Deuteronomy 9:4-6 HCSB
When the LORD your God drives them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The LORD brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ Instead, the LORD will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness. 5 You are not going to take possession of their land because of your righteousness or your integrity. Instead, the LORD your God will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness, in order to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.
1 John 1:8 HCSB
If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Both passages are essential to a proper understanding of the Truth. As Jesus told the “rich young ruler”, “No one is good, only God.”
Thanks for the prod to get me to start looking at the HCSB once again, Jeff.
You’re welcome. I read that passage in Deuteronomy last night and thought that should be something to read regularly as a reminder. I think it applies to us in many ways.
Jeff
Amen. One thing my Calvinist brethren have right that my kind too often forget is the sinfulness and essential wickedness of humanity, which is exceedingly deep. Glad to see someone telling it as it is.
If you mean Calvinists that you know forget about sinfulness they’re pretty off. Total depravity is one of the important doctrines. And the second generation Calvinists, the Puritans, really make an effort to know more and more the depth of their sin to know themselves better, know God better and appreciate His grace, mercy and forgiveness all the more.
Jeff
Oh, no! I didn’t mean to say that Calvinists are forgetting about sinfulness–my intent was to say that it is non-Calvinists who far too often pretend people are better than they are. It is the Calvinists I know, on the other hand, who appreciate sinfulness.
Sorry, I completely misunderstood you by not reading carefully enough. Totally my fault.
Jeff
No worries. We all do it at times.
Yeah, well, neither are you, buster.
It looks like I’m really good at inadvertently arrogant sounding subject lines. It’s a good thing I’m so humble.
Jeff
And now I am reminded of the immortal words of Weird Al Yankovich, in his classic Amish Paradise: “Think you’re really righteous? Think you’re pure in heart? Well I know I’m a million times as humble as THOU art.”
Or Davis Mac – Oh Lord Its Hard to Be Humble
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
when you’re perfect in every way.
A related verse that is often overlooked:
Matt. 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (NASB, heh heh)
It’s almost an aside, practically an assumption on the part of our Lord: “You’re evil.” And the balance is there, too: “You know how to do some good things, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re evil.” Total depravity, right there in the Sermon on the Mount.
Blessings,
Derek
Derek I never thought of that and I’ve studied the SOTM.
Jeff