a human being does not have a conscience.
Second
Total depravity does not mean that human beings are totally devoid of any qualities that are pleasing or beneficial to society when judged by human standards.
What did Jesus say in Luke 11:13?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.
Third
Total depravity does not mean utter depravity.
Total depravity does not mean utter depravity.
Total depravity does not mean that every sinner is wicked as possible for him or her to be.
Now the positive statements on total depravity…
Positive Statements
First
Total depravity means that the corruption of the human race is universal.
That is, apart from the sinless Son of God sin has infected every person that has ever lived without exception this is total depravity in its extensiveness. In the early chapters in the book of Romans Paul establish establishes this very point. As chapter 1 opens up in the for 17 verses verse 16 says I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to Salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first in also for the Greek. Foreign at the righteousness of God is revealed from face to face semi: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Paul says there is the message that I am proud to proclaim. The Righteous God has revealed his righteousness in the provision of a salvation that is universal its for everyone who believes. Paul says this gospel is the power of God to uniquely answer a universal dilemma. The dilemma of Human sin and it's penalties of which known human person is exempt. So, beginning in verse 18 of chapter 1 through verse 32, Paul levels his accusations against the Gentiles. They have had the revelation of the creative order Paul says. They have had the revelation of Human conscience but it is plain to see by looking at them Paul tells us, by simple examination of their lives they are not righteous. Then in Chapter 2 through chapter 3 verse 8 Paul sets is sites on the Jew. The Jews had experienced great benefits from God they had been the recipient of the law of God. But this is the problem you see they couldn't keep the law well enough to please this righteous God who is satisfied with nothing less than absolute perfection. The law then rather than providing them with a means of salvation only provided condemnation. So the conclusion for the Jews is the same as the Gentiles; Not Righteous!
So Paul brings his argument to the logical conclusion in verse 9 of Chapter 3 of Romans…
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Remember the First positive statement? Total depravity means that the corruption of the human race is universal.
Paul brings his argument to the logical conclusion in verse 9 of Chapter 3 of Romans. In parenthesizes is my exposition.
Romans 3:9
9 What then? (or what should we conclude then) Are we (that is… we that are Jews) better than they (gentiles)? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
- The accusation is Comprehensive “all under sin”
- The accusation is Universal
a. This depravity is total in the sense that it is pervasive, no one escapes it. Jew or Gentile.
b. Paul basically says to his audience, just to be clear, how about a few Old Testament quotations. After all, our theology is only as sound to the extent that it accurately reflects the revelation of God. Listen for the universal Language…
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
(This is what we call the Universal Negative.)
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; (or “turned away” is some translations)
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; (or “turned away” is some translations)
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
This is the all inclusive doctrine of Total Depravity. The corruption of the human race in universal.
This tells is something very important... At the end of the day, I'm not persuading you to be a Calvinist. I'm not persuading you to embrace Reformed theology. But folks, this is Pauline! This is Christian! In fact, do you need a bit more support?
2 Chronicles Chapter 6, King Solomon the wisest man who ever lived says there is no one who does not sin.
2 Chronicles 6:36
36 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near;
The psalmist asks of the Lord...
Psalm 130:3
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
O Lord, who could stand?
David says to God in Psalm 143...
Psalm 143:2
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
Proverbs poses a question…
Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin”?
I am pure from my sin”?
The book of Ecclesiastes adds...
Ecclesiastes 7:20
For there is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin.
And does not sin.
Finally, listen to the universal language in Isaiah...
Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
Isaiah 64:6-7
But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
7 And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have consumed us because of our iniquities.
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
7 And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have consumed us because of our iniquities.
God has been abundantly clear about the universal nature of sin. To argue this point is futile. In fact it's the place yourself in contradiction with the Lord God himself.
1st John tells us if we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us....
1 John 1:8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive usour sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
After all of that, does anybody disagree that total depravity means that the corruption of the human race is universal?
In fact we see in verse 19 of Romans 3 , Paul is very decisive in his conclusion ...
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law (he is talking to Jews and he is referring to the passages he just quoted above… But here is his point, in condemning you, the whole of humanity stands condemned. Look at the rest…), that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
This is an argument from the greater to the lesser. If the Jews God's chosen people, the recipient of those innumerable benefits and blessings if they cannot Escape the reach of sin's sting and guilt, to be sure that the Gentiles, who have no prior claim on God's favor, must also be equally guilty. Therefore he says no one will be able to justify themselves. The entire world will be silenced in their guilt, AND liable to the judgment of God.
Second
Total depravity means that sin has infected every part of a person's Humanity.
There is no piece of a person's being that has been left untouched by the presence and power of sin. So on one hand if we say total depravity is extensive that is it encompasses every person, then it must also be understood that total depravity is intensive. Meaning that it reaches into every part of our humanity.
Look it what Paul says here in Romans 3
Verse 11:
There is none who understands...
This speaks of the mind.
There is none who seeks after God...
That speaks of the will.
Verse 12:
They have all turned aside...
There is none who does good, no, not one.
There is none who does good, no, not one.
That speaks of the heart, out of which actions flow.
Then to illustrate this sin, Paul then talks about specific sins, in particular, sins of communication.
“Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
Hum… we had mind, we had will, we had heart, now we have the throat, tongue, lips, and mouth.
Notice this sin expresses itself in violence...
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
He mentions the feet and in the final expression of sin in verse 18 there is no fear of God before their eyes.
We've got the mind, we got the heart, we got the will, we've got throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, and eyes. I realize in some cases Paul is speaking metaphorically as he mentions these various parts of our humanity but, nevertheless inciting these particular Old Testament texts you can't help but see Paul is intending to show us that sin has infected the totality of who we are as human beings. The fact is both Old Testament and New make this point so very clear.
We know that sin has infected the human heart
Jeremiah Chapter 17
The heart is deceitful above all things and Beyond cure who can know it.
And sin has infected the human mind...
Romans 1:28-32
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Then back at verse 21...
Romans 1:21-22
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
There we have the Mind and the Heart.
Even the Conscience is affected… Titus says of those that are still in sin…
Titus 1:15
15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
What about the emotion? It’s amazing today, we live in a time that people think that the emotions are the true test of what is real. Sin has effected human emotions.
Jesus says of unbelievers…
John 3:19
19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
Love and Hate are words of emotion.
Sin has affected our Human body. You say How do you know that??? Well according to Romans chapter 5:12 the greatest proof of a person’s sinner hood is that he dies physically.
12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
Every time we go to a funeral this is what we are reminded of. The Person in that casket was a sinner. The soul that sins will die. The wages of sin is death. There is not a sliver of your humanity that has been kept from sin.It's corruption is pervasive. It is thorough. Heart, mind, conscience, emotions, and body.
So, the new English Bible translate Psalm 53 like this…
God looks down from heaven on Adam's descendants to see if there is anyone who asks wisely, if there is anyone who seeks help from God. Everyone has fallen away. Together they have become rotten to the core. No one, not even one person, does good things.
Total depravity means that the corruption of the human race is universal. It means that sin has infected every part of a person's Humanity.
Third
Finally the third and last Point…
Total depravity means that sin has rendered a person unable to respond to God in any kind of positive fashion.
Let’s consider Chapter 3 here in Romans again.
- We see that the scope of Paul's accusation is Jews and Gentiles alike, all people without exception.
- We see the source of Paul's accusation... As it is written... The revelation of the Old Testament Scriptures.
But before we finish, we must not miss the substance of his accusation. Paul has already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
Romans 3:9
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
Not in sin... Paul chooses his words very carefully. In the choice of that preposition "under" Paul is very precise. He's not saying that people without exception are sinful, he is saying that all people are under the domination of sin. If you are familiar with the way Paul writes about sin, he often personifies sin. He uses a literary device to speak of sin as though it were a tyrant abusively exercising it's rule over the lives of people. That people are enslaved by sin, to the lordship of sin, and they can do nothing to free themselves from that bondage. That is exactly with Paul is saying here that all are under sin. Apart from the liberating power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, every single human being lives under the domination of sin. Sin controls, sin masters, sin is not merely a transgression against the law of God is a condition in which a person's life is bound. We sin because we cannot not sin. At this point, Paul is simply expressing the words of Jesus who says in John chapter 8....
John 8:34
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
There is nothing we can do to free ourselves from the condition of a slave.
Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?
Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.
Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.
Jesus said it proverbially when he said, a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Mat 7:18
In our whole of the teaching on doctrine of total depravity, this is the most devastating. Listen very carefully... Total depravity does not suggest that man will not come to God or that he may not come to God. Total depravity asserts man, if left unaided by Grace cannot come to God. It recognizes the great cannot statements of the New Testament.
John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
It's not that he may not see the kingdom of God he cannot. The issue is not one of permission it is one of ability.
1 Corinthians 2: 14
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
John 8:43
Jesus speaking…
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
Romans 8:7-8
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Perhaps the most condemning of all are the words of Jesus himself in John chapter 6
John 6:44
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
He's not saying no one may come, he says no one can come.
Did you hear all of that? Total depravity then means a man cannot see, he cannot understand, he cannot hear, he cannot please, and if left to himself, he cannot come to Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life. Where spiritual things or issues are in view total depravity means total inability.
If we were to take a needle in prick the big toe of a corpse what can we expect? No response. Why? Because the corpse no longer possesses the capacity to respond to physical stimulation. In the same manner. Though we prick the hearts and mind of an unbeliever with the needle of the gospel, we must understand until God's grace grants life, such a person has no capacity to respond to spiritual stimulation.
Paul says it like this... and you he made alive who are dead in trespasses and sins. Eph 2
Recap…
- Total depravity means that the corruption of the human race is universal.
- Total depravity means that sin has infected every part of a person's Humanity.
- Total depravity means that sin has rendered a person unable to respond to God in any kind of positive fashion.
Next Up… The “U” Unconditional Election
Many Blessings,
The Systematic Maniac
