Saturday, March 1, 2008

Doctrines of Grace - Week 2 - Part 2 - Radical Corruption

RADICAL CORRUPTION

In class this week we looked at another part of the doctrine of Total Depravity, something called Radical Corruption which literally means that the Fall of man is so serious that it affects the whole person. It means the entire person has been infected and corrupted by the power of sin.

- Body: (Rom 7:24) "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

- Mind: (Rom 8:7) "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the lawof God, nor indeed can be."

- Will: (John 6:44) "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."

Most Christians today, agree that man is a sinner and is totally depraved. The controversy, however, centers on the Degree of corruption. Today, most people believe that man is basically good and that sin is peripheral to his nature. In other words, people are born good but then commit acts of sin later on in life and that's when they become sinners. However, the reformed view of the Fall penetrates to the Core of man - to his heart. This means that man is already born with a sin nature. We are sinners from birth and by our very nature we turn away from God.

The Apostle Paul states quite clearly what man's condition is before he's saved by God when he says, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the son's of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." Eph 2:1-3

As you can see, sinfulness is our very nature. We're born with it. That's why Jesus said, "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep." John 10:26

Notice carefully here that Jesus is not saying, 'you are not my sheep because you don't believe.' He's actually saying the reason you don't believe is because you're not my sheep. In other words, 'if you were my sheep, you would believe but because your not my sheep you can not believe.'

Therefore, what is required for man to be conformed to the image of Christ is not simply some small adjustment or behavior modification, but a thorough renovation from the inside - Regeneration by the Holy Spirit.

In my next post we'll discuss the Free will contoversy. Until then..

God bless

Rob

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