Bible Doctrine 4: Total Depravity, Sinfulness And Guilt Of All Men
God’s Word teaches:
The total depravity, sinfulness and guilt of all men since the fall, rendering them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation – Psalm 51:5; Job 14:4; Romans 3:23; 5:12-17; Mark 7:21- 23; Ephesians 2:1.
The total depravity, sinfulness and guilt of all men since the fall renders all sinners subject to God’s wrath and condemnation (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-6; Romans 5:17,19; Psalm 51:1-5). Man was created in the image of God, and he was righteous and holy. Man was a crown of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26,27; Psalm 8:5-8; Genesis1:31). Through voluntary disobedience and transgression, man fell into the depths of sin. In consequence of this, every one born through our first parents (Adam and Eve) became sinners, shapen in iniquity and utterly void of the holiness of God. Every man became totally inclined to evil (Psalm 51:1-5; Romans 3:10-18,23; 7:14-21; John 3:18,36; Romans 5:12-17; Job 14:4; Isaiah 48:8). As a result of the fall of man (Adam and Eve) all men born through man and woman became sinners through inheritance. By inheriting the nature of sin, man became depraved. There is nothing in the natural man that has not been affected by the power of sin.
The entire nature of man, mentally, physically, morally and spiritually has been affected by sin. The testimony of the scriptures is that the image of God in man has been seriously marred by this great fall. As a result of the fall, and the nature of sin inherited, man became separated from God, totally alienated from the perfect, holy and pure God. This separation is the cause of the beginning of sorrow, shame, fear, heartaches, and manifold problems, spiritually and mentally. Man became a transgressor and debtor to God (Romans 1:32; 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4; Hebrews 9:27). All these have brought man under the wrath and condemnation of God, for “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” There is nothing we can do for ourselves to commend us to a righteous and holy God. There is nothing the natural man (Fallen away from grace) can offer to appease God for man to escape His righteous judgment. The Bible describes the fallen nature of man in various terms. Jesus Christ referred to sinners outside the kingdom of God as swine and dogs. “Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you (Matthew 7:6; Mark 7:25-28). He also referred to them as goats (Matthew 25:33). Paul in his epistle to the Philippian church warned them to beware of evil workers and dogs (Philippians 3:2). Also, in his epistle to the Romans, he referred to the fallen nature of man as “there is none righteous, no, not one”, “they are together become unprofitable”, “their throat is an open sepulcher”, “whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10-18,23). Jesus and John the Baptist described men as “vipers” (Matthew 3:7; 12:34). Variously, the unregenerated man is characterized by reprobate mind, being filled with all unrighteousness – immorality, covetousness, full of envy, murder, man is defiled and polluted (Romans 1:28-37; Mark 7:21-23), treacherous, transgressors, “workers of iniquity”, “their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasters and destroyers” (Isaiah 48:8; 59:5-8), cunning and crafty, full of wickedness, blind, foolish with darkened understanding, children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3; 4:14). The Bible says that the whole head of man is sick. The heart devices wicked imaginations, and has come far short of the glory of God. All men have become enslaved to sin, and because sin dwells in the natural man, man is conceived in sin, born in sin, grows up in sin – by
nature and habit, he is a sinner. The natural man cannot resist sin.
The consequence of the fall of man is that man became totally depraved, and the immediate effect was his separation from the holy God, and a curse upon Adam and his descendants (Genesis 3:1-6,14- 19,23,24; Romans 5:12; 8:22). God’s judgment also came upon all men: “the soul that sinneth, it shall die”, “for the wages of sin is death” (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). The human race has rebelled against God and broken His law, but the love of God constrained the holy God to plan for man’s redemption to fulfill the law that “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Therefore God undertook the redemption work for man by sending Jesus Christ to die for him. Jesus Christ became the Divine Provision of a Perfect Substitute and Sin-bearer (Genesis 22:7,8,14; 3:15; John 3:16; Hebrews 9:22). He became the Lamb of God (John 1:29; Matthew 1:21). By the perfect sacrifice of His blood (1 Corinthians 5:7) and through His blood man has complete protection from the fatal and eternal consequence of the fall, from the curse of the broken law (Exodus 12:13; Galatians 3:13), complete removal of the guilt and condemnation of sin, and full redemption by faith in Him (Isaiah 53:4-8; Acts 8:32-35; 1 Peter 1:18-21; 2:24).
The atonement is the reconciliation of sinful, fallen man to God made possible through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The vicarious death of Jesus Christ is the substitution of the sufferings of Christ for the punishment of all sinners in the world. The prime purpose of this is the full redemption of fallen mankind. Through this “mercy-seat”, sinners are reconciled to God. The power of sin over the natural man can only be broken by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5:17-19). “For as by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man shall many be made righteous.”
God demands repentance from all sinners to avail themselves of the provision of redemption made in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:5-7; Matthew 20:28; 26:28; John 3:14,15; 1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:12; 3:18,36). Repentance is the change that takes place in the penitent’s attitude towards sin. It is turning away from sin to God. Sincere and total repentance and godly sorrow for sin through the agency of the Holy Spirit are important pre-requisites for salvation. Repentance is the deep inward experience, which makes the sinner turn from sin to God. Therefore, God demands repentance from all men (Mark 1:15; Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3,5; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30). When a sinner hears the gospel empowered by the Holy Spirit, the sinner will have deep, godly sorrow for his sins and acknowledge them by confessing all manner of sins. He goes before God n the merit of the atonement of made by Jesus Christ through His vicarious death and accepts the sacrifice as a substitute for the punishment of his own personal sins. On the basis of this process of genuine repentance, the sinner asks for forgiveness and pardon based on the promises of God in the scriptures (Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah 55:6,7; 1 John 1:9; Ezekiel 18:21,22). As the sinner repents genuinely, he receives forgiveness and pardon (Romans 8:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 2:2,3).
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
