Are you a true believer or a poser? BibleStudyTools.com John 8:30-44 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has been talking to a somewhat hostile group of people in the temple courts, including Pharisees. But as He describes His identity and relationship to the Father, we read: 30  Even as he spoke, many believed in him. 31  To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33  They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37  I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38  I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” 39  “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40  As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41  You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42  Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43  Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 3: Total Inability All people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath,  unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil,  dead in their sins, and slaves to sin.  Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit  they are neither willing nor able to return to God,  to reform their distorted nature,  or even to dispose themselves to such reform. Summary Once again John torpedoes the pervasive idyllic image so many people have regarding what Jesus was like. Jesus is often described using words like gentle, nonjudgmental, tolerant, soft-spoken and mild. Certainly at times Jesus was those things. And of course no matter His demeanor He never acted sinfully, but notice how often in the gospels (especially John's) Jesus argues with people! What's so surprising about today's passage is that it's not just the corrupted religious establishment types that Jesus tussles with, but that he here lays into the Jews who had believed Him! And He doesn't just gently chide them either; He challenges their core identity as descendents of Abraham. He provocatively tells them than not only was Abraham wasn't their father, but that not even God was! Jesus knew that these people weren't true believers, they were posers. He tells them their father is the devil! True believers - or disciples , to use Jesus' terminology - are the ones who hold to His teaching. Jesus knew that although these people were intrigued by what He said at the moment and even actually believed it, they were not true believers. They would quickly lose their grip on the gospel and instead begin to look for a way to kill Jesus. Jesus goes on to explain their specific problem: they had no room for His Word. As soon as His Word challenged their carefully constructed identity, they immediately and instinctively attacked it.   Dig Deeper   Ironically, it's one of Jesus' most beloved and well known sayings that sets these 'believers' against Him: You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The very people who had been saved from slavery in Egypt and now were under the thumb of Caesar ironically retort that they've never been slaves of anyone! In their mind, they had nothing that they needed to be set free from. This deeply embedded human instinct persists. People continue to reject these doctrines of grace that we've been studying this year because they can't swallow the concept of total depravity , which teaches that, in Jesus' words, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Robert Schuller, the famous twentieth century Crystal Cathedral preacher (who actually grew up in NW Iowa!), once said, “I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ… more destructive to human personality … than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.” But Jesus wants you to know that it's not until you come to grips with the slavery to sin that you were born into that you - empowered by the Holy Spirit - can keep your grip on Jesus' teaching as His disciple. This is why the ugly doctrine of total depravity is the very T in our TULIP, continually reminding us that God's grace is stronger than our slavery. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who sent Jesus so that we would love Him; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to keep on killing of your old self which is enslaved to sin so that you can hold to Jesus' teaching and truly believe into Him. A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 2

Apart from God's grace, you have a one track mind. Genesis 6:5-8 5  The LORD saw how great the wickedness of man ( ʾā·ḏām ) had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6  The LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7  So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 3: Total Inability All people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath,  unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil,  dead in their sins, and slaves to sin.  Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit  they are neither willing nor able to return to God,  to reform their distorted nature,  or even to dispose themselves to such reform. Summary This passage introducing the flood account begins with familiar words in the book of Genesis: the LORD saw. This word appears seven times in the first chapter as God surveyed the progress of His creation, with the report each time that what He saw was good. But here in chapter six, the goodness is nowhere to be found. Now, instead of goodness, all the LORD sees is how great the wickedness of ʾā·ḏām had become on the earth. It wasn't that there were just pockets of wickedness amongst the good. Genesis doesn't catalog all of the particulars of the widespread sin or report the details of what life was like at this point in history, though it does go on in v11 to indicate that the earth was corrupt in God's sight and full of violence. The full truth of the serpent's lie was now completely evident. ʾA·ḏām had been promised that upon eating the fruit, he and Eve would be like God, knowing good and evil. It was as if with this full range of knowledge the serpent offered he would be able to choose the appropriate response to any situation on his own, independent from his creator. But now, rather than dishing out the ugly details, our text today provides a far more damning description of the problem humanity faced then and continues to face now as a result of taking the serpent's bargain: now every inclination of ʾā·ḏām's heart was only evil all the time .   Dig Deeper   It's no wonder that the LORD regretted that He had madeʾā·ḏām on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled. Verses like this one seem to throw a huge monkey wrench into our highly tuned theology as to who and what God is. How could an omnipotent, omniscient, immutable God regret His own divine decisions? Certainly there's more to this than we can discuss in this short post, but let's instead follow the advice that John Calvin gives in commenting upon this passage: We don’t need to get caught up in complicated questions here. The point is clear: when humanity became deeply corrupt, God was grieved because they no longer reflected the people He had made. It’s as if God said, “This is not the humanity I created in My image. I can’t recognize this defiled and degenerate creature as mine anymore. (Paraphrased and shortened for modern English). What we want to focus on today is the two huge aspects of grace seen in today's passage. First, notice that God's regret - whatever it represents - doesn't come until Genesis six, well over a millennium after ʾA·ḏām ate the forbidden fruit. ʾA·ḏām's depravity filled world, and it deserved destruction the moment he sinned, yet God gracefully and patiently waited until that sin reached its full measure. Secondly, and most importantly, is what Noah found. Modern English translations for the most part translate verse 8 the same exact way: Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. But this is one of those times when it's useful to go back to the good 'ol King James Version, which puts it this way: Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Even in the midst of our total depravity , God provided salvation for His covenant people. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who sees our wickedness and depravity yet shows us His grace through Christ Jesus; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to fight against the evil inclinations of your thoughts; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 2

There are two types of people in this world: fools and believers. Which one are you? https://worshiparts.net/psalm-14-the-fool/ Psalm 14 For the director of music. Of David. 1  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 2  The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind ( ʾā·ḏām ) to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3  All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4  Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. 5  But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. 6  You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. 7  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 2: The Spread of Corruption Human beings brought forth children  of the same nature as themselves after the fall.  That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children.  The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment,  from Adam and Eve to all their descendants— except for Christ alone— not by way of imitation  as in former times the Pelagians would have it  but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature. Summary The word fool is a lukewarm word in English. It certainly isn't complementary, but neither is it the harshest term a person can be referred to as. In Hebrew, the word used here - nā·ḇāl - is significantly uglier. It describes one who is 'futile, worthless and good for nothing.' But the word has deeper connotations than just a person's lack of utility or usefulness. A nā·ḇāl is 'morally deficient and godless.' The reason a person becomes a nā·ḇāl boils down to the last word in its definition - a nā·ḇāl  is an unbeliever. It's not that they don't believe in anything; after all, everybody believes in something. It's just that in coming to the conclusion that there is no God, these fools have rejected the very foundation of knowledge and goodness. In their unbelief of God, nā·ḇāls  believe in themselves as being the center of all knowledge and goodness. As one commentator notes, "Foolishness is not a lack of knowledge in general but a failure to acknowledge God in trustful obedience." So it is here that David borrows a word to describe humanity that was used in scripture long before his time, writing that unbelieving humanity is corrupt. This word is used in a often in Genesis - to describe the depravity of the earth at the time of Noah, the wickedness of Sodom, and the Israelites who built the golden calf. David adds emphasis to this point by repeating it: people's deeds are vile and there is no one who does good... All have turned away, all have become corrupt. It's so bad that amongst those who do not believe, there is no one who does good, not even one. Ultimately, David poetically sums up the nā·ḇāl  with a rhetorical question: Do all these evildoers know nothing?   Dig Deeper   This year our Friday episodes have become the most popular of the week as we've dedicated them to reading through Psalms. We love how the beautiful poetry gives us words to glorify God and enjoy the beautiful world He's created. So I hope that those who tuned in today hoping for such encouragement aren't too disappointed with the dismal words we've focused on today from Psalm 14. It's so easy to get stuck in the swamp of despair that comprises the first half of this short psalm that the brilliant good news of the second half gets missed. So as you finish out the work week, let these gospel proclamations from Psalm 14 guide you into the Lord's Day. Despite the overwhelming presence of foolishness in this totally depraved world, remember that: God is present in the company of the righteous (you've been made righteous in Christ); The LORD is the refuge of those whose plans have been frustrated by evildoers; Salvation for Israel (God's covenant people, which includes you) has come out of Zion! The LORD has restored His people, so let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the LORD, who looks down from heaven on all mankind and who restores His people; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will actively repent - change your thinking from the foolishness that denies God to that which acknowledges God in trustful obedience; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 1

This is arguably the most important passage in the Bible. Romans 5:12-14 (NIV) CONTEXT: Though it's usually not often recognized as such, this passage is quite possibly the most important in the entire Bible. It sets the context for the entire gospel. Consequently, it becomes the key by which the whole rest of the Bible ought to be interpreted. 12  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— 13  To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 2: The Spread of Corruption Human beings brought forth children  of the same nature as themselves after the fall.  That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children.  The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment,  from Adam and Eve to all their descendants— except for Christ alone— not by way of imitation  as in former times the Pelagians would have it  but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature. Summary This isn't the first time this year that we've read today's passage together. It was, in fact, the very first passage we read this year , and because of its importance, there's a good chance we'll land on it again before we wrap the 2025 season up. You may have a ton of questions about why this world which God created good and perfect is now broken and riddled with sin, but one thing you don't need to wonder about is how it got this way. Your Sunday School instinct might be popping up right now, eager to offer that explanation. It was the Serpent in the Garden , right? Well, kinda... sorta... actually, no! We often ascribe way to much power to the devil. The Serpent simply served up the suggestion, and although he certainly is sinful, he wasn't the one who corrupted creation. Paul here, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, explains that sin entered the world through one man. It was Adam's fault. And since Adam represented you and me, it actually was our fault. Just to add emphasis to that last point - that you and I share the blame right alongside Adam - Paul explains that death came to all people - not just Adam - because all sinned. It's not just that we sinned afterwards, but that in that fateful moment in the garden, when Adam sinned, we all sinned. If you're curious as to why Adam is implicated when it was Eve who took that first bite, Paul explains this as well. Adam, writes Paul, broke the command. God set the conditions for the covenant He entered into with Adam (and subsequently us) - to work the garden and keep it holy and to not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. These commands were given to Adam before Eve had even been created. Still curious? Dig Deeper .   Dig Deeper   We began by noting that this passage sets the context for the entire gospel (Good News), but so far, all we've seen is how it explains the bad news. But this passage delivers all of its good news in one key word. Adam wasn't just the one who sinned by breaking a command. He was also the pattern of the One to come. You'll at least be able to figure out the Greek word Paul used there: typos . As one lexicon defines it , a typos is "a model or example which anticipates or precedes a later realization—‘archetype, figure, foreshadow, symbol.’" What this means is that Adam is not the only option we have to represent us. There would be another, and that would of course be our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the gospel: All who are represented by Adam fail to meet God's covenant requirements and are cast out of paradise, but everyone represented by the new Adam - Jesus Christ - have the perfect righteousness required to satisfy the covenant and have peace with God. Christ's grace is stronger than Adam's sin. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our covenant God and Father, A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that although you share in Adam's guilt, you also share in Christ's perfect righteousness; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Philemon

Meet Pelagius, a really nice heretic with good intentions. Heretics are often really nice people who pull your attention away from scripture towards something 'even better.' Titus 3:3-7 (NIV) 3  At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5  he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy . He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6  whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7  so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 2: The Spread of Corruption Human beings brought forth children  of the same nature as themselves after the fall.  That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children.  The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment,  from Adam and Eve to all their descendants— except for Christ alone— not by way of imitation  as in former times the Pelagians would have it  but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature. Summary Today's Summary & Dig Deeper posts are a repost from May 10, 2024 Enslaved . That's what Paul says that at one time we all were (v3). For most of us, this concept is tough to identify with, since, by God's grace, we've had the blessing of knowing Jesus our whole lives. But even those who came to know the Lord later in life likely wouldn't describe their life prior to Christ as living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. Thankfully, God restrains people's sinful natures so that most people don't fully experience a life filled with total malice and hatred (a doctrine we call common grace ). Yet Paul here accurately describes what life is like apart from God's grace. So if God has brought us to new life through the Holy Spirit, and He even holds in check the behavior of those who haven't been regenerated, why is it so important to continually remind ourselves of this ugliness? The answer comes in the very next verse. If you don't realize the effect that original sin  has had on you - that it's sapped you of any ability to do any sort of good on your own - you'll end up chalking the good relationship you currently have with God up to the righteous things you've done, as if God owes you salvation because you're such a good person (or at least better than most). Paul here corrects this sinful instinct, writing that Christ saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.   Dig Deeper   Pelagius was a British monk, and a really nice guy. He moved to Rome around the end of the 4th century. He was appalled by the moral laxity of society and advocated for more personal responsibility in the Christian life. This sounds like a good thing, so it might be surprising to find out Pelagius' efforts sparked one of the biggest theological controversies of all times and ended with him branded as a heretic. Pelagius' teachings revolved around the idea that human beings were created with the inherent capacity to choose good or evil without the necessity of regenerating grace. He argued that the essential nature of humanity was not corrupted by original sin, and therefore, each person was born morally neutral with the ability to live a sinless life by their own efforts. In other words, he taught that people are not born in sin, but end up sinning simply by imitating those who came before them. So the key to defeating sin is to just stop imitating it. Through sheer willpower, people can set themselves on the straight and narrow. God's grace was only necessary to forgive past sins, but wasn't necessary for a person to repent in the first place or even live Godly lives moving forward. Those things can and must be done by us independently. This may sound really good, and even freeing! It's easy to see why it's attractive to think that the Church has been holding humanity under its thumb by telling them that on their own they're totally depraved , and how much better everything would be with some softer theology. But not only does this never work out in reality, it flies in the face of all that God has told us is true as we've read what the Bible says about original sin. But worst of all, and the reason that Pelagianism is deemed a heresy, is because it points people away from their need of Christ and leaves them clinging to nothing but their corrupted, sinful selves. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who saved us because of His unfailing covenant love; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the wisdom to live into the new identity given to you in your Spiritual rebirth; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Colossians 4

You didn't learn how to sin. It came quite naturally. Photo Credit: Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash Genesis 8:20-22 (ESV) CONTEXT: Noah, his family and all of the animals have just come out of the ark. 20  Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21  And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth .  Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22  While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 2: The Spread of Corruption Human beings brought forth children  of the same nature as themselves after the fall.  That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children.  The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment,  from Adam and Eve to all their descendants— except for Christ alone— not by way of imitation  as in former times the Pelagians would have it  but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature. Summary Today's Summary & Dig Deeper posts are a repost from May 1, 2024 Was the great flood a symbol of God's justice, or His mercy? Yes. The flood narrative begins with these words from the sixth chapter of Genesis: 11  Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12  And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13  And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. God certainly was justified  in raining His justice down upon His rebellious creation drop by drop until the whole earth was inundated, snuffing out all life. Well, not all  life; God in His great mercy preserved the life of Noah, his family, and two of every kind of animal. But as Noah and crew disembark their massive lifeboat and begin the process of resettling the newly 'washed' earth, it becomes immediately clear that the root of the problem persisted. That God immediately makes a covenantal promise to them shouldn't be surprising, for God always  deals with His image bearers within a covenantal framework. But in the midst of the wonderful promises that God will never again destroy all living creatures in a flood, and that the seasons will continue without ceasing, God makes it painfully clear that the issue which precipitated the flood in the first place will continue: ...The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.   Dig Deeper   Sin is not a learned behavior. Certainly many specific sins are the result of people replicating what they've seen done by others, which is why the example parents set for subsequent generations is so critically important, but our sinful condition is something we're born  into. More than that, says King David. It's something we're conceived  in ( Psalm 51:5 ). So the story of the great flood is not just a giant 'do-over' opportunity that God gives to man. Just a paragraph after God seals this covenant with creation by setting a rainbow in the sky, Noah and his sons have already fallen into the most grievous of sins. They weren't imitating the sins of others, for there was nobody left to imitate; they were just following their heart. Sin and guilt is so intertwined with you that it's wrapped up in your DNA. This is why the New Testament emphasizes your need to not just change your behavior, but to change your very nature; you need to go from being in Adam and his sin to being grafted into Christ and His righteousness. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who saved us because of His unfailing covenant love; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that more and more you will die to the sinful nature you were conceived in and come to new life in Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Colossians 3

The story of the Bible unpacks how God's grace is stronger than we are. Genesis 5:1-8 (NIV) 5 This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind ( ʾā·ḏām ), he made them in the likeness of God. 2  He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” ( ʾā·ḏām ) when they were created. 3  When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4  After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5  Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died. 6  When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7  After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8  Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 2: The Spread of Corruption Human beings brought forth children  of the same nature as themselves after the fall.  That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children.  The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment,  from Adam and Eve to all their descendants— except for Christ alone— not by way of imitation  as in former times the Pelagians would have it  but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature. Summary Genesis 5 is a fascinating passage. We just read the first few verses of it, but the pattern set in this opening passage continues on, unpacking the history of the first ten generations of mankind, spanning over 1,600 years. The passage opens with a crucial phrase: this is the written account - the tô·lē·ḏôṯ . This word also gets used repeatedly as the book of Genesis unfolds, everytime a significant character is introduced, such as Noah, Ishmael, Isaac, Esau and Jacob. As Adam's line is introduced, it begins with a reminder of how God first created ʾā·ḏām - in the likeness of God. This reminder is necessary even here near the very beginning of the Bible, since that perfect creation seems like ancient history at this point. The previous passage told the sad story of Cain murdering his brother Abel, showing how quickly Adam & Eve's seemingly benign sin of biting into fruit devolved into pure evil. So it's really interesting how Adam's subsequent son, Seth, is introduced. Whereas ʾā·ḏām had been made in the likeness of God, Seth is a son in Adam's own likeness, in Adam's own image. As one commentator puts it , "Adam in his creation reflected the unfallen image of God, but Seth reflected the fallen image of Adam." Genesis 5 introduces one of scriptures ugliest phrases, a phrase repeated seven more times here in this early history of mankind: and then he died. It's through the repeated use of this somber refrain that we're to be continually reminded that death is the ultimate result of sin, the curse that, like Seth, we've all been born into. Lord willing, we'll be reading from Romans 5 later this week. We'll read in v14 that death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses and thereafter. This is the primary message of the gospel: the reign of death can only be broken by Jesus Christ. Death is our first enemy and will be the last enemy to be destroyed by Christ when He returns ( 1 Cor. 15:26 ).   Dig Deeper   We read here that Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son. We know that this wasn't his first born, since Cain & Abel famously preceded Seth. The Bible doesn't mention how old Adam was when Cain & Abel were born, or his age when Abel was killed, but certainly Adam & Eve had other children over the years, since chapter four does indicate that Cain had a wife. So why is Seth the only one mentioned in the tô·lē·ḏôṯ of Adam? Because the point of the Bible isn't to give a comprehensive history of mankind. The Bible's focus from the birth of Seth and on is singularly focused on the line that would lead to the second ʾā·ḏām, Jesus Christ. The story ( tô·lē·ḏôṯ ) of the Old Testament is how God guided, guarded and protected generation after generation of weak and wayward people until that glorious morning that Jesus was born. Another way to phrase that is that the story of the the entire Bible - both the Old and New Testaments - is the story of how God's grace is so much stronger than we are, preserving His covenant people in our Savior, Jesus Christ. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who created man in His likeness; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the written history of His faithfulness that begins here in Genesis 5. Pray that you continue to learn and know this history well; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Colossians 2

Sin's effects are total, but that doesn't mean things are totally bad. In God's light, we see light that overcomes the darkness of our total depravity. Psalm 36:9 Psalm 36 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. 1  I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:  There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2  In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3  The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. 4  Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. 5  Your love ( ḥěʹ·sěḏ ), Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 6  Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. 7  How priceless is your unfailing love ( ḥěʹ·sěḏ ), O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8  They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 9  For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. 10  Continue your love ( ḥěʹ·sěḏ ) to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11  May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12  See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise! Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature Human beings were originally created in the image of God  and were furnished  in mind with a true and sound knowledge of the Creator and things spiritual,  in will and heart with righteousness,  and in all emotions with purity;  indeed, the whole human being was holy.  However, rebelling against God  at the devil’s instigation  and by their own free will,  they deprived themselves of these outstanding gifts.  Rather, in their place they brought upon themselves  blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in their minds;  perversity, defiance, and hardness in their hearts and wills;  and finally impurity in all their ­emotions. Summary David wastes no time getting to the crux of the matter in defining why wicked people are the way they are: There is no fear of God before their eyes. David doesn't reach this harsh conclusion on his own, perhaps at the end of a hard day when he's in a bad mood so as to skew his objectivity. No, his definition concerning the sinfulness of the wicked comes as the result of a message from God in his heart. In this regard, Psalm 36 isn't any different than any other psalm, or any other passage of scripture for that matter; God, through His Spirit breathed His message into the writer's heart, who then took up a pen and committed it to paper. David begins his description of wicked people negatively - that is, he indicates what's missing: there is no fear of God before their eyes. Whenever something is missing or removed, a vacuum results. Something will fill the void. So in this case, when the fear of God is removed, it's quickly replaced with self flattery in their own eyes and wicked and deceitful words in their mouths. This exchange sparks a vicious cycle of increasing depravity. As the fear of God decreases, the flattery increases to the point where a person can no longer even detect , much less hate their sin. As the words of their mouth becomes more and more wicked and deceitful, they more often fail to act wisely or do good. Once the fear of God is removed from a person's life, sin becomes all consuming. Even on their beds they plot evil! Instead of just dipping their toes in sinful waters from time, they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.   Dig Deeper   It's so easy to stop reading Psalm 36 at the end of v4, where the Psalm transitions from being an exposition of wickedness to a reminder of God's ḥěʹ·sěḏ ( unfailing covenant love ). Just think of the conversations you've had this past week; did you spend more time talking about problems or God's goodness in the midst of those problems? If you're like most people, you focused on the problems caused by sin. But notice how Psalm 36 is weighted. David certainly doesn't ignore the issues caused by those mired in a cycle of flattery, deceit and sinfulness, but he spends the majority of the psalm writing about God's love, righteousness and even His river of delights! It's important for you to understand this doctrine of total depravity. You're not to be like the proverbial ostrich, sticking your head underground and ignoring the blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in our minds. It's important for you to understand that your instinct leans toward perversity, defiance, and hardness in your heart and will , and that even the way you often feel is impure. While the effects of sin certainly is total , in that there's no aspect of life that it doesn't corrupt, don't fall into the trap of thinking everything is totally deprived. There are so many things that do continue to reflect God's unfailing love , even if that reflection is dim and blurred. Remember that no matter how much goodness sin has destroyed in this world, you can always take refuge in the shadow of the LORD's wings. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose righteousness is like the highest mountains, and whose justice like the great deep; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the LORD will continue His love and righteousness to you and that you will replace the indwelling sin in your life with the fear of God; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Colossians 1

Total depravity requires total repentance. Ephesians 4:17-19 (NIV) 17  So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature Human beings were originally created in the image of God  and were furnished  in mind with a true and sound knowledge of the Creator and things spiritual,  in will and heart with righteousness,  and in all emotions with purity;  indeed, the whole human being was holy.  However, rebelling against God  at the devil’s instigation  and by their own free will,  they deprived themselves of these outstanding gifts.  Rather, in their place they brought upon themselves  blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in their minds;  perversity, defiance, and hardness in their hearts and wills;  and finally impurity in all their ­emotions. Summary One of the primary themes of Paul's letter to the Ephesians is the transforming power of God's grace, which enables us to live harmoniously with our families and the Christian community around us. Yet these renewed relationships don't just fall down from heaven, so to speak, but they result from an even more significant work of the Spirit: His restoring our ability to properly think. This is why Paul is so insistent as he begins this passage. All of the strife and disunity that Gentiles experience is a product of their futile thinking ( Gentiles here doesn't mean people who aren't Jewish, but all people who live outside of God's Law). Their understanding is darkened - in other words, they're blindly stumbling through life. In fact, they're not just stumbling, they've completely wandered off and separated themselves from the life of God. So as you look at the relational messes all around you - which you so often get sucked into - it all stems from the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. The NIV translates the next phrase well: having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality. In other words, rather than thinking their way through decisions, challenges and problems, people simply do what feels right in the moment. But if you have any life experience at all, you already know that so often what feels right rarely is right. So indulging sensuality always leads to a devolving pursuit of impurity. What's so tragic is that sin creates an insatiable appetite that causes a continual lust for more and more impurity.   Dig Deeper   In theology, we call this broken reality that surrounds us the noetic effect of sin. We use the strange word noetic because it comes from the Greek word nous, meaning “mind,” “intellect,” or “understanding.” Today's passage uses a bunch of words that all stem from this same root: thinking, understanding and ignorance. Simply put, the noetic effect of sin  inhibits people's ability to think straight. But it goes deeper than that. Your nous is who you are at the deepest levels; it's not just your intellect, but your emotions and volition as well. The Bible often uses the word heart to refer to these three aspects as Paul does here. All of our problems stem from the hardening of our hearts. This is what we mean when we state that our depravity is total. The Canons remind us what it is that we've sinfully brought upon ourselves: blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in our minds; perversity, defiance, and hardness in our hearts and wills;  and finally impurity in all our ­emotions. This is why Jesus' core message to sinners is REPENT. The Greek word is meta- noe ō which literally means change your nous: the way you think, feel and act. God's grace, delivered to you through the faith given to you by the Holy Spirit, totally changes every aspect of you which had been affected by sin. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who through His Spirit, softens your hardened heart; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will do the hard work of continually repenting in every aspect of your life: intellectually, emotionally, and volitionally (will); A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Philippians 4

Understanding the totality of your depravity is key to living in God's grace. Romans 3:9-18 (NIV) CONTEXT: Paul's been deflating the idea that the Jewish people had an advantage over the Gentiles in gaining salvation. 9  What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10  As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3, Eccl. 7:20 13  “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”  Psalm 5:9 “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”  Psalm 140:3 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”  Psalm 10:7 15  “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17  and the way of peace they do not know.” Isaiah 59:7-8 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Psalm 36:1 Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature Human beings were originally created in the image of God  and were furnished  in mind with a true and sound knowledge of the Creator and things spiritual,  in will and heart with righteousness,  and in all emotions with purity;  indeed, the whole human being was holy.  However, rebelling against God  at the devil’s instigation  and by their own free will,  they deprived themselves of these outstanding gifts.  Rather, in their place they brought upon themselves  blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in their minds;  perversity, defiance, and hardness in their hearts and wills;  and finally impurity in all their ­emotions. Summary The book of Romans is the clearest exposition of Christian doctrine in the Bible. Paul begins the letter with the triumphant claim that the gospel is the power of God that brings salvation of everyone who believes ( Romans 1:16 ). The word gospel simple means good news. But the first two and a half chapters of Romans seems like anything but good news. Just two verses after announcing the gospel as the power of God that brings salvation, Paul shifts gears. Before he writes any more about salvation, he begins with the cold, ugly truth, announcing that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness ( Romans 1:18 ) . Paul goes on in that first chapter to describe the depravity of Gentiles, using the threefold phrase so God gave them over to sinful desires, shameful lusts, and a depraved mind as a result of the Gentiles' ongoing efforts to suppress the truth. People like us - good 'church people,' that is - get pretty pumped up reading this part. We cheer Paul on, in a sense, glad to see somebody's finally describing the sinful citizens of the world as it really is. We shake our heads at their ever increasing wickedness and read this passage as a warning to our children not to be like the world. But then the second chapter comes. Paul turns his attention away from the godless throngs and looks people like us squarely in the eye, writing, You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment upon someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you're condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things.   Dig Deeper   As we come to grips over the next few weeks with the reality of what the Canons refer to as Total Depravity , it's critical that we understand exactly what's meant by these words. The word total doesn't mean that as sinners we're as wicked as what we can possibly be. Rather, it refers to the ubiquitous nature of sin - there's no aspect of creation undamaged by it. It's all over, even staining 'good church people' like us. Our passage today from the beginning of Romans 3 is a good example of what the word depravity means. Simply put, as sinners we've been deprived of the goodness of the God in whose image we've been created. Again, by God's grace, many vestiges of His goodness still is at work, even in people who don't know Him, and as regenerated Christians, we ought to display more and more of His goodness as the Spirit continues His work of sanctification. But notice how Paul stitches together so much scripture as he weaves such an ugly, yet realistic picture of humanity: no one righteous... no one who understands... our throats are open graves... our tongues tongues practice deceit... our mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Notice how much our mind and mouth are predominantly the source of our sin! Ultimately, on our own there is no fear of God before our eyes. Neither Paul nor the Canons of Dordt catalog these ugly passages simply to rub our faces in the smelly reality we've plunged ourselves in. Quite the opposite. It's only when the Spirit opens our eyes to see and understand the totality of our depravity that we are repulsed by it and, as we'll learn in a couple of months, will we be irresistibly drawn to the grace God offers. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who's good and perfect image we've been created in; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll recognize the ugly indwelling depravity in your life and that God's grace will strengthen you to put it to death ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Philippians 3