The Doctrine of Total Depravity
(The Fall of Man Into Sin)
How did sin come into the world?
Eccl. 7:29 “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”
WE BELIEVE THAT MAN WAS CREATED IN HOLINESS, UNDER THE LAW OF HIS MAKER: BUT BY VOLUNTARY TRANSGRESSION FELL FROM THAT HOLY AND HAPPY STATE: IN CONSEQUENCE OF WHICH ALL MANKIND ARE NOW SINNERS, NOT BY CONSTRAINT BUT CHOICE: BEING BY NASTURE UTTERLY VOID OF THAT HOLINESS REQUIRED BY THE LAW OF GOD, POSITIVELY INCLINED TO EVIL: AND THEREFORE UNDER JUST CONDEMNATION TO ETERNAL RUIN, WITHOUT DEFENCE OR EXCUSE.
A. Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
B. Genesis 1:31, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
C. Genesis 2:16 – The command to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
2. There is no predestination here.
3. Adam knew what death was and that he was casting himself and the entire human race into physical and spiritual death. (None of this had been experienced.)
4. Adam knew exactly what he was doing when he ate the forbidden fruit.
b. On the sixth day, Adam was created, then taught of God.
c. On that same day, God created the woman from the rib of Adam so Adam would be complete.
d. God and Adam had everything the same, but Adam is not God, but is still under subjection to God.
e. Adam knew and believed what God told him, but he had never experienced any of the bad things God had told him.
b. Adam ate the fruit because he loved his wife and did not want her to die alone.
c. Adam placed his wife over God and his command.
b. Most commentaries state that Adam was deceived by his wife.
c. This is not so.
d. Adam knew exactly what he was doing and chose to die with his wife instead of live with God.
e. Adam had a great love for his wife, but it was a misplaced love.
f. II Corinthians 11:3 states, “…as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted…”
b. Adam, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was doing.
4. True happiness that once was in the beginning was lost.
5. Romans 5:12 “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”.
6. Adam was the first sinner, but there are many sinners which follow him.
7. People don’t die because they are mean, they die because they have the seed of sin in them.
2. Because all mankind are descendants of Adam (Jesus excluded) we are all sinners by nature.
3. Adam’s nature was depraved (thoroughly crooked), therefore we receive the same kind of nature he had.
4. Since like begets like, Adam could only produce a race just like himself and in his own image or likeness (sinners).
5. Psalms 51:5 – “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
6. Isaiah 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone astray…:”
7. Genesis 6:12 – “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt: for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.”
2. Isaiah. 64:6 – “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
3. Psalms 14:2-3 – “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
4. Titus 3:6 – “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”
Not By Constraint But Choice
D. Isaiah 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
2. We choose to sin against God because we enjoy sinning.
2. The whole imagination, the purposes and intents of mankind are corrupt.
2. The Bible says there are none that doeth good, no not even one person.
3. The Bible declares that all mankind whether Jew or Gentile, red, yellow, black, or white, all are under sin.
4. God says that none of his creatures seek after Him in themselves.
2. We do only what we know to do by nature and that is to sin.
3. That is the reason why men must be born again (or from above of God) in order to receive a nature divinely inclined to that which is divine.
2. The natural condition of mankind assures all mankind of complete un-holiness, therefore under the just condemnation of God.
2. Romans 2:1-16 – When men know and understand all that God has done for them, they still do not desire him, or long for him.
3. Gal. 3:10 – “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Instead of men desiring Christ to save them, they do the opposite, and try to obey the law so they will be righteous in themselves.
4. Matthew 20:15 – “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”
2. God says that individuals are responsible to Him for their own sin.
2. No man, woman, boy, or girl can excuse themselves for not being what God would have them to be.
2. Galatians 3:22 – “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”