Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism

1. A tape or CD of this message will be available (free of charge) following the service Random House Unabridged Dictionary Tot•al de•prav•i•ty Pronunciation: (tōt'l di-prav'i-tē), —n. Theol. the Calvinist doctrine that humankind's entire nature, including its reason, is corrupt or sinful as a result of the Fall and that people are therefore completely dependent on God for regeneration. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

2. Calvinism Total Depravity it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God's gift of salvation - it is God's gift to the sinner, not the sinner's gift to God. Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature, therefore, he will not - indeed he cannot - choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes much more than the Spirit's assistance to bring a sinner to Christ - From Steele and Thomas' The 5 Points of Calvinism Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

3. Arminianism Natural Inability Although human nature was seriously affected by the fall, man has not been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. God graciously enables every sinner to repent and believe, but He does not interfere with man's freedom. Each sinner posses a free will, and his eternal destiny depends on how he uses it. Man's freedom consists of his ability to choose good over evil in spiritual matters; his will is not enslaved to his sinful nature. The sinner has the power to either cooperate with God's Spirit and be regenerated or resist God's grace and perish. The lost sinner needs the Spirit's assistance, but he does not have to be regenerated by the Spirit before he can believe, for faith is man's act and precedes the new birth. Faith is man's response to the prevenient grace of God. the sinner's gift to God; it is man's contribution to salvation. From Steele and Thomas' The 5 Points of Calvinism Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

4. Random House Unabridged Dictionary syn•er•gism Pronunciation: (sin'ur-jiz"um), —n. Theol. the doctrine that the human will cooperates with the Holy Ghost in the work of regeneration. mon•er•gism Pronunciation: (mon'ur-jiz"um), —n. Theol. the doctrine that the Holy Ghost acts independently of the human will in the work of regeneration. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

5. R. C. Sproul, Chosen By God "Total Depravity is a very misleading term. The concept of Total Depravity is often confused with the idea of utter depravity... Total Depravity is not utter depravity. Utter depravity would mean that we are as sinful as we can possibly be. We know that is not the case. No matter how much each of us has sinned, we are able to think of worse sins that we could have committed. Even Adolf Hitler refrained from murdering his mother." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

6. John Calvin Institutes intellect to the will, from the soul even to the flesh, is defiled and pervaded with this concupiscence; or, to express it more briefly, that the whole man is in himself nothing else than concupiscence." "For our nature is not only utterly devoid of goodness, but so prolific in all kinds of evil, that it can never be idle. Those who term it concupiscence use a word not very inappropriate, provided it were added (this, however, many will by no means concede), that everything which is in man, from the Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

7. The Works of John Wesley, vol. 6 But was there not good mingled with the evil? Was there not light intermixed with the darkness? No; none at all: "God saw that the whole imagination of the heart of man was only evil." It cannot indeed be denied, but many of them, perhaps all, had good motions put into their hearts; for the Spirit of God did then also "strive with man," if haply he might repent, more especially during that gracious reprieve, the hundred and twenty years, while the ark was preparing. But still "in his flesh dwelt no good thing;" all his nature was purely evil: It was wholly consistent with itself, and unmixed with anything of an opposite nature. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

8. Calvinist "proof texts" Jer. 13 ~ 23Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

9. Calvinist "proof texts" 1 Cor. 2 ~14But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

10. Calvinist "proof texts" Rom. 3 ~ 10As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." 13 "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; 14"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 15"Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17And the way of peace they have not known." 18"There is no fear of God before their eyes." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

11. Calvinist "proof texts" Rom.3 ~ 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

12. Calvinist "proof texts" Rom. 5 ~ 12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

13. Calvinist "proof texts" Rom.8 ~ 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.6For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.8So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

14. Calvinist "proof texts" Eph. 2 ~ 1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience… Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

15. Calvinist "proof texts" Col.2 ~ 13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses… Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

16. R. C. Sproul, Chosen By God "A cardinal point of Reformed theology is the maxim: "Regeneration precedes faith." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

17. The Calvinist's ordo salutis 1) Election 7) Justification 2) Presdestination 8) Santification 3) Gospel Call 9) Glorification 4) Inward Call 5) Regeneration 6) Conversion (faith and repentance) Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

18. John H. Gerstner, The Predestination Primer "We must not get the notion that the people come to Jesus, and as a result of that they are 'born again'... Those who do come to Jesus are not therefore born again, but on the contrary indicate that they have been born again. In other words, they are not born again because they have come to Jesus but they have come to Jesus because they have been born again." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

19. Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination "If a man were dead, in a natural and physical sense, it would at once be readily granted that there is no further possibility of that man being able to perform any physical actions. A corpse cannot act in any way whatever, and that man would be reckoned to have taken leave of his senses who asserted that it could. If a man is dead spiritually, therefore, it is surely equally as evident that he is unable to perform any spiritual actions." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

20. Two Questions: 1) Is it necessary for us to be born again so that we can believe the Gospel (as Calvinism contends) or must we believe the Gospel in order to be born again? 2) Can man be totally depraved and still exercise a God-given faith in response to the Gospel? Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

21. John Calvin, Institutes "Now, since Christ confers upon us, and we obtain by faith, both free reconciliation and newness of life, reason and order require that I should here begin to treat of both." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

22. Arminian "proof texts" John 1 ~ 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

23. Arminian "proof texts" John 20 ~31but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

24. Arminian "proof texts" Acts 17 ~ 30Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent… Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

25. Arminian "proof texts" Rom. 1 ~ 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

26. Arminian "proof texts" Rom. 10 ~13For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 14How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?15And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

27. Arminian "proof texts" 2 Thess. 2 ~ 10and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

28. Arminian "proof texts" John 3 ~ 16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"

29. The Arminian's ordo salutis 1) Outward Call 7) Glorification 2) Faith/Election 3) Repentance 4) Regeneration 5) Justification 6) Sanctification Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Two, "The Depravity of Man"