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CLOGHER VALLEY
BIBLE CLASS
THE REFORMED FAITH
A STUDY IN
THEOLOGY AND DOCTRINE
TULIP
T otal Depravity of Man
U nconditional Election
L imited Atonement or
Particular Redemption
I
P
rrestible Grace or
Effectual Calling
erseverance of the Saints or
Eternal Security
TULIP
T otal Depravity of Man
THE 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 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
SALVATION
“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 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 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
ORGINAL 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
ORGINAL 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
ORGINAL 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
ORGINAL SIN
Original Guilt
Romans 5:18
“by the offence of one judgment came upon
all men to condemnation”
COMPONENTS OF
ORGINAL SIN
Original Pollution
Rom 3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not
one: There is none that understandeth, there is
none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
THE 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 made
sinners”
Total 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 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
Version 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
Sovereignty 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: THE NATURE OF THE
HUMAN 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: THE BONDAGE OF THE
HUMAN 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: THE IMPOTENCY OF
THE 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: THE IMPOTENCY OF
THE 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: THE IMPOTENCY OF
THE 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 SUMMARY
1: 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 TIME
1:
2:
3:
Unconditional Election
Search for the Bible passages which
teach election, predestination or
foreknowledge.
Read what the Shorter Catechism has to
say on the subject.