Ernest Lee loves to discuss theology. Two of his favorite people (John MacArthur & R.C. Sproul) to do that with are now with the Lord and they know all the answers. They both thought they did down here. It won’t be long before Ernest Lee joins them. I want to look at one subject of theological debate – human nature and salvation.
First, man has an inherited sin nature. Some believe man is born innocent. Pelagius, a British monk, challenged Augustine’s view, arguing humans are born with free will and are capable of choosing good or evil without being inherently sinful. Pelagius believed sin is a result of individual choices, not inherited from Adam. But Pelagius was wrong. Romans 5:12 and Psalm 51:5 clearly teach man is a sinner from birth. Even itty bitty babies are sinners.
The Eastern Orthodox and Mormons reject the concept of original sin being passed down to Adam’s offspring. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, claimed to believe in man’s depravity, but he taught man was born with a ‘spark of good,’ that could be fanned to result in regeneration.
Eastern Orthodox Christians agree sin has weakened human beings so that we are unable to come to God apart from His grace in our lives. They believe humans sin because of garbage that is foreign to human nature, not because of sin being intrinsic to human nature. In other words, according to them- you are a sinner because you sin. but the scripture teaches you sin because you are a sinner. Sin is in the heart before it’s in the hand.
The church of Christ are militant in their opposition to Total Depravity. Here is a bulletin attacking that tenet from ‘Calvinism’ by a CofC pastor: https://www.westmurraychurch.com/about/bulletin/2018/08/19/total-hereditary-depravity Here is another: https://www.padfield.com/2005/total-depravity.html
Alexander Campbell, the founder of the church of Christ, while recognizing human sinfulness, emphasized human free will and the ability to respond to the gospel message. He believed while humanity is affected by sin, it is not entirely corrupted and still possesses the capacity to make choices, including choosing to believe in Christ.
Alex was a good Bible student up to a point. In school he was a pistol. he challenged the teachers with his idea that baptism was necessary for salvation. He hung his hat on two verses- Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38. Taking them out of context, Campbell went to seed on his ‘hang on/hold on’ gospel message. The church of Christ teach a WORKS based salvation. Alex’s real issue with his Baptist brethen was his unwillingness to let God be God. He wanted a hand in his salvation. God’s grace wasn’t quite good enough. If he were alive today, he would probably embrace Home Depot’s slogan: You can do it- We can help.
Will Alex be in glory? Ernest Lee ain’t his judge and don’t know what his faith and trust was in, but if Campbell believed his righteousness was going to get him there, then he is probably not walking the streets of gold.
Second, free will is overrated. Ernest Lee’s buddy Charlie Spurgeon said that. We act according to our inheritant sin nature. Our will is enslaved to sin after the Fall and our heart is wicked. Unless God regenerates our dead heart, we will never seek God. Our natural desire will be to not seek God. To believe God created man with the ability to save himself by saying a prayer or skipping a stone across a lake is heresy. Without the quickening of the Holy Spirit, no man will seek God. Which begs the question: Is man just a robot with no free will? This little song, in a lighthearted way, teaches the balance between God’s sovereignity and man’s FREE WILL. God has used a few hornets/wasps/bees in Ernest Lee’s life to conform him to the image of Christ.
Ernest Lee’s seminary running buddy John Piper preached a one hour sermon (you read that right- one hour) on the depravity of man. If you can stay awake it is worth watching. here’s the link:
Johnny Mac’s memorial service is going to be Saturday August 23rd at 10:30am (PDT) at Grace Community Church. It will be livestreamed. The church is asking folks to allow the Grace Community church members to be in the sanctuary and visitors will be seated in overflow areas.
Ernest Lee Contendin 