Romans 5 and Reformed Theology

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Romans 5.5 Part II
March 7th 2021

So, Paul has instructed us on the process God puts His children through in the first five verses of chapter five, first speaking of our having peace with God. And then with that peace, our glorying in tribulationA real historical event fulfilled in 70 A.D.—not a future apocalyptic crisis. More, which leads to patience in God, which leads to character, like steel being tempered in the fire, and then character Hope, or the trusted expectation that God does, will, and will continue to honor His promises and word.

Understanding Reformed Theology

Paul continues on today and writes something that opens us up to a man-made concept that if we are going to fully understand Romans we need to educate ourselves on – Reformed Theology, Calvinism, the TULIP. But let’s first read what Paul writes at verse 6-8, saying

Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Because of these passages, and more, a concept was formed that points to the idea that human beings are depraved – totally depraved. Certainly, there are scriptures that suggest that human beings are imperfect and evil, like

Psalm 51:5 – Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. did my mother conceive me.
Genesis 8:21 – the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”
Psalm 58:3 – The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
John 3:6 – “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.”
But do these passages speak to what Calvinist’s call, the TOTAL DEPRAVITY of Human beings?

The Concept of Total Depravity

The passages we just read say:

Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

As mentioned, there are plenty of passages in the Old and some in the Apostles' record that speak to the depraved nature of humankind. So what does this mean, from scripture and from the Christian Reformers who founded the view also known as Calvinism?

I am going to use our whiteboard for clarification today. And the best way to teach you about Reformed Theology (again, what some call Calvinism) is through an acronym or an acrostic that comes out as T.U.L.I.P. with each of these letters representing an important element in Reformed thinking.

Elements of TULIP

Now, like most theological ideas, we have to admit that Reformed theology has a number of very good points and makes good biblical sense – up to a point. Same with the Trinity – there is much about it that is accurate and biblically sound. But if an airplane is only 95% sound do you want to fly it? Not me. Things need to fully flesh out by all scripture before I am going to say I accept it.

Unfortunately, like all man-made systems, this one is ultimately, in my estimation, a fail as scripture clearly takes issue with some of Calvin’s Propositions. Now TULIP stands for

TOTAL DEPRAVITY (which we are going to talk about today because of our verses in Romans 5:6-8.
UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
LIMITED ATONEMENT
IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
AND PERSEVERANCE of the SAINTS

Know this – you cannot be a Calvinist or embrace Reformed Theology in part – the whole TULIP must be embraced because that is what Reformed Theology is, AND because the system builds upon itself – the whole thing will fall apart IF one of the elements or letters is missing.

Let’s talk about the idea of total depravity then, represented by the T. Understand, the doctrine of total depravity speaks to the idea or effects of original sin which is a term many people misunderstand. Some people assume that the term original sin must refer to the “first sin” or the original transgression of Adam and Eve. But that’s not what original sin has meant historically in the faith. Instead, the doctrine of original sin defines the consequences on the human race because of that first transgression.

And the idea is captured by this –

WE ARE NOT SINNERS BECAUSE WE SIN. WE SIN BECAUSE WE ARE SINNERS.

Mormonism teaches the opposite. It teaches that because

Understanding Original Sin

We sin we are sinners, having been born children of God from a Platonian pre-mortal existence. But the Bible is clear – human beings sin because human beings are sinners. In other words, something very serious happened to the human race as a result of Adam and Eve’s first sin but for clarification, that first sin resulted in what is known as original sin, which is that the entire human race fell and our natures were forever influenced by the power of spiritual darkness. Therefore, original sin has to do with the fallen nature of all of humankind – which is why we read in Romans 1 that there is none righteous, no not one.

Understand, that even from the Reformed tradition, “total depravity does not mean utter depravity.” In other words, Total Depravity does not mean that humans are “as bad as humans can be.” This is not its meaning though the term sounds like that is what it means. Total Depravity means that the results of the fall were so serious that it affects “the whole of a person's make-up.” Total effects on everything we were originally created to be!

I can readily accept this. Think about this: did the Fall effect every human body? It did – because we all get sick and we all ultimately die physically. Did the Fall affect the human soul? Our minds, our will and our emotions? Unquestionably. But we still have the capacity to think good thoughts, to will ourselves to proper actions, and to point our emotions in the right direction. So it affected EVERYTHING about our soul it did not utterly consume us. Yet, the human body, mind, will and emotions are no longer pristine as they were created to be in the garden, are they?

The Impact of Total Depravity

The Bible says that they have become darkened, weakened and EVERYTHING about our nature has been affected – that is the meaning of Total here – everything has been affected, not everything utterly affected. Therefore, we are all in a state of bondage to some extent or another – enslaved, at least, to warfare if not captivity to our warped compositions, which originate from the human heart physical and spiritual alike. Therefore, what is required for us to be conformed to the image of Christ is not just some adjustments or behavioral modifications as nothing less than a wholesale spiritual renovation starting from the inside will do. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus, all of us must be born again.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. The flesh, which we inherited from our first parents, is entirely affected, but not utterly evil, and no part of our make-up coming from the womb escapes what Adam and Eve’s action passed on to us. So, all of the other points of Reformed Theology have relationships to the idea of “Total Depravity” and if it is true, then the other four points of Calvinism that inevitably follow have the potential of being true as well. Now, I admit that all of humanity from the womb is tainted in every way – something about each part of us is off-kilter – especially when propped up against the Holiness of God or the model of the first human beings prior to their rebellion.

The Reality of Human Depravity

Our hearing is not so great, our eyesight, we might be knock-kneed or bowlegged, clef palate, and innumerable other issues in the body. If not immediately, then in time, through disease, decay and the like. We also maintain defects of character, intellect, emotional issues, psychological, spiritual, attitudinal – whatever. Now, I would suggest that Calvinism or Calvinists are not intentionally trying to deceive people and I believe people who are five Point Calvinists can be as much Christian as anyone else. I think that what they believe is sincere.

Remember, a Calvinist agrees with scripture on the core issues of Christianity:

One God.
The Bible is His Word.
Salvation by grace through faith.
Resurrection of Christ. etc., etc.

But as we tiptoe through the TULI, as it were, let’s analyze what system of belief Reformed theologians impose upon the world and we must begin with the question, “Are men and women depraved?” Certainly. A great way to understand the word depraved is to think of it as we think of the word, “pollute” to take something good and make it less good.

All are sinners and are spiritually separated from God. All of mankind has sinned and come short of God's glory.

The Concept of Total Depravity

TOTAL depravity suggests that human beings are so polluted that they are incapable of choosing to receive God and His Goodness or promises. And in this way the idea actually sounds like utter depravity rather than the idea that everything having just been affected or polluted. To most Reformed Believers, Total Depravity says that there is no will inside humanity but that can ever, in any way, choose or seek God. Admittedly, this conclusion is not anywhere stated in Scripture but the idea of human beings being polluted and affected by the Fall is. In my estimation, this is where the Calvinist oversteps biblical bounds and embraces a theory rather than a biblically supported fact.

The main question to ask is this:

Can the will of Man ever, in any circumstance, choose to do anything in relation of seeking God? Now listen, I would suggest that in the context of scripture fallen humanity CANNOT and will not, on its own, choose the things of God. We might even say that it has not the capacity, remember, on its own or from its own polluted components. But the will of Man certainly can choose, in the face of the influences of the Holy Spirit and the invitations He extends to us, to seek Him and receive Him.

Calvinist vs. Non-Calvinist View

The Calvinists say no. Remember, the Holy Spirit worked UPON men and women (from the outside) prior to our being saved and then moves inside us upon receiving what it presents. But the Calvinist does not believe that even the divine Holy Spirit working on us and God calling us to receive Him is strong enough to breech the depravity of the human mind. Herein lies the rub between the five-point Calvinist and the non-Calvinist believer. “Is the Holy Spirit powerful enough to reach through the polluted will of men and women allowing them to choose God and His promises?” Calvinists say no. I maintain that the Holy Spirit can and does reveal the Truth of the Gospel to our mind via our spirit and we all do, in fact, choice to accept or reject God and His invitations.

And these invitations are not just through the Holy Spirit alone but also the Holy Spirit is speaking to us through evidences of nature and the cosmos, and our ability to reflect and reason, and to observe and experience – even from our originally polluted state. The main passages Five Point Calvinist’s use to support the false notion that even the Holy Spirit cannot influence Man to choose are these:

Ephesians 4:18 where Paul says:

“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”

and

2nd Corinthians 4:3-4:
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Now, these passages describe all of us at some point in time but notice that both verses deal with the “mind” of man – not the spirit of man.

Revelation of the Gospel

How did the Gospel get to us? In the Second Corinthians passages, we get the answer . . . just a few passages down, where it says:

2nd Corinthians 4:6:
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Back in the creation, God had “light shine out of darkness.” When Christ came to His own, Matthew 4:16 says:

“The people, which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. light is sprung up.”

I would be willing to bet that not all who sat in “that region and shadow of death” saw the light that sprung up there. And to me, it is in this very same way that the Truth enlightens our minds and some choose to receive it and others choose to not. The Gospel is presented to a man and the Holy Spirit (working from the outside on all) enlightens each enough that the person CAN, MAY, or has the ability TO choose God or not. Man is not so depraved or polluted that God, by and through the Holy Spirit, cannot present the knowledge of the Gospel to his mind and she continues to be unable.

Is Man spiritually dead?

The Role of Free Will and God's Influence

Adam introduced sin to the world and the world died spiritually. But the soul of humankind – which consists of mind, will, and emotion, is not dead nor completely polluted. A mass murderer can still send flowers to mom on Mother’s day. And I suggest that rather than this COMPLETE inability to choose to receive God’s invitations, that God operates on the aspects of Man (by and through the Holy Spirit) and every person chooses to either believe, and receive . . . or not. Remember what Hebrews 4:12 says?

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

And remember what Romans says:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Choice of Faith in the Old Testament

This is how and why the men and women of the Old Testament were able to choose God and attempt to live faithful lives! The Word of God was presented to them by and through prophets, the Holy Spirit, working upon them (not living in them) allowed them to either choose God’s ways or to reject them. If this principle I’m teaching was not true, and Man is totally depraved from the onset, completely incapable of choosing to receive what God offers, then the people of the Old Testament would have never desired to follow any of God's precepts at any time AT ALL. But we know that this is not the case, don’t we?

I mean we find all sorts of people in the Old Testament who longed to do right (like Abraham) but did not always have the power because both their flesh was too weak (and the fact that they were spiritually dead inside). It took Jesus coming and clearing the way for the Holy Spirit to not only work UPON men and women (to help guide us to choosing Him) but to actually move in and make the ability to always choose good available thereafter. Nevertheless, there WERE those who were able to choose good from their polluted souls (minds, will, and emotions) when they heard the Word of God and choose to believe.

So, we still admit that without the help of God sending His Holy Spirit to enlighten the world, showing us His handiwork in the stars and in nature, the human race would likely be wholly without hope and would never, absent His influences, choose God on our own. Imagine a fallen world without any evidences of God’s goodness, any evidences of His creative hand, or any influences of His spirit that says He is with us? From that dark grey dystopian setting, perhaps human beings would fit the way Calvinsts describe the condition of Man and not one of us would seek him on our own. But because we live in a very different world and because we have the ability to choose to receive his invitations, I reject the idea of Total Depravity, which is another way to say, Man has zero free will.

Examples of Goodness in Scriptures

By and through the presence of the Holy Spirit (which is made abundant present by and through the hearing of the Word to ALL) man is then able to choose to receive Him and His light. Of COURSE God still gets all the glory for He sends the Holy Spirit (the Light) for us to receive, He blesses us, proves His presence, and shows us His handiwork every time we look at nature. To prove this, and as a means to refute the extreme stance of Total Depravity, consider Psalm 32:2 which says:

“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

How could such a man exist, possessing a Spirit that has no guile, in the Old Testament, if total depravity as understood by a Calvinist, exist?

Remember what Jesus said when He saw Nathanael in John 1:47:

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

Using the term “spirit” synonymously with the soul in the Old Testament, listen to what the following passages say about unregenerated people living then:

Proverbs 17:27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.

Daniel 6:3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him ; and the king thought

Calvinism and Free Will in Scripture

to set him over the whole realm.

So, a person’s soul, though polluted, can be geared toward truth before they are born-again. This wisdom is wholly rejected by Calvinists.

Hear –

Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

How and why can a man be of a poor and contrite Spirit (which the Lord loves) if He is both unregenerated (not born-again because that was not possible yet) and totally depraved as the CALVINIST maintains?

Man’s Ability to Perceive Truth

Want another?

Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Calvinism teaches that Man cannot perceive the Truth to be saved. It is entirely impossible because of her or his inward pollutions rendering free will impossible. Therefore . . . are you ready?

Therefore, God does it all – all the choosing, all the electing, for those who are His. In other words, they say

“God chooses us, but we do not choose Him.” We are not able or equipped.

If sinners cannot choose God, then why did God tell us to choose Him?

Joshua 24:15 says:
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

1st Kings 18:21
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

How could the Old Testament people ever have success in this (which they did, but NOT perfectly) if they were TOTALLY DEPRAVED lacking ANY freewill in the sense Calvinists suggest?

Consider

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Again . . .

Joshua 24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

How was Abraham justified by faith if he lacked the capacity to believe in the first place?

Repentance and Free Will

If humankind cannot choose why would Jesus, prior to the Holy Spirit falling and having the capacity to govern people from the heart, go around telling people to repent?

The word “repent” would have absolutely no meaning if we do NOT have the free-will to do it.

Can you imagine Jesus preaching “Repent!” then a man comes up afterward and corrects Jesus saying,

“I'm sorry but my will is controlled by Satan so it is impossible for me to repent and…well, I'm predestined by your God for Hell so it is impossible for me to follow You anyway.”

The intellectualism of Calvinism is so bloated that they lose the ability to see the Word as a whole. They take passages like what we have read in Romans:

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

And forget that the language states that while we have all fallen short of His glory, we are NOT totally and abjectly removed from any ability to recognize it when it is presented to us.

How does the Calvinist explain:
Psalms 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous.
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
Genesis 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen [that] you [are] righteous before Me in this generation."

How did Abel offer up an acceptable sacrifice if he was totally depraved in the way that Calvinists present it?

Remember, these people were NOT regenerated (or born-again) but yet scripture tells us even they possessed an ability to choose righteousness – How?

Total Depravity and Unconditional Election

Through the external influence of the Holy Spirit AND their desire to follow it and receive its leadings.

All of which supports the notion that it certainly is because God calls us that we can hear and believe, but once again laying the onus of accepting or rejecting His call at the feet of every living person who does maintain an ability to choose.

So, in wrapping this all up, let’s return to the TULIP and explain what the slippery slope of total inability or total depravity and where it leads. By accepting human beings total inability to choose God, meaning there is absolutely no freewill among human beings, the next man-made logical step is what has been labeled Unconditional Election.

Because we are so polluted that we cannot choose Him in the least, the next phase of salvation means that God must step in and elect to save us. To do that He has to “elect us” (choose us) to be His. And Unconditional Election means that God “does not foresee an action or condition on our part that induces Him to save us.” In other words, His election of us was entirely unconditioned on anything we are, did or would do.

While logical as the next step in the salvation of Man it is certainly predicated on the belief that human beings do not choose to receive God but are polluted to the extent that choice is impossible.

Limited Atonement

God, therefore elects us, but His choice is based entirely on His will and ways and again has nothing at all to do with ANYTHING on our part.

Does this make God unjust when he also chooses to not elect to save others from their polluted state inherited from Adam? According to Calvinists, not in the least, as all of us deserve an eternity in a literal burning hell!

The thinking is that those He does elect are rejoicing over His mercy and those he doesn’t deserve what they get in the end.

I have never understood this depiction of God. Why are we deserving of what we get in the end if we are all born incapable of choosing right in any way whatsoever?

Isn’t that on God? Also, I have always wondered why, if God willy-nilly chooses some to save, and not according to ANYTHING that they have done or will do, why not save . . . everyone? In any case, since God only elects some out of their depraved state to His marvelous light, it would make no sense for Jesus to pay for the sins of the whole world, would it?

So, to a real Calvinist, Jesus atonement is only for those whom God chooses to elect and no others. That’s what the L stands for in the TULIP.

There’s Total Depravity. Then Unconditional Election And now there is Limited Atonement

Now, this makes logical sense if God is in total control of the whole she-bang from start to finish, and He does the electing. Why WOULD God have His Son suffer for the sins of those God is not willing to elect to salvation? To a Calvinist, He doesn’t.

Irresistible Grace and Perseverance

Thus far God unconditionally elects the totally depraved not based on anything they have done or will do and God has had Jesus pay only for the sins of those He has elected.

And the this leads us to the next letter I which represents irresistible grace.

Remember, there is no freewill in Calvinism – and this means a person has no capacity to reject what God elects to happen. Therefore, God’s election of them irresistible – it cannot be refused.

Ever. By anyone. God will have His way, get what He wants, in the way we have described.

This leads us to the P of the TULIP, which stands for the Perseverance of the Saints which is another way to say, Once God elects you, you will remain elected. You cannot walk, fall, turn or ever leave Him simply because there was no choosing Him to begin with!

The Calvinist Perspective

And in this way we can see the logical flow of this man-made system of God’s salvation – to a limited number, but once elected, that number, whether small or large, are His forever.

When a believer, for whatever reason, walks from the faith, the Calvinist response is always and conveniently, “they were never saved in the first place.” And it has to be this response in order to maintain the integrity of the system.

So think on these things as they will pop up as we continue.

Romans Study Conclusion

Forward in our study of Romans. We will end here.

Comments, Questions, and Prayer

Let’s pray.