Reformed Christian Studies

Presented by Ligonier Ministries (YouTube) Description: We are all sinful. But how sinful are we? Other than our shortened life-spans and bad habits, what real effect did the Fall have on the average everyday sinner? What effect does sin have on our decision making process? With what power did you use to choose the gospel? Dr. Sproul takes us to the Scriptures to find out what Jesus has to say about our ability to choose as he continues to look at “Total Depravity.” Direct Link:  Total Depravity (Part 2): What is Reformed Theology? with R.C. Sproul - YouTube

Presented by Ligonier Ministries (YouTube) Description: Original sin has marred our nature. We are depraved. But how depraved are we? Are we simply less than perfect? What kind of improvements can we make within ourselves to change sin’s effect? In this message, Dr. Sproul looks at the distinctive doctrine of Reformed theology that is often misunderstood—“Total Depravity.” Direct Link:  Total Depravity (Part 1): What is Reformed Theology? with R.C. Sproul - YouTube

Posted at Reformation Scotland: In the rush to get to God’s mercy, and perhaps out of discomfort at the unpleasantness of the subject, the topic of original sin can be overlooked in our churches, both in preaching and hearing. When James Fergusson reached Paul’s discussion of God’s saving grace in Ephesians 2, however, he identified the balance in Paul’s letter. Paul did not soft pedal our desperate sinfulness as sinners, yet his awareness of the graciousness of God’s grace did not allow him to leave his readers in despair. As the following update extract shows, Fergusson therefore picks out some aspects of Paul’s Spirit-inspired technique in how he presents both sin and grace, highlighting them especially as hints for preachers to follow as they bring these doctrines to their own congregations. It also prompts us to assess how willing we are as hearers to accept this kind of preaching and how we respond to these truths when our pastors bring them to our attention. PREACH MISERY AS WEL

 By William Boekestein - Posted at Place for Truth: One of the first questions friends ask parents of newborns is, “Does she look like mom or dad?” Often it’s hard to say; kids inherit traits from both their parents. Children share more than their parents’ looks. They also acquire their nature. “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth” ( Gen. 5:3 ). That sentence is both happy and sad. Seth was a gift from God, a new start. But Seth was born to sinners; the likeness he now shared with his father and mother was marred. And so the human story has continued. To know ourselves we need to understand what happened to our first parents when they tried to make their own way in the world contrary to God’s truth. The First Sin (6.1–3) The event of the first sin is narrated in Genesis three. Satan, taking the form of a serpent, seduced and deceived Eve ( 1 Tim. 2:14 ). Eve disobeyed God and ate fruit from a forbidden tree, as did A

 By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts from Parson Farms: Dealing With the Truth of Man's Depravity Good Morning! In some ways of all the doctrines of the Christian faith sin is the easiest one to define and verify. No one who is a rational creature doubts the fact that men do bad stuff. The (question comes as to why people choose to be jerks and selfish. In today’s walk through these three inquiries from the Westminster Larger Catechism we’ll hear an answer to that and talk a little bit about how pervasive man’s depravity is. In addition time will be spent noting why it is so dangerous to downplay the wickedness of the human heart, and falsely treat people as “basically good”. Let your eyes be your guide and may the Holy Spirit-inspired Scriptures help us to see the truth for what it is so that like good physicians we can comprehend the way forward to do something about the fallenness of humanity for the blessing and betterment of whole race. Here are the four Q/A’s for o

The Second Helvetic Confession CHAPTER VIII Of Man's Fall, Sin and the Cause of Sin THE FALL OF MAN. In the beginning, man was made according to the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness, good and upright. But when at the instigation of the serpent and by his own fault he abandoned goodness and righteousness, he became subject to sin, death and various calamities. And what he became by the fall, that is, subject to sin, death and various calamities, so are all those who have descended from him. SIN. By sin we understand that innate corruption of man which has been derived or propagated in us all from our first parents, by which we, immersed in perverse desires and averse to all good, are inclined to all evil. Full of all wickedness, distrust, contempt and hatred of God, we are unable to do or even to think anything good of ourselves. Moreover, even as we grow older, so by wicked thoughts, words and deeds committed against God's law, we bring forth corrupt fru

The Belgic Confession Article 15: The Doctrine of Original Sin We believe that by the disobedience of Adam original sin has been spread through the whole human race. It is a corruption of all nature-- an inherited depravity which even infects small infants in their mother's womb, and the root which produces in man every sort of sin. It is therefore so vile and enormous in God's sight that it is enough to condemn the human race, and it is not abolished or wholly uprooted even by baptism, seeing that sin constantly boils forth as though from a contaminated spring. Nevertheless, it is not imputed to God's children for their condemnation but is forgiven by his grace and mercy-- not to put them to sleep but so that the awareness of this corruption might often make believers groan as they long to be set free from the "body of this death."^30 Therefore we reject the error of the Pelagians who say that this sin is nothing else than a matter of imitation. ^30 Rom. 7:24