Total%20Depravity

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Total Depravity

• Matt 7.17-18

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Augustine 354 - 430
while indeed Adam was created by God in a state
of perfect righteousness, nevertheless the fall
brought such consequences upon Adam and upon his
posterity that man became totally incapable of
doing any good at all - of any kind.
It was this fierce struggle which finally brought
Augustine to understand with a profound awareness
that the grace of God which delivers from sin is
sovereign and irresistible, overcoming and
defeating all our resistance, accomplishing a
work the Author of which is God alone.
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Martin Luther 1483 - 1546
In his book Bondage Of The Will Luther wrote,
even the will of man is completely enslaved by
sin. Adopted the teachings from the writings of
Augustine although he never actually incorporated
these beliefs in his theology.
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John Calvin 1509 - 1564
our nature destitute of all good ... fertile in
all evils ... cannot remain inactive
In other words, sin affects all areas of our
being including who we are and what we do. It
penetrates to the very core of our being so that
everything is tainted by sin and all our
righteous acts are like filthy rags before a
holy God
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1618 The Synod of Dordrecht
Reformed churches of Netherlands / Europe Answer
to Arminians 5 statements of doctrine Became
known as the 5 points of Calvinism (Canons of
Dordt)
As a result of Adams sin every part of man is
corrupt mind/will/flesh Heresy man born without
sin, exercised human will to sin after a time,
can turn to God
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The Nature Of Transgression
Adam's sin of eating of the forbidden tree
therefore, was a sin which he committed against
God. He chose to represent Satan to aid Satan in
Satan's nefarious scheme to steal this world from
its Creator. He deliberately turned his back on
the God of heaven and earth with that one act of
disobedience. That made his sin so horrible. It
was committed against God.
Death and total depravity are synonymous. He
made him a slave of sin with the whole of his
being and nature. That was the punishment for
sin. And it is in terms of the punishment for sin
that we must consider the truth of total
depravity. Because sin is so terrible, it
deserves such terrible punishment. That
punishment is the total depravity of man's
nature. All men therefore are totally depraved.
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Choices

• 1 Tim 2.13-14 Adam
• Gen 5.22-24, Jude 14-15 Enoch
• Gen 4.4, Heb 11.4 Abel

If Adam had the ability to make a choice before
he sinned then why could he not do so afterwards?
If mankind was incapable of good then why are
Enoch, Abel and others referred to as faithful to
God ?
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The Mind Of Man

• Corruption of the nature of man by God
• Minds of children and adults is different
• Matt 18.3 except ye become as
• 1 Cor 13.11 when I was a child
• 1 Cor 14.20 be not children in understanding
• 1 Pet 2.2 - grow

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Volition

• Josh 24.15 choose you this day
• Deut 30.19 I set before you this day life and
  death

Throughout the scriptures we find that mankind
was faced with the decision to be faithful to God
or to depart. If we are incapable of making this
decision then why is there so much emphasis
placed on making the right decision to obey God
in the Bible ?
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What The Scriptures Teach

• Rom 3.23 all have sinned
• 1 Cor 10.13 common to man
• Rom 5.12-14 had not sinned after similitude
• Ezek 18.20 son shall not bear iniquity of
  father
• 2 Cor 5.10 all shall give account
• John 4.23 Father seeketh such