TOTAL DEPRAVITY, SINFULNESS AND GUILT OF ALL MEN

The total depravity, sinfulness and guilt of all men since the fall of man render all sinners subject to God’s wrath and condemnation (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-6, Romans 51:1-5).  Man was created in the image of God, and he was righteous and holy.  Man was the crown of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26,27; Psalm 8:5-8, Genesis 1:31).  Through voluntary disobedience and transgression, man fell into the depths of sin.

In consequence of this, everyone 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 Scripture 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 beginning of sorrow, shame, fear, heartaches and manifold problems spiritually and mentally.

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 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 the shedding of blood there 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, (I Corinthians 5:7) 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 Christ (Isaiah 53:4-8; Acts 8:32-35; I 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.

God demands repentance from all sinners to avail themselves of the provision of redemption through Jesus Christ  (Isaiah 53:5-7, Matthew 20:28; 26:28, John 3:14-15).  Repentance is the change, which takes place in the penitent™s attitude towards sin.  It is the 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. On the basis of this process of genuine repentance, the sinner asks for forgiveness and pardon based on the promises of God in the scripture, (Romans 8:16, II Corinthians 5:17, I John 2:23).

culled from dclm.org