The Doctrine Of Grace - Part 2 by Wm. Doyal Thomas - Sovereign Grace Landmark Baptist Pastor

Part Two     "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (II Timothy 3:16-17).
    It is imperative to our understanding that men be made to acknowledge that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. If written or spoken word meets the criteria of being correctly identified as "scripture", then that communication must, of necessity, be from God. It must be "theopneustos", that is, "God-breathed", or it is disqualified.
    Paul,   the apostle, has written that "All scripture... is profitable for doctrine...". We, therefore, may safely proceed in our study, on the assumption that what he and others wrote, being the very word of God, is dependable. We may know and be assured that what God has written, God has written. And so, we proceed.
    Scripture then, teaches us something.   And that something is true.   It can be safely relied upon as being true, and everlastingly so. Scripture is profitable for our teaching, our doctrine.
    The Doctrine of Grace is our theme for this series of messages, and we will seek His enabling and sanctioning grace as we pursue this study. And we pray that He allow us all, each and every one of us, to study, and thus to show ourselves to be workmen that will not be confounded.   Should we go on our own, ignoring His leadership, then our carnal scholarship, no matter how profound it seems to us to be, will surely be confounded by the veracity and infallibility of His word. Inherent, Total Depravity     The subject before us at this time is a primary, cardinal truth. And yet, it is not possible to point out a single text of Scripture that says, "Man is totally depraved". There are multitudes of texts that teach this truth, but none that I know of that says it in these same, exact words. There are multitudes of texts that teach this truth so plainly, that we are without excuse, should we be found to deny this truth by our words or by our deeds. Our belief or our unbelief does not alter truth. Truth is truth, whether or not any creature believes it, and it will forever remain the same.
    But, one may ask: "Is man really and truly depraved?   Is man really and truly void of any capacity or desire to make correct spiritual judgments?". The Scriptures affirm that this is indeed the state of man. And because the Scriptures affirm it to be so, they also confirm that it is so. And so does man's actions confirm his state. Man's activities prove him to be totally depraved, because his activities are the manifestation of his inherently evil and warped character. He does because he is.
    Do the Scriptures teach us that man came from the hand of his Creator marred, flawed, or imperfect? Do they teach us that man came forth as a depraved being, whose intellect, sensitivity, and will were malformed or defective, either in their capacities or desires? And of course, the answer to these questions is a resounding "NO". To suggest, or to seek to affirm that man came from the hand of his Creator with any deformity, is to say that God brought forth a less than perfect image and likeness of Himself.   The Scriptures declare, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them". (Gen. 1:26-27).
    In light of this truth, I ask: "Does God create homosexuals, who defy the pronouncement, 'male and female created he them'?". Since God brought forth male distinct from female, and female distinct from male, it is evident (not speculatively so, but imperatively so) that God is not the author of such perversion, nor did "God make one this way". That is a blatant, vicious lie that Satan has supplied to depraved mankind to put forth as they seek to explain and justify their sin. Man or woman is a homosexual by their own choice, which choice comes about because of the inherently evil nature that is inwardly possessed. To deny this truth is to sin. If you don't acknowledge this truth, you do so because you are a sinner who does not believe God's word. You are a sinner!
    As vile and repulsive as the sin of homosexuality is, it is not the only sin that is vile and repulsive. All sin is evil, and it is vile, and it is repulsive. So, do not jump to any conclusions as to my present motive in exposing this particular sin. I do not maximize it, nor do I minimize other sins. Remember that "whatsoever is not of of faith is sin". (Rom. 14:23).
    To be sure, "All unrighteousness is sin:...". (I John 5:17).    And what is unrighteousness? Simply stated, unrighteousness is the absence of righteousness, and it is denominated sin.   And what is righteousness?   Righteousness is "right doing". Therefore, we may conclude that the absence of, or failure to exhibit "right doing is sin.
    Now I ask: "Are men free to abuse the body that God has given them?".   Is man free to be "abusers of themselves with mankind,..." (I Cor. 6:9), which has clear reference to sexual perversion, as is the case with the sin of homosexuality? Is man permitted to practice this awful sin? Did God make man this way? Does God sanction or permit such behavior? God commanded that such were to be put to death. This is suitable punishment, and it demonstrates God's hatred of such sin.
    Almost all proponents of evangelical, conservative Christianity will agree that this sin is an awful sin - a grievous sin - a most God dishonoring sin. Most, but not all.   In this group who claim to be evangelical conservatives are many of the main-line denominational Protestant groups who now openly allow, yea, even encourage such conduct.   Some even ordain to their "clergy" these perverts, and let them have
access to even the little ones of their charge. And so do the Roman Catholics. Is this sin the only sin that man is actively engaged in? What about those whoabuse the body that God gave them stewardship over with the many products of the apothecary? What about drugs illicit and prescribed? What about the Valium that individuals ingest by the billions of pills in a single year? What about the "uppers" to help those whose "self-esteem" needs a boost?   What about the "downers" to calm down those who are "hyper", or who operate on emotional stimulations of every conceivable sort?   What about alcohol, and tobacco, and Big Mac's, and thousands of other products that are designed to inflict abuse upon the bodies of those who will feed themselves on such rot?
    What about the sin of abuse that is so clearly identified as "gluttony"? I see, and you see, many preachers, teachers, evangelists, missionaries, Gospel Revellers and other "professionals", their wives, their children, and all kinds of others as well who become so conspicuous to our view, once we come to realize that this, too, constitutes abuse of the body that God has given us, which He has designated in the Scriptures as being His temple.   "What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (I Cor. 6:19-20).
    Of course, I understand, and you understand, that God is speaking to, and of, believers here in this text. But He was also speaking to, and of, believers when He made reference to the "effeminate, and abusers of themselves with mankind", in verse 9 of the same chapter. He identified all sorts of sins, which , being unrepented of, and unconverted from, would deny those who perpetrated and practiced such access to the kingdom of God.   "But ye are washed..." is the announcement of God in verse 11. The unrighteous acts (sins) of these saints was the same as the unrighteous acts of others. But Christ has saved these saints from their sins, and He has not sanctioned the continued practice of such things.
    "Preacher, do you mean that God can save a practicing homosexual?" Yes, that is exactly what I mean.   And when He does save one of these, that one will cease such conduct.
    Will God save an overweight man? an overweight woman? an overweight child? Yes, He will save such as these.   And what should those that are thus saved do?   They should cease from the abuse of the body that God has given them to exercise stewardship over and to use that body for the glory and praise of God.
    Why is it that there are homosexuals and overweight people in our midst? For the same reason that there are thieves, liars, murderers, scoffers, proud, boasters, blasphemers, adulterers, skeptics, idle busybodies, sowers of discord, crooked lawyers, profane politicians, humanistic educators, false prophets, writers of articles, and every other kind of sinner that you and I together could never identify nor catalog. Man is depraved! Man is depraved! Man is depraved! And that depravity is his from his mother's womb.
      Why is man depraved, and what caused him to be that way? Why is man in such an awful condition and state of being? What is the problem here, preacher? What is the cause of all this that you are graphically presenting here, preacher? My answer: Sin is the problem. Sin is the cause.
    We draw a conclusion then, that man does the things that he does because he has the nature that he has; because he is what he is.   Man sins because he is a sinner. Man opposes God because he is a rebel. Man walks contrary to God, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God". (Rom. 8:7,8).
    But why is this? Surely God did not create man with such a disposition and such a nature.   Surely the Scriptures unequivocally affirm that man came from the hand of The Creator wonderfully and fearfully made, and at the same time, perfectly made. "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.   And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Gen. 1:31).   "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright;..." (Eccl. 7:29a).
    Was Adam, our federal head, as well as our genetic head, made "upright" before God?   Did God come to Eden on a regular and consistent basis and commune with Adam? Was there a state of sweet fellowship between God, The Creator, and Adam, His creature? Was there a state of enmity at that time, so that separation was in force? Was Adam at peace with God, and God at peace with Adam? Could this state of peace have existed on any terms except compatibility and harmony?
    What happened?   What occurred that changed all that? What is the cause of the problem?   Why is there now enmity, when before there was friendship and communion? Did God change? Who changed? Why?
    We learn from Scripture that sin originated in the heart of Lucifer, an angel of God's creative hand, who, because of pride and selfishness in his own heart, rebelled against God and sought to dethrone God, so as to be His equal, even to ascend to a level above God. Lucifer sinned against God, and he then became known as Satan, the Devil, that old serpent, etc.
    Satan was cast out of heaven as a consequence of his sin; and being cast out, he sought to get a following from among created mankind. Some of the angels had followed Satan and became a fallen band. But Satan desired to corrupt all of God's creation, and so he came down to deceive Eve into believing that it would be better for her to "know both good and evil", than to follow God and His ways.
    Eve, being deceived, gave of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to Adam her husband and head, and he did also eat. Thus, the eyes of them both were then opened to their state of exposure to God's violated commandment. They knew that they had disobeyed God, and they feared the penalty that their willful act had earned. They are now fallen sinners. They are now in a state of spiritual separation from God, which is spiritual death.
    God pronounces the curse upon them, upon Satan, and upon all His creation, and He then declares His purpose and plan for the restoration of His people to their estate of holiness before God that Adam had forfeited by his sin and disobedience. And God Himself preached the gospel, the good news of grace, to this assembled congregation of three in what is known as the "proto-evangelia", as is recorded in Gen. 3:15.
    But what is the result of the one act of disobedience to God that Adam knowingly and willfully committed?   What happened when Adam rebelled against the authority of his Sovereign?   Adam was denominated a sinner; a fallen creature who had spiritual life withdrawn from him. For one sin, Adam is now a sinner who is separated from the communion and fellowship with God that he had previously enjoyed. And it is just and right that this be the case, for God, the Eternal Sovereign, has been sinned against, and His holiness has been insulted and despised by a mere creature.   Adam is justly condemned for his willful act of defiance of God's clearly stated command and the consequent penalty to be inflicted upon the common violator.
   Now, in their fallen, depraved, dead state of separation from God, Adam and Eve bring forth their offspring.   And the law of generation is in force.   Not only does each kind of God's creatures bring forth in their own likeness, descendants, these descendants are brought forth in the same state as their progenitors.   So, fallen, depraved sinners beget and bring forth fallen, depraved sinners.   Adam and Eve died spiritually on the self-same day that they sinned.   And all their descendants, even down to this present day, and extending to future days as well, have been, are, and will be born into that state of spiritual deadness.   Sin and depravity is ages long passed along to descendants and descendants of descendants.
    May I point out instances of this stated principle?   Will you examine the Scriptures to verify or disprove this declaration, that parents beget sons and daughters in their own likeness and in the continuing state? Will you?
    "...And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar." (II Sam. 9:3b-4).
    In this narrative of II Samuel, Chapter 9, God presents to us a most remarkable record of the entirety of His doctrine of grace.   First, we have, according to the inspired record, the being, state, and condition of depraved, fallen sinners described to us, so that we may be instructed in the matter of salvation that is purposed and executed toward covenant children.
    Mephibosheth, who is a descendant of Jonathan, a descendant of king Saul, is here representing, typically, every covenant child of God. We see his native state andcondition vividly set forth for our learning, edification, and assurance, that as he is seen and then dealt with by a gracious king, for the sake of the covenant, we ourselves are also seen and dealt with by our Gracious King, for the sake of the Covenant.
    What is the state and condition of Mephibosheth? He is lame on his feet, as verse 3 declares.   Why is he lame on his feet?   He is lame on his fee, and thus impotent to change that state, and this is the direct result of a fall that he had experienced when he was a young child. A battle was in progress between the children of Israel and their enemies, and as the danger to the camp of Israel increased, the women and children were forced to flee. In her haste, the woman who was charged with the care of Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, caught him up and ran with him.   But she dropped the child, and as result of a fall, the child is made lame, impotent, and disabled. Note that his lameness is the result of a fall.
    His state: He is lame; he is fallen; he is impotent; he is helpless and hopeless to better himself. He is a picture of every mortal being of Adam's race. He is like you. He is like me. He is like every son of Adam. He is fallen! His case seems hopeless!
    But wait. There is more. Not only is he lame on his feet, he is also sold into slavery and long term solitude with no hope of deliverance. He is in the house of Machir (sold), who is the son of Ammiel (the strong man), and he is held captive in an alien land called Lodebar (no pastures). Mephibosheth's state is deplorable, and there is no way out for him. And it's all the direct result of a fall.
    I thank God for this truth, for it clearly describes the state and condition of fallen man. In this narrative, there is painted a picture that is so stark, and bleak, and vivid, until we can surely see the awesome facts as God describes them. This picture so clearly shows the great need that Mephibosheth has, and i$ a picture of the need that all men have. Without exception, every descendant of Adam has the same great need, for they are all in the same state. They are all lame on their feet, help captive, and in a foreign land.
    Depravity is universal, for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God". (Rom 3:23). We are all sinners, and "there is none righteous, no not one". (Rom. 3:10).   These, and so many other texts of Scripture declare that all men have been rendered impotent and vain in their faculties to produce anything that will be acceptable to a holy and wise God. There is clearly declared a state in which man exists that can never enable him to come pleasingly before God. Thus, we conclude that depravity is reality, and none are exempt from its bindings nor immune from its stifling restraints. We were all sold, held captive by a strong man, and we surely dwelt in the land of Lodebar. And all the unsaved still are so afflicted.
    These many Scriptures declare that depravity is real, and I wish simply to share them with you, and pray that you will read and study them very carefully and prayerfully. And may God give us all a greater and fuller understanding of the awesome meaning of each text.
    "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." (Job 14:4). "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity: and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psa. 51:5). "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." (Psa. 58:3). "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5). "They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psa. 14:3). "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9).
    Will you study also these texts that add so much additional weight of evidence to the position that we are advocating?   Will you examine each text in light of the context in which you find it, and then rely upon the Holy Spirit to instruct you in what He has caused to be recorded in Holy Writ? Oh, I pray that God will be merciful and kind to each of us as we seek His face and His leadership in the study of these texts. May He be pleased to arrest our steps that lead us away from the truth, and then turn us around and set our feet on the correct path that will lead us to correct understanding. May He teach us, so that we be truly and correctly taught.
    Consider also these many additional texts after you have carefully studied those that have already been presented. I would urge each one who reads these words to be exhorted to study, and admonished to study correctly.
    "0 Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jer. 10:23). "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." (Jer. 13:23). "Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty. Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret. Then will I confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee." (Isa. 40:9-14). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23). "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. (Isa. 64:6). "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." (Eccl. 7:20).
    Can anyone scripturally deny that man is a dead, alienated, depraved, guilty sinner before God?   No! Never can man deny this awful reality successfully, upon scriptural grounds. Upon the grounds of human intellect and human reasoning, there is perhaps a way out; a rationalization. But not on scriptural grounds. Man is depraved. Man is spiritually dead in trespasses and in sin. God has said so.
    "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Eph. 2:1-3).
    Now, since total depravity is taught throughout God's Book, how can churches and individuals deny it? How can they fail to proclaim it, and remain in compliance with the stipulations and commands of the commission that Christ gave to His church in Matthew 28:18-20?   The answer to these questions is: they cannot. If they do not teach this truth, then they are in direct disobedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
    Hear me now, preachers! Hear me now, churches! If you deny the total hereditary depravity of Adam's race, and do not teach it, then you (not those other folks) you are in direct disobedience to God.   You are sinning against God, for He said:
    "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt. 28:20).
    As awful as the state of fallen man is, there is a way out. There is a solution to this dilemma. There is a deliverance and a victory. And the way out, the solution, the deliverance, and the victor is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One. He is the Only One. He is the Saviour.
    "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved): And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.   For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:4-10).