Featured The Philosophy of Calvinism

http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF Books II/Simmons - A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine.pdf

1. TOTAL DEPRAVITY NEGATIVELY CONSIDERED. Total depravity is a much-misunderstood subject. For that reason we need to understand that total depravity does not mean-

(1) That man by nature is utterly devoid of conscience. Even the heathen has conscience. Rom. 2:15.

(2) That man by nature is destitute of all of those qualities that are Free Website Building Software | Create a Website - Homestead (5 of 14) [17/08/2004 10:17:59 a.m.] THE DOCTRINE OF SIN praiseworthy according to human standards. Jesus recognized the presence of such qualities in a certain rich man (Mark 10:21).

(3) That every man is by nature prone to every form of sin. This is impossible, for some forms of sin exclude others. "The sin of miserliness may exclude the sin of luxury; the sin of pride may exclude the sin of sensuality" (Strong).

(4) That men are by nature incapable of engaging in acts that are externally conformed to the law of God. Rom. 2:14.

(5) That men are as corrupt as they might be. They may and do grow worse. 2 Tim. 3:13. Thus total depravity does not mean that depravity is total in its degree. It has to do with extent only.

(6) Moreover total depravity does not mean that there is depravity or corruption of the substance or essence of the soul. Total depravity consists only of a moral perversion of all the facilities of the soul as we shall now see. It is the sinful bent of these faculties that gives to man a sinful nature.

To say that one cannot affirm that man has a sinful nature without attributing sin to the substance of the soul is to deny that there is any such thing as moral character.

Perhaps that which happened in the fall of the race cannot be better expressed than in the following words from Delitzsch; "In consequence of the first sin, the internal nature of man became possessed by death, by the dissolution of the previous unity of the manifold powers reciprocally acting in the life of the spirit and soul; and by the disappearance of the spiritual life in God's image, and its reflection in the soul.

Hitherto God's love filled the spirit's will, thought and feeling: this threefold divinely filled life of the spirit was the holy image of the Godhead in man.

But when Satanic thoughts of a loveless God found entrance into man's mind, then entered enmity . . . into the place of love, and Turba [confusion, devastation, destruction] in the place of peace: the powers of the soul fell into confusion, and kindled in passionate eagerness opposed to God" (A System of Biblical Psychology, p. 153).

This fallen condition of man is further elucidated by Strong as follows: "In fine, man no longer made God the end of his life. While he retained the power of self-determination in subordinate things, he lost that freedom which consisted in the power of choosing God as his ultimate aim.

The intuitions of the reason were abnormally obscured, since these intuitions, so far as they are concerned with moral and religious truth, are conditioned upon a right state of the affections; and--as a necessary result of this obscuring of reason--conscience, which as the moral judiciary of the soul, decides upon the basis of law given it by reason, became perverse in its deliverances.

Yet this inability to judge or act aright, since it was a moral inability springing ultimately from will, was itself hateful and condemnable" (Systematic Theology p. 307).

In man today this inherited moral inability sprang from the will of Adam which was the will of the race; therefore our will. 1 Cor. 15:22; Rom. 1:12,16-19.

 

There are in my opinion quite a few things wrong with total depravity. It claims man is unable to respond to the offer of Salvation. So are you saying God is ignorant by offering Salvation to all men.
Mat_11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

The Jews were cursed for there rebellion so they could not hear or understand for rejecting Christ But Calvinist place this on all men. Romans 3:10 -20 Is the sayings of a fool. A fool in the Bible is a non believer in Psalms 14
Psa 14:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

These are the sayings of a fool. Paul recited it to show man is sinful not totally depraved. When men reject God it is by there own will not because of some curse because of sin handed down from Adam. God will not punish any man for the sins of there fathers.
Paul preached the gospel to reach the lost not the lost elect. He told men what and how to be saved as the jailer in acts
Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

This is the only path to Christ you must believe in order to be saved. There are no barriers but there are requirements the requirement is faith with out which there can be no Grace because grace comes through faith..
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[Mat 27:46 NASB] 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

[2Co 5:20-21 NASB] 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.


erat ergo potest (He was, therefore He can.)

 

Your professor's statement has merit, except that the ability of science to answer anything absolutely is highly questionable, as even mathematics requires axioms.

I consider philosophy to more closely refer to the way we approach something, and thus inherent in everything we do, including science, and most certainly theology. Philosophy, as such, is inescapable.

 

I think that was his point. 99.99% percent of Life is philosophy. Only important question is the philosophy meaningful or vain.

 

Where it is denied, it may well become vain, if it wasn't already. We see this a lot in various approaches to the Bible. We end up denying the obvious, for example, that our own origins, our own histories, our own experiences, our own personalities, play a significant part in our philosophies of theology.

 

He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin ...

 

Thanks for a thought provoking link,

 

How did the atoning sacrifice take the sin of the people as their substitute? If we understand the sacrificial commands God gave to Israel, can we not understand Jesus sacrificial atonement for us?

 

Can any view of this be complete without also considering the resurrection? On what basis was Christ resurrected?

 

While the passover illustrates the salvation from the plague in Egypt, I would have you consider that Jesus death is a covenantal death that establishes a permanent atonement. His death not only saves from a plague, but it cleanses from sin and makes propitiation. It established a New Covenant.

 

The righteous judgment of God:

who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 1 Pet 2:23

Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, Heb 5:7

The Jews judicially murdered Him but God annulled their unrighteous judgment and raised Him from the dead.

 

Jon, you seem to say...this is Passover, but then you say...this is New Covenant. We maybe talking the same thing, but you are peering backward while I am peering forward.
I see all God's covenants as pointing to Jesus. I see the atoning sacrifices as pointing toward Jesus. I see the passover as pointing toward Jesus. They all are pointing toward Jesus. I'm not sure why there would need to be a dichotomy of these covenants. Are you viewing the Bible through a dispensational lense?

 

Not true Jesus layed down his own life no one took His life;
1Jn_3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
It's true the Jews cried for His crucifixion but they did not murder Him. The Romans placed him in crucifixion but they didn't kill Him either
MB