Articles
Total Hereditary Depravity
Jesus Christ said, "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:7-9).
Jesus said that these folks were worshipping Him “in vain”, because they were teaching, as their doctrine, "the commandments of men". Jesus also called these people "hypocrites". Are there such "religious" people today? Are there folks that teach the doctrines of men rather than the Word of God? What about these doctrines?
Are these doctrines of men or the teaching of the inspired Word of God? 1) A person is saved by faith only; 2) the Holy Spirit directly operates upon the heart of the sinner and converts him to Christ; 3) the impossibility of the child of God falling from grace; 4) each child is born guilty of sin. These are common denominational doctrines, in other words, doctrines of men taught as if they were the commands of God. These basic doctrines are called (besides false doctrine, doctrines of men, lies, etc.) Calvinism.
John Calvin, a French Protestant reformer (1509-1564), made popular the TULIP doctrine (each letter standing for a basic doctrine of Calvinism) and was widely accepted by many denominations as part of their creeds (doctrines and commandments of men) by the early 17th century. Most (if not all) denominations today hold to some or all of this false doctrine. The TULIP doctrine of Calvinism is: T - Total Hereditary Depravity; U - Unconditional Election; L - Limited Atonement; I - Irresistible Grace; P - Perseverance of the Saints. Let's take a little closer look at these doctrines of men.
Total Hereditary Depravity is the doctrine of original sin. This doctrine implies three basic ideas of the nature of all men at birth: 1) all men are depraved, that is, they are caught up in and guilty of sin at birth; 2) man is wholly or totally sinful; 3) man's sinful condition is hereditary, in other words, sin come to each newborn baby from his parents. Simply put, this doctrine (THD) says that Adam's sin has been transmitted to the whole world and that every baby born into this world is totally depraved.
The doctrine of THD is a false doctrine of Calvin, the teachings of man, not Almighty God. Man is not born into this world a sinner. Man has not nor will he every inherit even one sin, let alone the sin of Adam and Eve. The Word of God teaches "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (Ezekiel 18:20). Look for more next time.
