____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ July 14, 1991 ____________________________________________________ The Tulip Theory (Part One) "Total Depravity" by Tom Edwards Highly influential in the religious thinking of millions of people today are the five Calvinistic teachings which have been represented by the acronym ``Tulip.'' These false doctrines form a necessary chain in order to maintain a consistency that begins with the erroneous teaching of ``total depravity'' and follows with the mistaken beliefs of an ``unconditional election,'' a ``limited atonement,'' an ``irresistible grace,'' and the ``perseverance of the saints.'' Though these beliefs are widely accepted in our time, they are actually far from the truth of God's word. Let us, therefore, briefly examine these and evaluate them in the light of the Scriptures. Today's lesson will deal with the false doctrine of ``Total Depravity.'' To begin with, this view espouses the idea that all people have been born into sin; and, consequently, their hearts have become so totally marred and so completely devoid of any good that they can not even DESIRE to be saved or WANT to have anything at all to do with God. According to the Presbyterian Confession of Faith, the child who is born into this world is born ``opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually.'' Note that this stresses that the child is inclined to not just ``a little'' evil, to ``some'' evil, nor to ``much'' evil -- but rather to ``ALL'' evil, and that ``continually.'' Could anything worse be said about the sinful nature of the Devil himself? Is one born into this world with a heart that is filled to the full with all manner of evil and devoid of even the slightest speck of goodness? Does not the very lifestyle of many individuals indicate the contrary? Even atheists have graciously donated to charitable organizations out of a genuine concern for their fellow human being. Is it evil when a non-believer runs into a burning building to rescue a helpless child? Or is it evil when a starving mother -- though an agnostic -- forfeits her last morsel of food in order to feed her hungry infant? Obviously, man's heart is not totally depraved; and there are many people whom we could refer to as being good in various areas of their lives, though they have not yet become Christians. In considering the view that one is born ``totally depraved,'' however, let us note that the Bible teaches that ``evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse.'' Would not this be an impossibility if man were already TOTALLY corrupt? How could he then become any worse? Furthermore, Jesus speaks about different conditions of the human heart in Luke 8 by way of a parable. The most outstanding one was metaphorically referred to as being ``the good soil.'' Those with this type ``are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.'' Again, how could one have a heart described as ``honest and good'' if one were born utterly wicked? The argument is often made that we have inherited a ``sinful nature from Adam and this is why we sin.'' What part of man's nature, however, has been passed on from Adam that is supposedly totally corrupt? Is it sinful in just having a physical body? Surely, this is not so because Jesus Himself took on the same human flesh. In Hebrews 2:14, it is stated that ``Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same....'' And in verse 17, ``Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.'' In view of these verses, if man were born with a sinful nature, how could it be said that Jesus became like us unless He was also given the same sinful nature? Sin, however, is not really an intended characteristic of the true essence of man and not what he was born into this world with. Jesus, therefore, had become all that a person is to be, even without transgression characterizing His life because sin is actually a self-imposed corruption of the true nature of man. Obviously, it is not just in having a body that makes one a sinner, for sin is a ``transgression of the law'' (1 Jn. 3:4) -- and no one can sin for you. After God had made the first man Adam, He said in Genesis 1:31, ``it was very good.'' Here was man without sin and without any type of ``sinful nature'' that might prompt him to do wrong. Yet, soon Adam willfully disobeyed the Lord; and his wife Eve had also yielded to a temptation. Undoubtedly, man's transgression is not a sign that he has been ``born into sin''; for this could not be said about Adam and Eve, but still they were able to violate God's command and become guilty of transgression as a consequence. In the Garden of Eden, Adam blamed the woman for the sin he committed; the woman blamed the serpent; and today many people want to blame Adam for the wrongs in which they do by saying that it is because of that corrupt part that they have received from Adam that causes them to do such. As we have already seen, though, man does not need a ``corrupt part'' or ``sinful nature'' in order to be induced to violate God's laws -- Adam sinned, even without this. We can also note that Jesus was perfect, yet He still was tempted to do wrong -- though He never yielded to any of these temptations. If a person could receive a sinful nature because of Adam's sin, why could not an individual receive a righteous nature if both his parents happened to be Christians, cleansed in the blood of Jesus and walking in the paths of holiness? The point is that neither sin nor righteousness can be imputed from one person to the next. Through Ezekiel, God declares, ``Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die...The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him'' (Ezek. 18:4,20). Every human being suffers the consequence of Adam's sin, but not the guilt. Adam's transgression had cut off access to the Tree of Life; consequently, he would die physically. We, too, physically die because of Adam's sin (1 Cor. 15:21,22); but we do not die spiritually because of Adam's or anyone else's wrongs, but only because of our own. In the Judgment Day, each one will have to give an account for what he has done -- whether it be good or evil -- and not for what his father or mother, uncle or aunt, grandfather or grandmother, nor anyone else has ever done -- including Adam. As we consider our accountability unto God, we realize that some people never reach this stage because of mental deficiency, such as those who have been severely retarded all their lives. Naturally, God does not require the impossible of these, and they would be in the same safe category as little infants who pass away before they ever reach the age of accountability. God does not hold those who have been born severely retarded and who remain that way all their lives accountable -- because they could not help being that way. In a similar thought, why should God hold the sinner accountable if he were born into sin and could not help being any other way? If God makes an exception for the severely retarded who can not be any other way, why would He not do the same for the sinner since he was not responsible for being ``born into sin''? This question deserves some serious consideration. Sin, however, is not something that can be inherited, nor is it passed on like a cold germ or transmitted in the parents' genes. It is ``the transgression of the law'' (1 Jn. 3:4). The only sense in which one is born into sin is in being born into a world in which sin is so rampant. Still others believe that our souls or spirits have become corrupt due to Adam's fall, but again we must say that a soul or spirit is not passed on from one generation to the next in the parents' chromosomes or genes. As God testifies through Zechariah, it is the Lord ``who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him'' (Zech. 12:1); and at death, ''...the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it'' (Ecc. 12:7). God is ``the Father of spirits'' whom we all must submit to (Heb. 12:9). The spirit of man is that which has been created in the image of God, and this image was not lost when man yielded to transgression. According to the Law, ``Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man'' (Gen. 9:6); and Paul also refers to humanity as being ``God's offspring'' (Acts 18:28). Therefore, being spiritually dead does not mean that one does not have a spirit. It simply means that one is dead when it comes to having a spiritual relationship with God, though this person is very much alive to the carnal ways of the world. In conclusion, man is not born totally depraved. He does not inherit some type of sinful nature from Adam, for sin is not like some kind of gene or germ that can be transmitted from one generation to the next. Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 4:3), and ``where there is no law, neither is there violation'' (Rom. 4:15). Man, therefore, becomes guilty of sin when he commits sin -- and not because of whom he is related to or whom he has descended from. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________