Jennifer Rothnie
Well-Known Member
I don't believe we're on the same page concerning an unbeliever's nature. Can an apple tree produce anything other than an apple? No. Neither can a unbeliever who's nature is to produce sin. Every single thought, word, and deed is tainted by the unbeliever's nature and absolutely nothing produced can be counted as righteousness to God. It doesn't have to hurt (rape/murder/rob) someone to be considered an offense to God.
The thing separating a believer from the unbeliever is the ability to produce something other than sin through the sanctifying grace of God and guiding work of the Holy Spirit.
God counted many acts by unbelievers as right or pleasing in scripture (a very different concept than someone actually being counted as fully justified before God,) and so acted on those people with favor or by withholding judgment:
"The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live....The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own." Ex 1:15-21 (Not, 'nice try midwives, but you are just too tainted by sin to truly fear me.')
"Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son." I Kings 21:49 (Not 'nice try Ahab, you are the most wicked king who has ever lived, so I don't recognize your humility as good.')
"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly...The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God." Acts 10:1-4 (Not, 'nice try Cornelius, but your prayers and generosity are mere refuse to God')
"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares." Rom 2:13-16 (Not, 'nice try Gentiles, but it's just tainted obedience and you can't ever do anything required by the law at all.')
""But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”" Lk 10:33-37
(Not, 'silly Samaritan, doesn't he know his compassion is tainted and no one should imitate such a sinner?')
"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matt 7:9-11 (Not, 'you evil people, you can't give anything good to your children until you have a regenerated heart.')
Etc.
Now, if one starts with the Calvinist theory of 'Total Depravity' as a truthful axiom and tries to discuss God's sovereignty from there, I could see why you might think that God had to pre-regenerate certain individuals or do something outside of the work of the cross to make them capable of believing the gospel was true. After all, if man truly is so tainted he cannot respond to the gospel in faith as is, and the work of the cross and presentation of the gospel is insufficient to overcome that, so no one has the ability to have faith at all, then the next logical step would be that that inability would need to be overcome by something else, such as regeneration by the spirit prior to faith or another method of making some capable of faith.
Yet those premises are flawed, as scripture never makes the claim that man is unable to respond in faith, that the work of Christ was insufficient to draw all things to Himself, that no one can respond to the Spirit's general conviction, that the gospel is insufficient testimony of truth to convince fallen man, that man is incapable of any good thought or act whatsoever, etc.
If the premises are flawed, the conclusion will be flawed. Total Depravity' is also known as 'Total Inability', is one of the teachings of Calvinism or the Reformed tradition. It forms the 'T' of the acronym T.U.L.I.P. It attempts to explain the depths and repercussions of the fallen, sinful state of man, and in many ways is the philosophical foundation which the other four points rest on.
'Total Depravity' starts with the premises that all men sin without exception (Rom 3:10-23); that sin corrupts every aspect of our being, such as flesh, heart, mind, etc, (Mark 7:21-23); and that man cannot save himself (Psalm 60:10-12, Is 63:5-6).
On these points, all of Christianity agrees. The theory continues from that base, however.
'Total Depravity' further claims that man is so tainted by sin that he cannot accept the offer of Christ’s salvation and so receive Christ's deliverance from sin.
However, that premise does not seem to be supported by scripture. Firstly, scripture asks us to believe: Rom 10:9-13, John 3:14-21, Luke 11:5-13, Heb 11:13-16, Gal 3:24, Deut 30:11-14, etc. - an odd command if we cannot possibly do so. Similarly, Jesus says that He knocks, and He will come to any who 'open the door' to receive Him (Rev 3:20).
Secondly, scripture presents Jesus' sacrifice and gift of the Holy Spirit to the world as all sufficient for man to come to faith, not in need of 'something else' that God has not made available to man.
For example, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (Jn 20:31) and "the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith" (Rom 1:17) show that God has given scripture and the evidence of miracles to give evidence of Christ. "He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8) shows that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is convicting the world of sin. "I will draw all people to myself" (Jn 12:32) shows that Christ, by His death, was lifted up before the world as their Saviour, and by that revelation and influence all men are drawn to Him. "Faith comes by hearing" (Rom 10:17) shows that the gospel is a further grace God gives to all who hear it, presenting the person and work of Christ to them.
Based on the premise of man being so tainted he could never accept Christ, even with all the general graces of scripture and the Holy Spirit's conviction, etc., the theory then draws the conclusion that 'something further' must occur in the life of certain chosen people.
Calvinists vary on what this 'something further' is. For some, it is the extreme of actual spiritual regeneration, being 'born again' and given a new heart, so that one can afterward have faith. This version has the most difficulty squaring with scripture, for scripture states we receive the spirit, are made new creations, etc., only after we place our faith in Christ - never before: Gal 3:2-3, Gal 3:10-14, Eph 1:11-14, II Cor 5:17, etc.
For others, the 'something further' is less extreme, an unveiling of the eyes and heart by the Spirit, that in combination with the Calvinist theory of irresistible grace, perfectly proves Christ to the person and compels them to have faith, with no option for them to reject the gospel.
This version is less problematic since scripture does mention a few people whose hearts were opened to the gospel by God upon hearing it. Tabitha, for example (Acts 16:14).
However, 'how' God opens the heart/eyes in these cases was through the gospel message, not through a special, extra act by the Holy Spirit that only some receive. The gospel reveals the righteousness of Christ to all (Rom 1:17.) In the case of the two men from Emmaus, for example, their hearts 'were kindled within them' just by Jesus sharing the fulfillment of scripture. (Luke 24:31-32)
In short,'Total Depravity' is built on many extra-biblical premises and philosophical assumptions that are not supported by, and even contradict, scripture. As such, it is not a good to take it as an axiom of truth before discussing the sovereignty of God.
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