Tullian Tchividjian of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Ft Lauderdale,
FL and Rick Phillips of Second Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC have
recently engaged with the doctrine of total depravity in its relation to
Christians. That is, they are discussing not whether or not people in
their natural state are totally depraved, but whether and in what sense
believers may be spoken of as "totally depraved."
This is a very important issue, so I am glad to have it put on the front burner.
Years ago, Tabletalk magazine asked me to write
an article on this subject. I was interacting primarily with forms of
Christian perfectionist teaching on the one hand and carnal Christian
teaching on the other. But I think the article still speaks to issues
that the Reformed and evangelical community is debating today. So, here
it is.
Total depravity is a reality, both taught
in Holy Scripture and experienced in life, with important implications
not only for pagans but also for Christians. Very often we think of this
Biblical doctrine in connection with those who are unregenerate, or
with regard to Christians before their conversion, but we reflect less
frequently on the depravity which still infects those who have been
saved by grace and reborn of the Spirit. This is a serious omission, for
misunderstanding or underestimating the continuing corruption in the
believer leaves the Christian unprepared for the warfare of
sanctification and leads to a variety of spiritual problems. Continue at Ligon Duncan
No comments:
Post a Comment