The Nature Of Man - Depravity

Are The Unregenerate Able To Respond?

Text: Romans 5:12 “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:”

Introduction

For us to understand the order of which one comes to Christ, we must dive a little bit further in what is called “the depravity of man” (i.e. man’s sin nature)

Anthropology & Soteriology

Let’s begin with a Reformed working definition of the phrase “Total Depravity.”

Reformed Definition: (Quoted from Hutson Smelley; “Deconstructing Calvinism”) “that apart from God’s regeneration, a person lacks the capacity to understand or believe the gospel. It is not that the person hears the gospel, considers it, comprehends it, and rejects it. Rahter, her hears the worlds, but because he is so hopelessly and helplessly lost and unable to move toward God in the slightest, he CANNONT comprehend them and can only reject the message unless God changes him by “regeneration,” in which case the person not only comprehends the message but cannot reject it, for it is now compelling to him......Much of the Bible is reduced to stories about God “going through the motions.”

Traditionalist or Provisionalist Definition: (J.B. Hixson) “Saving faith is the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin and the one who gives eternal life to all who trust Him and Him alone for it.”

Instead of accrediting the rejection of the gospel to some kind of eternal decree of inability, we would describe it as someone diving further into pride (deeper pursuite of sin) of which hardens them and therefore more likely to continue to for a longer time or indefinitely reject the gospel call.

So, the question I want us to answer is this: Is man’s sinful nature speaking of an inability to believe or is the unregenerate able to believe when the gospel is presented to them? Is the gospel enough for them to understand their sin and their need of a Savior?

1) Romans 3:9-12

Romans 1:18-32

2) 1 Corinthians 2:9-3:1-3

Paul is not addressing “total depravity” but rather making an argument about the current spiritual condition of these believers at Corinth.

Paul is speaking to the SAVED.

Paul IS NOT speaking about the gosepl.

Paul desired to teach them deeper things of God.

Paul reveals the way by which man CANNOT learn God’s wisdom:

Natural observation

Learned from men

From our own minds

ONLY FROM THE SPIRIT!

2:12 — “we” speaking of himself and the apostles

3) Ephesians 2:8

Does this passage speak of an INABILITY to have FAITH outside of a pre-regeneration work of the Spirit?

The Calvinist takes the term “that” and “gift” referring to “faith.”

Concluding man can only receive salvation after God has given him the faith he needs.

If man produced his own faith, then we would have grounds to boast of “our faith.”

The Greek word for “that” (according to Greek grammar) cannot refer back to the word “faith.” It refers back to the phrase “for by grace you are saved.”

4) Examples of the ability of the unregenerate

A. An example of the use of the word “dead.”

Ephesians 2:1-3 “1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

Rev. 3:1-2 “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”

Luke 15:24 “24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

Genesis 3:1-19 Adam and Eve cast out of the garden.

Romans 2:13-15 “13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”

Luke 16:24 “24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

Reformed theologians will make reference to Lazarus when defining the extent of spiritual deadness.

The Bible never connects anthropology nor soteriology to the story of Lazarus.

NEITHER SHOULD WE!

The better view of the meaning of “dead in trespasses and sins” would be of the persons condition before God, not his ability of whether or not he can respond to God’s gospel.

Consider the example of Adam and Eve rebelling against God:

There was not a lose of ability.

There was only the lose of relationship and resulting in a physical act of expulsion from Eden.

Cornelius is a great example how the unregenerate can seek God prior to regeneration.

Acts 10:1-8 “1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. 3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: 6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. 7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; 8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.”

Acts 10:4 “4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.”

His effort in praying pleased God.

His effort towards prayer was not a selfish one.

The Bible says he feared God.

Acts 11:14 “14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.”

Acts 10:43-44 “43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”