Total Depravity & The Clarity of Evangelism - Dr. Steven Lawson

Session 2 of Truth in Love 2019.

[@garryperrin2408]

Clarity indeed! Thank God above for preachers like this.

[@Angelfish1962]

Martyn lloyd Jones preaches a powerful sermon on this as well. Thank God for raising up these preachers down the ages with the backbone to preach the truth!

[@shvideo1]

Great exposition from the Word of God. Thank you Dr. Lawson.

[@thingamujigger1585]

It breaks my heart that "Christians" will listen to this message and with all hatred and vitriol, hurl every insult possible at God. Oh Lord, please penetrate these hard hearts Father. Help them please. Matthew 7:21-23

[@1ruan]

You do not know how HOLY GOD IS and how UNHOLY YOU ARE! Amen brother Lawson. A 1000x Amen! 🙏🏻❤️

[@nelsonacevedojr.3816]

What an absolute necessary sermon and teaching...Pastor Steve is an awsome gift to the church and the way he glorifies the Lord is phenomenal and Spirit filled...Superb!!

[@ReformedTradesman]

Beautiful

[@warrensmith3070-TommyGun]

Dr. Lawson hits the bullseye as usual...pure nectar

[@BR54niner]

I would have loved to hear the song that was beginning to be sung. Thank you for the message. 😌

[@jahbrown14]

Steve always preaches as if he's preaching his last sermon. Very convicting and refreshing to hear this passage exposited. Thank you SJL.

[@2timothy23]

Great message from Steven Lawson; a great summary of the total depravity of man found in Romans 3:9-20. He is so right; we will never know the magnificence of amazing grace without realizing the depths of our total depraved nature of sin.

[@timothyhodges705]

Eric Smith, if you read on from Romans 3:21-31 IS THE GOOD NEWS! Steven Lawson literally stood the kingdom of heaven against men, when he said that man has no free will to believe in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13)!!! What a HORRIFIC LIE!!!

[@2timothy23]

@@timothyhodges705 Steve Lawson's message is about the sinful total depravity of man. There is nothing that he preached that isn't in scripture. And until you understand the depths of Romans 3:9-20, Romans 3:21-31's Good News means nothing. This is the problem with much of our evangelism today, we want to proclaim Good News without "offending" the sinner with the bad news that they are sinners. As for "free" will. Man's will is only free to sin. Jesus says sinners are servants (literally slaves) to sin in and only He can set them free (John 8:34-36). Ephesians 2:1-3 shows that sinful mankind is spiritually dead, in fact the natural man can't understand the spiritual things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). No one can even come to Christ in faith unless the Father draws them (John 6:44) and if you're not already Christ's sheep (determined by God) you won't believe (John 10:25-29). The Bible says in so many places that man's will is not free to choose contrary to what they hate, reject, or find unprofitable. And they hate God. In fact, Jesus says the unsaved world hates Him, God the Father, and Christians in John 15:18-23. The Bible says what it says about God and man. There is nothing wrong with the verses you presented, but you can't take the verses you like and discard the ones that offend you. (And notice Ephesians 1:13 tells us that we trusted in the Lord, but it doesn't tell you how we are able to trust Him. You assume it's by free will, but it's actually from the sovereign grace of God, which is the reason you will notice that unless God chooses us in Christ before the foundation of the world in Ephesians 1:4, we won't trust Christ at all.)

[@timothyhodges705]

@@2timothy23 just going to trust God's word and WHAT IT SAYS! IT DOES NOT FORBID SINFUL MAN to approach the throne of Grace and believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. There is no UNTWISTED scripture that we are regenerated before we have faith! NOWHERE!!! The Bible is my sole (soul) authority, not the Westminster Confession of Faith (?) or the London Baptist Faith and Message. Are you serving Jesus Christ or man? JESUS CHRIST is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, no man comes to the FATHER, except by CHRIST! John 6:14.

[@2timothy23]

@@timothyhodges705 I, too, trust God's Word for what it says; the whole counsel of God, not just selected verses. And since I didn't mention the Westminster Confession or the London Baptist Faith and Message, I have no clue how to respond to that. I believe you are jumping to conclusions based on a response that seems more out of emotional anger. I am not your enemy; I was just responding to your comment to me. Remember, you commented to me. And since I've been a Christian for over twenty years and have served at my church that whole time; have evangelized numerous times, taught various classes, and have been bringing up my children (with the help of a faithful wife) in the Lord the way Ephesians 6:4 tells me, I can tell you that I have been and always will serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Be careful about ascribing motivations and accusing someone of something in the comment sections because you disagree with them theologically. I didn't question your devotion to the Lord or your faith, and if we were standing face to face I wouldn't do that, either. I would treat you like a brother in the Lord that disagrees with me and we could discuss it prayerfully with open Bibles. That is how I conduct myself in the comment sections, as well as in person. It is sad that Christians have to show their anger or annoyance by making accusations or capitalizing words as if I don't understand your point or perhaps even display that anger. It's silly. John 14:6 says what it says, we can only come to God by Christ. At the same time, Christ also said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:44) If you want to have a cordial discussion about theological matters, I don't mind doing so. But if you're going to make assumptions about what I believe or question my actual walk with the Lord based on two comments on a KZbin section, I believe that discussion would not be fruitful and would only get worse. So I think I will leave it at that and end this discussion with this last comment to you. No matter what you may think about me, I pray that you serve the Lord with gladness.

[@timothyhodges705]

@@2timothy23 I will express for now, that Romans 3:9-20 as you mentioned is Paul's scourging condition of man. He wrote those things to show that the remainder of the chapter was to offer up hope by believing Jesus Christ by faith. There is no mention by Paul about the lack of ability to believe in Christ, but that salvation is by faith. Steven Lawson made the assertion that man has no free will to believe the gospel. An assertion that is false. Besides, it really doesn't matter about free will, but whether scripture is true. Anyway, appreciate your kind way, and perhaps if you read the LBC and WCF as I mentioned in my previous comment you will see my concern. This is about the salvation of men's souls, not some kind of debate on who has the best team, any other contentious rivalry.

[@tacttecheykatalaga5774]

Thank you for your preaching that brings me clarity of Sin that is within the human heart. Thank you for explaining direct to the point this text in the Bible.

[@heletvanblerk4461]

Brilliant thank you!

[@mayunrasmi6770]

. .My Lord . .

[@jimkraft9445]

John 6:40 John 6:29 Faith cometh from hearing, hearing by the word of God. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, and we all sin, and we all die, but the GIFT of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Faith is not the gift. Eternal life is the gift when we believe it. John 6:47

[@sanggol2]

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments" Deuteronomy 30:15-16 God places before people the choice between life & good versus death & evil. If we accept the theory of total depravity, what is God offering as a choice if we are not capable of making a choice for life & good ? In verse 14, God seems to be under the impression that we can perform His commandments." But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. " Deuteronomy 30:14

[@thingamujigger1585]

You are absolutely right that God give us the choice. But He knows that we can and will only choose darkness and death and thus actively saves us....revives our dead heart SO THAT we can truly accept His gift of grace. If God does not first change our heart, we will spit on His gift, mock His gift, laugh at His gift. We are dead apart from Him resurrecting our dead, God hating hearts. Only a "born again" human can understand this...otherwise it is foolishness.

[@georgeschlaline6057]

Internet and Google better listen to this God is coming God is not mocked

[@WayneFocus]

Total depravity is not a biblical concept. Romans 3 does not mean that a man cannot respond to the power of the Gospel. This is a theological argument made up by Calvinist in order to make their TULIP hold together. Calvinists desperately have to push total depravity because without it the rest of the argument falls about.

[@michaelrameriz2723]

Dead in sin.....ephesians.2:1

[@WayneFocus]

@@michaelrameriz2723 So dead means actually dead and not able to hear the gospel and respond? So Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God means we can't hear?

[@michaelrameriz2723]

His sheep...hear his voice..

[@WayneFocus]

@@michaelrameriz2723 Yes because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe

[@mihaivesa7719]

What does Romans 3 mean then?

[@ipaporod]

I really don't understand how people go to an university and get a doctorate in theology and still don't get the 101 basics of salvation and the Gospel!. Salvation is a very easy thing to grasp and understand if you let the bible speak for itself.Here is the 101 easy understanding of redemption: 1-Sin was brought to humankind (ALL THE WORLD) by Adam and Eve through disobedience to God. 2-Through one man (Adam) all the world (all his descendants) inherited a sinful nature and therefore all are under condemnation by God. 3-If ALL are under the slavery of sin and condemnation logically ALL must be rescued from slavery and death. 4-Jesus came to undo the works of Satan and free ALL those who were under bondage and slavery by offering ALL those who believe in him eternal life. 5-If ,as Calvinist claim , God gave His only begotten Son as an atonement for sin to a selected predestined group of people only.Then that would imply that the rest of the world (the ones not elected),are created and allowed to exist for the sole purpose of making them suffer an eternal punishment in hell!. 6-If point #5 is correct, are we more merciful and loving than God?.If we imperfect and sinful creatures would not create human clones for the sole purpose of sending them to a place of torment and torture here on earth, how could we envision our creator to do such thing and still worship him.The answer is, NO WE ARE NOT MORE LOVING AND MERCIFUL THAN GOD.Therefore God mercy and love would not ever allow such thing as creating beings for the sole purpose of torment and pain without the choice of avoiding such miserable and sad ending. GRACE MOST BE OFFERED TO ALL WHO ARE SINNERS because a SINFUL nature is the only condition for which Jesus atonement could be effective and valid!.You must be a SINNER for Jesus atonement to be effective, a sinless, righteous and perfect man (Adam before the fall) does not have the need of an atonement.Only those who are under the curse of sin need to be liberated from that curse.If Calvinists are as much as sinners as the rest of humankind , why then Jesus atonement be effective and valid to Calvinists only while ineffective and invalid to the rest who meet the same SINFUL requirement (as Calvinist do) of Jesus atonement?. That is why the Bible says " God so loved the WORLD (ALL SINNERS) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever ( ALL OF THOSE THAT ARE IN THE WORLD) believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". The whole world (ALL) have the opportunity and offer of grace/mercy but ONLY those (the sheep that hear Jesus voice and follow him) who make the decision of accepting God grace are to BE SAVED!. So you see, by one man (Adam) SIN and condemnation/death entered humanity (ALL THE WORLD) and by one man ( Jesus) righteousness and salvation/eternal life was brought as an offering to ALL those who believe in the Son of the ALL MIGHTY GOD OF ISRAEL!.If salvation and eternal life would be for only a selected group of people that would imply that the UNIVERSAL ("GOD SO LOVE THE WORLD") expression of an offering of salvation was a lie. My dear friends GOD CAN NOT LIE OR DECEIVE because God is TRUTHFUL,JUST AND HOLY. You don't need a doctorate to know God's plan of salvation, God made it very simple and easy for us to understand and follow Jesus road to heaven.Through Him, Jesus is the door and we ALL are offered (grace) the key (faith) to get into heaven!.Go and get the key to unlock the door (Jesus) that will give you eternal life and joy in our God kingdom

[@rebalspirit]

So should we just spend three minutes giving all sinners your summary of the gospel, close our bibles and go home then and be settled that you have clearly stated the gospel completely and thoroughly for all sinners everywhere. Why are you maligning a brother who preaches differently than you? Or would we, rather than listen to you, listen to Paul: "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:14‭-‬17 ESV Praise God for all obedient brothers who go where they have been sent and preach the gospel.

[@shopson6991]

Romans 9, how can God still find fault? Who are you O man? There you go

[@dfischer1709]

your #5 implies that anyone deserves salvation? God simply gives mercy to whom he choses 33:25 , rom 9:15. Some he grants salvation , some he passes over. Nobody gets injustice, no one will be in hell wondering why. Your theory gives man to mych credit and makes God small and not in total control over his creation.

[@dfischer1709]

#4 reformed theology does not dispute this, what it does is believe God must change the heart of the man that is dead in sin and trespass, thus giving him a heart of the things of God , then and only then can he choose God.

[@howardbryant817]

Doesn't The Word of God teach us that there is safety in the multitude of counselors?

[@borisparker6719]

Traduccion . Con interprete!! Para que sea de mayor estudio, de formA mas completa. Pero igual de todos modos exelente exposicion del DR.steve lowsen

[@MartinLazda]

man is as totally depraved as he can be.. manifestations of some good in some men is due to God's restraining grace,

[@anduinsuchan356]

yes, and men can be "good" to each other-- that doesn't mean we aren't totally depraved when it comes to the standard of God and the sufficiency of our affections towards him (pre-regeneration, of course).

[@dfischer1709]

total depravity means that all of us, all parts are effected by that depravity. We are not as depraved as we could be otherwise we would all be "serial killer " types.

[@eleazarfernandez9369]

Restraining grace ?

[@enocalcedocuesta7384]

Sería de mucha ayuda si estaría también traducida al español

[@lidiafunez5764]

l acording to you

[@ezequielarce8079]

Ahy cáñales por Ahy. Pero estuviera bien. Exalta a Dios de una manera que wow! Juan manuel Vaz otro expositor de la palabra De Dios

[@sanggol2]

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. Romans 3:9 Yes, both Jews and Greek are under sin. However, Greeks don't even know the right god. More importantly the Greek don't have a definition of sin. They know instructions how to be in covenant with the God of Israel. The Jews know the instructions (the Torah) and how to shuvah (repent and restore relationship with HaShem). Huge difference.

[@timothyseals3791]

The doctrine of original sin and total depravity are false and not biblical.

[@jangrisham6114]

You are not studying the Bible if you believe that!!!!

[@timothyseals3791]

@@jangrisham6114This doctrine is not taught in the Bible. Sorry that you fell for a false doctrine.

[@jangrisham6114]

You are the one misled!!! Obviously you have been blinded to the truth.

[@timothyseals3791]

@@jangrisham6114 Are you willing to do the Christian thing and discuss it one on one with me? Live

[@timothyseals3791]

@@jangrisham6114 Just as I thought.

[@Mike65809]

Total depravity? Total inability? Really? There are four types of soil, or hearts, according to Jesus. Only one was so hard the word was stolen out of it. The fourth was a good heart and received the word. The other two did receive the word, yet in the end bore no fruit for various reasons. So Scripture does not support such an idea.

[@ericolsen9072]

So if one cannot understand the gospel without Divine intervention, I assume Steve Lawson is also arguing that the gospel itself is not an act of divine intervention. It's pretty tough to escape endless sequences of qualifying statements when you settle for such a weak view of the gospel up front.

[@qturner27]

He quotes Calvinist preachers in all his sermons. Much of this isn’t biblical

[@jimkraft9445]

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that WHOSOEVER, ANYBODY, believeth in Him, should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE. John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. Does the bible say we are so depraved we can not believe what Jesus said? No, it says those who do believe it are no longer condemned, but unbelievers are condemned already because they have not believed of their own free will. Does God will that all believe and be saved? Yes. First Timothy 2:4. But, not everyone believes and is saved. God is not willing that any should perish, but all should come to the knowledge of the truth. Paul's way of salvation is the same as Jesus way of salvation. Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. When you stand before God are you going to use the excuse that you are so depraved you could not believe what He said? Sorry, that is not going to work. Jesus said it. John 6:47. You either believe it and have everlasting life, or you don't believe it, and you are headed for hell. John 3:18. See, I believe in easy believism. How hard is it to believe the gospel. First Corinthians 15:1-4, That Christ died for my sins, according to the scriptures, that He was buried and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. When I believed that gospel I was sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 1:13-14 Ephesians 4:30 John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that ALL that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up on the last day. Jesus said it, I believe it, and that settles it. Romans 11:6 AMAZING GRACE, JESUS PAID IT ALL AND I PAID 0. IT IS FREE, or not at all.

[@timothyhodges705]

Jim Kraft, A great BIG AMEN!!! One more passage of scripture that proves it's power: Hebrews 4:11-13 11 "...Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God IS living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things ARE naked and open to the eyes of HIM to Whom we MUST GIVE account." Jim, thanks for your comments!

[@jimkraft9445]

Amen. And Faith is not a work. IT is faith apart from works. And FAITH is not the GIFT. Eternal life is the gift when we accept Jesus as the only way of salvation by grace. Romans 6:23 The GIFT of God is eternal life. Not faith. First Corinthians 1:18 and First Corinthians 1:21. For after that, by the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God to save them that BELIEVE. God is not the author of confusion. Acts 16:31. John 3:18. Romans 1:16. First Timothy 2:4. Second Peter 3:9. Romans 3:26-28. First Corinthians 15:3-4. Galatians 1:6-9.

[@sanggol2]

There is none righteous, no , not one from Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 need to be taken in context. In scripture, what does it actually say ? The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.Psalm 53... among the fools who said in his heart There is no God... yes there are none righteous. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. Psalm 14... again among the fools who say in their hearts There is no God... yes there are none righteous... However, it is not a universal statement on humanity. That in humanity no one is righteous, no, not one. Yeshua himself says there are good people and bad people. There are unjust (unrighteous) people and just (righteous) people. In Matthew 5. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. In Matthew 1, Joseph is described as a just man. "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly." Matthew 1:19 🤔

[@jangrisham6114]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 not falling for it.

[@michaelburns6441]

Calvinist!

[@mrmrsmontanahallman7223]

Michael Burns well it’s biblical, so....

[@souljaboytellem888]

Wow, that was so well thought out. I commend you on your in depth knowledge... /s