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The Corrupt Tendency of Human Nature | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. We're doing another deep dive
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today, looking into really significant theological ideas.
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That's right. Trying to get a clearer handle
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on doctrines that, well, they really shape how we see
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everything. Exactly.
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And today, it's a heavy one, no doubt about it.
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We're tackling human depravity. You know what's often called
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original sin? A cornerstone concept, really,
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especially for understanding salvation within a Reformed
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framework. We're going to be leaning
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heavily on Jonathan Edwards. His The arguments are just so
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thorough, explaining why humans consistently fall short of God's
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standard. He really does build a strong
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case, Scripture, history, observation, He pulls it all
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together. And he doesn't just state his
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case, he also tackles the counter arguments head on, the
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explanations people use to sort of get around this idea.
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Yes, he anticipates the objections.
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It shows how solid he felt his position was.
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So our goal today is to unpack Edwards's argument, look closely
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at his evidence, and trace his responses to critics, not just
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what he believed, but why he saw it as so true.
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And what that means for us, naturally, Edwards shows this
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isn't some minor flaw. It's an inclination away from
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God right from birth. It sets the stage for
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understanding grace. OK, let's dive in then.
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The central thesis When Edwards talks about human depravity or
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original sin, what exactly is he getting at?
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What's the core idea? Well, he defines it as this
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fundamental, inherent corrupt tendency or disposition.
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It's baked into our nature, present from birth.
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So not just something we pick up along the way.
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No, it's innate, and it's not just a tendency towards some
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sins like occasionally telling a white lie or something.
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It's a deep seated inclination towards continual sin and even
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increasing sin if left unchecked.
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Increasing sin. Wow.
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Yeah, it leads to a character that, according to God's law, is
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fundamentally wicked. Our nature itself is sort of
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biased against God's standards right from the get go.
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Like the deck is stacked against us, morally speaking.
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In a way, yes. He uses God's law as the rule of
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right, the objective standard. Any deviation from that rule, in
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heart or in practice, counts as sin.
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And that includes things we don't do right, not just the bad
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things we actively choose. Exactly.
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It's not just positive transgression doing what's
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forbidden. It's also defect and omission,
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failing to do what's required, withholding the love, honor and
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obedience due to God. So feeling to love God perfectly
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is in itself sin. Yes, according to Edwards, both
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carry the same consequence. Under God's righteous judgement,
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the absence of required holiness is just as much a problem as the
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presence of active wrongdoing. It's a complete failure to meet
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the standard. That's quite a starting point.
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It frames the human condition in a very particular.
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Light. It certainly does.
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It highlights our need for something outside of ourselves.
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OK, so Edwards makes this claim, but he's known for his rigorous
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arguments. He doesn't just assert it, he
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brings evidence. Let's walk through that.
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What's his first line of reasoning?
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Right. He starts with observation,
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things we can see in the world and confirm through Scripture.
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His first big point is the universal and immediate nature
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of sin. Universal and immediate, meaning
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everyone right away. Pretty much he argues that as
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soon as individuals are capable of what he calls moral agency,
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basically understanding right and wrong enough to be
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accountable. Which happens pretty early on,
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presumably. Yes, he thinks very early.
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As soon as that happens, they immediately transgress God's
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law. There's no grace period of
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perfect obedience. So no one starts out clean and
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then falls. Not according to Edwards.
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In his reading of Scripture and observation, he says this
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immediate transgression brings guilt and exposes them to
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eternal perdition straight away. That's his argument.
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He asked. Look, if we didn't have this
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strong innate propensity to sin, wouldn't you expect at least
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some people, maybe many, especially those raised well, to
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just naturally obey God perfectly from the start?
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Logically, yes, you might expect that if we were neutral.
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But Scripture paints a different picture.
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Think of first John 1.8. If we say that we have no sin,
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we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
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A. Classic verse on this.
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Or James 3.2 in many things we all offend.
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Or Proverbs 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am
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pure for my sin. Edward sees these as confirming
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universal early sinfulness. So the very first point is
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everyone sins and they start doing it as soon as they
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possibly can. That's the essence of it.
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It points to something inherent, not just learned.
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OK. Then what's the second part of
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this first line of evidence? You mentioned something about it
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being continual and progressive. Yes, this inherent tendency
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isn't just a one off mistake at the start, it leads to continual
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sinning. So it keeps going.
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It keeps going. And here's the kicker.
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If it's not restrained by God's grace, this natural tendency
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actually leads to an increase in wickedness over time.
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It gets worse, not better, on its own.
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How does he illustrate that? He uses the analogy of a heavy
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body falling. The longer it falls, the faster
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it goes right? The the strength of its tendency
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to descend is continually increased.
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OK, I see, he argues. Our corrupt nature is like that.
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Left to itself, it doesn't run out of steam.
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It accelerates its downward evil course, leading to more
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entrenched habits, greater wickedness.
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So without God's intervention, we'd just get progressively
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worse throughout our lives. That's the implication.
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The natural trajectory is downward and accelerating.
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Wow. OK.
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And the third part of this first line of evidence?
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Something about even the best people.
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Right, this is really humbling, he says.
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Even the greatest Saints, people genuinely regenerated by God's
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grace, still show signs of this remaining depravity in their
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hearts. So conversion doesn't totally
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wipe it out in this life. Apparently not.
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He points to biblical examples. Think of David, Peter, men
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greatly used by God, yet they committed serious sins.
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That's true. David and Bathsheba.
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Peter's denial. These show that even a profound
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work of grace doesn't fully eradicate the sinful nature.
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While we're here on Earth, they're lingering effects.
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He backs this up with Scripture too.
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Oh, definitely. Ecclesiastes 7.20 There is not a
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just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not.
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He sees this as saying No one, however godly, achieves sinless
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perfection here. Makes sense?
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And Hebrews 12, which talks about God chasing all his
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children, suggests an ongoing need for correction due to
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ongoing sin, even among believers.
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So the struggle is real even for the most committed Christians.
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Absolutely. It tells us that corruption is
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incredibly deep. If even regeneration doesn't
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completely remove it in this life, it's a lifelong battle.
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OK, that first line of evidence is powerful.
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Sin is universal, immediate, continual, progressive, and
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persistent even in believers. That really sets the stage.
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But you said Edwards goes further.
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His second point is about the balance of sin and
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righteousness. Yes, this is where he argues
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that in our natural state, there's actually more sin than
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righteousness in our lives. It's not just that we sin
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sometimes, but that sinfulness outweighs the good.
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How does he justify that claim? It sounds quite extreme.
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It hinges on his understanding of God's primary command.
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What's the sum of our duty according to the law?
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Love God with everything we have and love our neighbor.
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Exactly. Edwards focuses on the first
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part, supreme love for God, loving him with all our hearts
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and with all our souls, with all our strength and all our mind.
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The greatest commandment. Right.
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And this love isn't just a feeling, It includes esteem,
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honor, gratitude, benevolence, delighting in God for who he is
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in himself. It's the total orientation of
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the heart towards God. OK, so that's the standard.
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How does that lead to more sin than righteousness?
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Because, as we discussed, sin isn't just doing bad things,
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it's also failing to do the required good things.
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It's deficiency. The sin of omission.
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Precisely so when we fail to give God the full measure of
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love, honor, and gratitude that he is due, and who among us does
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that perfectly? That failure, that withholding,
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is itself sin. So, Edwards argues, if someone
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withholds more of this required love and regard than they
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actually give, then they have definitionally more sin than
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righteousness in their life, even if they do some outwardly
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good things. So if only love God, say 30% of
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what I should, the remaining 70% deficit counts as sin on the
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Ledger. That's the idea, he puts it
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starkly. Even if someone loves God more
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than they love anything else, they might still love him 10
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times less than he ought. Meaning they accumulate vastly
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more sin in the form of deficiency then righteousness.
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That reframes things significantly.
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It's not just about avoiding evil acts, but about the massive
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shortfall and positive devotion to God.
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Exactly. And this leads to his next
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observation within this point, the lack of what he calls
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disinterested love for God. Disinterested love?
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What does that mean? Not being interested in God.
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No, not quite. It means loving God for who He
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is in Himself, for his own intrinsic excellence, His glory,
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His nature, rather than loving Him primarily for the benefits
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He gives us. So loving God for God's sake,
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not just for what we get out of the relationship.
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Precisely. Edwards observes that this kind
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of pure, disinterested love is incredibly rare.
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He suggests few, even among outwardly virtuous people, can
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honestly say they love God even half as much as they should
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purely for his own sake. And why is the lack of this
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specific kind of love so significant?
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Because, Edwards argues, if our love is mainly based on
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self-interest on what God does for us, then in truth we love
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him not at all in the way he deserves.
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It's evidence of a horrid contempt of God where we
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effectively value ourselves or earthly things more than the
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infinite Creator. We put creation above the
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creator, yes. We invert the proper order and
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this scarcity of genuine disinterested love, this
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tendency to prioritize the finite over the infinite, is
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further proof of our naturally corrupt disposition.
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So summing up the second point, we sin actively, but we also sin
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massively by deficiency particularly and failing to love
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God supremely and disinterestedly, meaning our sin
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outweighs our righteousness. That's the core of his argument
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there. It's a search and critique of
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the human heart's affections. OK, moving on to his third line
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of evidence, This one sounds quite provocative and extreme
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Folly and stupidity in religious matters.
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What's he getting at here? Are we just not smart enough to
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understand God? No, it's not about intellectual
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capacity in general. Edwards actually highlights how
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prudent and clever humans can be in worldly affairs.
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The folly he speaks of is specific to spiritual realities.
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It's an irrationality that defies our usual logic when it
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comes to God and eternity. How does he demonstrate this
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folly? His first example is the
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pervasive historical phenomenon of idolatry.
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Right, turning away from the true God to worship created
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things or false gods. Exactly.
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He points out how almost all nations throughout history,
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despite having enough light from creation and conscience to know
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the true God, turned instead to what he calls most stupid
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idolatry. Worshipping statues, animals,
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ancestors. Yes, he quotes Jeremiah, where
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God is astonished that his people would forsake him, the
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fountain of living waters, for broken cisterns that can hold no
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water. This persistent choice of the
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false over the true, the finite over the infinite, even by
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intellectually advanced cultures like Greece and Rome,
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demonstrates to Edwards a desperate depravity and an evil
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disposition of heart. It's fundamentally irrational.
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So the sheer persistence and absurdity of idolatry is
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evidence of a deeper problem than just ignorance.
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That's his view. It suggests A willful turning
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away, a heart inclined towards falsehood.
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What's the other aspect of this folly?
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This one might hit closer to home for many of us.
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Yeah, the great disregard of eternal things, especially among
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those who have the light of the gospel.
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He contrast how careful and prudent people are about their
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temporal earthly lives, planning for retirement, ensuring their
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homes, seeking long term financial security.
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Things we generally consider wise and responsible.
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Right. But then he points out how
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incredibly indifferent these same people often are towards
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things of infinite consequence, eternal happiness or eternal
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misery. The ultimate long term
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investment, you could say. Absolutely.
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He even references the philosopher John Locke, who
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argued that basic reason dictates that even a possibility
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of infinite joy or suffering should outweigh any finite
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temporal concern. Logically, that makes sense.
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The stakes are infinitely higher.
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Yet, Edwards observes, most people act cold, lifeless and
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dilatory when it comes to their eternal souls.
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They treat infinite realities as if they were trivial or unreal.
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This profound inconsistency, this dreadful stupidity of mind
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and sadish insensibility towards eternal matters, can't be
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explained by a lack of intelligence.
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It's a practical atheism, a willful blindness driven by a
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corrupt heart. So our irrationality in
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spiritual matters compared to our rationality in worldly
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matters points to a deep seated aversion to spiritual truth.
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That's precisely Edward's argument.
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Yeah, it's a folly born of depravity.
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OK, that's a powerful critique of individual psychology and
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behavior. But then Edward's zooms out
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right. He looks at the big picture of
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history as his fourth proof. Yes, he argues that the sheer
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weight of historical evidence, the undeniable prevalence of
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wickedness across all generations and cultures,
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testifies to this innate human depravity.
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How does he lay out this historical case?
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He starts, as usual, with scriptural testimony about the
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general state of humanity. Which verses does he highlight?
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Christ's words about the narrow gate and the wide gate, for
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instance, Matthew 7. The way to life is narrow and
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few find it, while the way to destruction is broad and many go
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that way. Suggesting the path of ease and
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inclination leads downwards. Exactly, it implies our natural
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bent is towards the Broadway. Also.
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Many are called, but few are chosen.
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And 1st John 5.19 The whole world lieth in wickedness.
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Plus Solomon's observations and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes about
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how hard it is to find a truly faithful or upright person.
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Scripture itself, he argues, consistently portrays humanity
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in a state of widespread rebellion.
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So the Bible itself testifies to this broad trend.
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Yes. Then he moves to a historical
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survey, walking through different eras.
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What does that survey look like? He starts right after the fall.
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Adams family, Cain kills Abel and things quickly degenerate.
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Until before the flood, Genesis says the earth was corrupt and
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filled with violence. Every inclination of the
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thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually.
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A total moral collapse. Then after the flood, you have a
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fresh start with Noah's righteous family.
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But how long does the piety last?
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Not long, historically speaking. Babble.
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The spread of idolatry. Right.
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Edwards notes that within a few centuries, maybe even much
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sooner, most of humanity had again forsaken the true God for
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idols, despite the memory of the flood.
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So even a cataclysmic judgement didn't fix the underlying issue.
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Doesn't seem so. Then he looks at Israel, God's
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chosen people. They receive the law, the
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prophets, miracles, kings like David and Solomon.
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Incredible advantages. Yet their history is full of
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backsliding, idolatry, injustice.
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Exactly, Edward says. They were consistently,
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extremely, and almost universally wicked, often worse
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than the surrounding Pagan nations.
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And those nations just grew worse, too.
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What about the Christian era? Did the coming of Christ and the
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Gospel change this pattern? Well, that was the grandest
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scene, the most powerful revelation of God's grace.
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But, Edwards observes that still proved ineffectual upon the far
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greater part. Most Jews rejected Christ, and
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the Christian world itself, after a period of initial
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faithfulness, fell into what he calls a grand apostasy,
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centuries marked by corruption, superstition and often violence,
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becoming in many ways more dishonorable and hateful to God
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than the paganism it replaced. Even into his own time, the era
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of the Reformation and Enlightenment.
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Even then, he saw deluge of infidelity, profaneness, luxury,
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debauchery and wickedness of every kind reaching A prodigious
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height. He felt that even with increased
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knowledge and supposed enlightenment, vice was rampant,
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maybe even more so. It's a bleak picture across the
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board. It is, and he caps it off with a
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really stark comparison. What's that?
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He says Humankind is 1000 times as hurtful and destructive to
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its own kind as any predatory animal is, or even all of them
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put together. Wow, that's quite a statement.
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Like about human history, wars, genocides, cruelty, oppression,
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he argues no other creatures so systematically destructive
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towards its own species. This unique capacity for
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self-inflicted suffering points to a profound internal evil.
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So history is a relentless record of human moral failure
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and self destruction, pointing to an innate problem.
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That's the essence of his fourth argument.
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The sheer weight of history is undeniable.
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OK, that leads us to his fifth and final line of evidence.
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This one seems to focus on God's efforts and their lack of
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success. Yes, he argues that the
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consistent failure of all the means God has used throughout
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history to promote virtue and restrain sin is itself powerful
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evidence of humanity's innate stubborn depravity.
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So if even God's best efforts largely fail, the problem must
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be incredibly deep seated in US. Precisely, he highlights how
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God, with infiant wisdom and mercy, has employed various
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great and continual means, but they've been ineffectual upon
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the far greater part. What kind of means is he talking
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about? Back through history again, but
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this time focusing on God's interventions first, sorrow and
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death. Introduced after the fall.
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These were meant as sharp medicines, reminders of sins,
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consequences. But they didn't stop the pre
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flood world from becoming totally corrupt.
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Exactly. Then Noah's preaching and the
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flood itself. A massive judgement and warning,
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yet humanity quickly fell back into sin and idolatry
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afterwards. Then the whole system set up for
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Israel. Yes, the miracles in Egypt, the
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law, the prophets, the temple, godly kings and elaborate system
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designed to make them a holy nation.
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But it was largely unsuccessful in preventing widespread
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persistent rebellion. And finally, the gospel.
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Even the gospel of Jesus Christ the Grand is seen, the most
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powerful display of God's love and truth, offering the clearest
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path to restoration. Even this has been rejected or
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ignored by the majority throughout history.
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The Jewish rejection, the later apostasy of the Christian world,
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it shows the resistance is profound.
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So if divine judgments, laws, prophets, miracles, and even the
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gospel itself haven't produced widespread, lasting virtue, the
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issue isn't with the means, but with the material.
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They're working on us. That's the conclusion Edwards
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draws. He also looks specifically at
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the failure of good examples. How does that fit in?
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He says God repeatedly planted the world with a noble vine.
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Think of Adam before the fall, Noah, Abraham, Joshua, the early
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church, the Reformers, even godly parents.
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These were meant to be positive influences.
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Lights shining in the darkness. Right, but consistently the
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effect of good example presently lost and evil has regained the
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dominion. It's like trying to push a heavy
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object uphill. As soon as you stop pushing, it
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slides back down. Humanity shows this proneness to
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degeneracy and backsliding. Even the example of Christ
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himself. Even Christ's perfect example,
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offered with infinite love and wisdom, fails to overcome the
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extreme corruption of the human heart in the majority.
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If the perfect model doesn't work universally, the problem
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isn't the lack of a good example.
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It really seems like he's covered all the bases for why
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external solutions fail. You think so, and he directly
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addresses an objection from his contemporary, Doctor Taylor
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about why the Gospel might seem ineffective.
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What was Doctor Taylor's argument?
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Doctor T suggested the Gospel failed not because people are
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inherently corrupt, but because its message was greatly
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misunderstood and perverted by, as Edwards quotes, him, dreaming
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ignorant, superstitious monks and like basically bad teaching
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obscured a clear message. So the problem was the delivery,
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not the audience. That was Taylor's idea, but
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Edwards turns it back on him. He says, OK, if the Gospel is
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supposedly so clear and simple, and yet generation after
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generation of teachers managed to universally screw it up,
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doesn't that itself point to some native blindness,
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corruption and superstition in mankind?
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Why are we so prone to misunderstanding and perverting
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it? That's a clever counter.
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The explanation reveals the problem.
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And Edwards goes further. He says.
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OK, Doctor Taylor, you think you and other enlightened folks have
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now exploded these supposedly wrong doctrines like original
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sin and election? You've cleared things up.
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So where's the great moral reformation?
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Has virtue flourished now that the bad theology is gone?
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Edwards observes the opposite. He says in his time, vice and
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everything opposite to practical Christianity has gone on to
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increase with such a prodigious celebrity as to become like an
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overflowing deluge. The rejection of doctrines like
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original sin didn't lead to holiness, but seemingly to more
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sin. So the failure of the
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enlightened view to produce results is, for Edwards, further
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evidence of the very depravity it denies.
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Exactly. The consistent failure of all
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means, divine and human, points to a powerful internal natural
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problem within humanity. OK.
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Edwards has built a formidable case, 5 lines of evidence
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pointing towards this innate corruption.
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But people have always tried to explain away wickedness without
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resorting to original sin. How does Edwards handle these
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alternative explanations, these evasions, as he calls them?
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Right, this is where he really locks down his argument by
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showing why the alternatives don't hold up under scrutiny.
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He's very methodical. What's the first evasion he
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tackles? It relates to Adam.
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The argument goes Adam sinned, but he didn't have a corrupt
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nature before he sinned. So maybe his descendants are
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just like him, capable of sinning from a state of
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neutrality without needing an inherent sinful disposition.
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So Adam's fall doesn't prove we start falling.
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That's the objection. Doctor Taylor argue that Adam's
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single act doesn't prove a fixed inclination, so why should
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universal sinning among his descendants prove one in them?
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How does Edwards respond to that?
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He says it's a faulty comparison.
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A single isolated act under unique circumstances like Adam's
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first sin, done perhaps partly in ignorance or under strong
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temptation, doesn't necessarily prove a settled character trait
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or disposition. OK.
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However, he argues, when you see constant, universal, progressive
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sin across all people in all times, despite countless reasons
22:29
not to sin, that absolutely does prove a fixed, powerful internal
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disposition or tendency. It's the difference between 1
22:35
stumble and constantly tripping over your own feet because
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they're fundamentally clumsy. That's a good analogy, or his
22:40
analogy. Someone takes one drink of a
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strange poison and gets hooked, developing an insatiable thirst.
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The first drink isn't the same as the resulting permanent
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craving. Humanity's consistent sinning
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points to that kind of settled internal problem, not just a
22:55
repeat of Adam's initial singular choice from neutrality.
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So the sheer scale and consistency of sin make the
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comparison to Adam's single act invalid.
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That's his point. The effect is too widespread and
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constant to come from isolated neutral choices.
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OK, what's the second evasion? Something about free will, Yes.
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The idea that universal wickedness is simply the result
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of everyone freely choosing evil.
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Our wills are free, equally capable of good or evil, and we
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just happen to consistently pick evil.
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No need for an innate bias. Just bad choices freely made
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over and over by everyone. Right.
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Edwards finds this explanation completely unsatisfactory, even
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illogical. He asks, if our wills are truly
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indifferent, perfectly balanced, with no prior bent either way,
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why on earth would billions of people across thousands of
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years, in every conceivable culture and circumstance, all
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independently choose evil almost immediately and continually?
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It strains credulity that pure chance or neutral choice would
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lead to such a uniform outcome. Exactly.
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Well, that is perfectly indifferent, Totally unfixed
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with no previous propensity. Simply cannot explain such a
24:08
constant universal pattern as human sinfulness.
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It's like flipping a fair coin millions of times and having it
24:14
land on tails every single time. You wouldn't blame the coin
24:17
flips, you'd suspect the coin is weighted.
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So the universal effects sin points to a universal cause, a
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biased or inclined nature, not just random neutral choices.
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That's his argument. Relying on indifferent free will
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doesn't explain the data. OK evasion 3 bad example.
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People sin because they learn it from others.
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It's nurture, not nature. A very common explanation then
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and now. We see others sinning.
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We imitate them, especially as children.
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Edward sees several major flaws here.
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First, he says it's circular reasoning, accounting for the
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thing by the thing itself. How so?
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Well, if the explanation for widespread sin is widespread bad
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examples, where did all the bad examples come from in the 1st
24:57
place? If humans aren't naturally
24:58
inclined to evil, why are bad examples always seemingly more
25:02
numerous and more influential than good ones?
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It assumes the very corruption it's trying to explain.
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Good point. The bad examples had to start
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somewhere. Second, he brings up the failure
25:14
of good examples. Again, God has repeatedly seated
25:17
the world with righteous individuals and communities.
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Noah, Abraham, the early Church, etcetera.
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Pious parents try to set good examples.
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But as he argued earlier, humanity consistently
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degenerates anyway, right? If good examples were the key,
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why are they so often overwhelmed?
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Why doesn't even the perfect example of Christ universally
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succeed? It suggests the internal pull
25:37
towards sin is stronger than the external pull of good examples.
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And what about children? That's his third counter.
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How does bad example explain why children sin universally as soon
25:47
as they are capable, even those raised by the most godly parents
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who shield them from bad influences as much as possible?
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Where does their first sin come from before they've had
25:57
significant exposure to bad examples?
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It seems to point back to something internal again.
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Edwards thinks so. That example might explain some
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sin, but not its universality, its origin in children, or its
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tendency to overcome good examples.
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OK, what's the 4th alternative explanation?
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He refused something about passions developing before
26:17
reason. Yes, this was an idea from
26:19
thinkers like Doctor Turnbull. The theory is that our animal
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passions and sensory appetites, hunger, desires, etcetera
26:26
develop early and become strong before our rational minds fully
26:30
mature. So we develop bad habits driven
26:33
by these early passions, and reason comes too late to easily
26:36
correct them. So it's a developmental timing
26:38
issue, not inherent corruption. That's the argument.
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But Edward says this explanation basically faces the same
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problems as the doctrine of original sin itself.
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He argues that if God, the Author of nature, set things up
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this way, arranging our development so that passions
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inevitably gained the upper hand over reason before we can choose
26:56
otherwise, then he has effectively ordered things such
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that we will come into existence with a prevailing propensity to
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sin. So it's still a God ordained
27:05
situation leading inevitably to sin.
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Yes, Edward says. This strong propensity, arising
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from God's own natural ordering before we can resist it, is
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altogether equivalent to a natural tendency to sin.
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And if this setup reliably leads to the whole world lying in
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wickedness and perishing, it still paints a picture of a very
27:25
evil, corrupt and dreadful state of things resulting from God's
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design, which is hard to reconcile with His goodness if
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we assume humans start neutral. It just pushes the problem back
27:35
on to the way God designed our development.
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He also notes that Adam and Christ didn't seem to have this
27:40
built in imbalance where passions necessarily outran
27:42
reason from the start, so it's not an essential feature of
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human nature. OK, one last evasion.
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Ed Words tackles the idea that life is meant to be a state of
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trial and temptations are necessary to refine our virtue.
27:55
Right. This view, held by both Taylor
27:58
and Turnbull, suggests we need opposition and temptation to
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prove and discipline our minds, to seize in our virtue and make
28:05
us fit for God's Kingdom, like a soldier needs battle to become
28:09
strong. So the difficulties and
28:11
temptations aren't a sign of corruption, but part of the
28:13
training program. That's the idea.
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But Edwards asks, if this state of trial consistently results in
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almost everyone failing the test, leading to the universal
28:23
wickedness and eternal ruin he's already demonstrated, then what
28:26
kind of trial is it? It seems like a trial designed
28:28
for failure if his earlier points hold.
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Precisely, he says. If the outcome is general
28:34
eternal infamy and ruin, then it's a very evil, corrupt, and
28:37
dreadful state of things, not a beneficial training ground.
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It defeats its supposed purpose of refining virtue if it mostly
28:44
produces vice and damnation. Why set up a trial that almost
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everyone is guaranteed to fail? Right, Edwards asks.
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If conflict is necessary, why should there be vastly more
28:54
cowards than good soldiers? Why should the whole world lie
28:58
in wickedness and die in cowardice?
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It suggests the participants are entering the trial already
29:04
fundamentally flawed. And does he make another point
29:06
about virtue itself? Yes.
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He points out that his opponents define virtue largely as good
29:12
affection, but if virtue is good affection that it must exist
29:16
before you engage in the struggle or combat against
29:18
temptation. The struggle doesn't create the
29:21
virtue. The pre-existing virtue engages
29:24
in the struggle. So temptation isn't necessary
29:26
for virtue to exist in the first place.
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Correct. Therefore, the argument that
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temptation is required to form virtue falls apart if the trial
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mainly reveals our inability to overcome temptation.
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It points back again to our inherent weakness and
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corruption, not to a well designed system for building
29:42
strength. Edwards really seems to close
29:44
off all the escape routes. His arguments against these
29:48
evasions were quite thorough. They are.
29:50
He leaves very little room for explaining universal human
29:52
wickedness apart from an innate corrupt disposition.
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So if he's right, if depravity is this fundamental, this deep,
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what hope is there? If we can't fix ourselves, if
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external means fail, if good examples aren't enough, are we
30:08
just doomed? This is exactly where Edwards
30:10
theology pivots. His stark diagnosis of the human
30:14
condition isn't the end of the story.
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It's the necessary setup for understanding the only real
30:18
solution. God's grace.
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So the depth of the problem highlights the greatness of the
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cure. Absolutely.
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First, he emphasizes our inability.
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Based on everything he's argued. Once we're under the sway of our
30:30
corrupt nature and bodily appetites, it's exceeding
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difficult, if not impracticable, to recover ourselves by the mere
30:36
force of reason or willpower alone.
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We can't think or try our way out of it.
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No, the inherent propensity is too strong.
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We lack the moral ability for self rescue.
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Any idea that we can just pull ourselves up by our own
30:47
bootstraps is, for Edwards, completely unrealistic given our
30:50
condition. OK, so human effort is
30:52
insufficient. Where does the help come from?
30:55
It has to come from outside us, from God.
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Edward states clearly that this inherent tendency towards sin
31:01
can only be diminished or have restraints laid upon it by the
31:04
gracious disposals of Providence or the merciful influences of
31:07
God's Spirit. So God has to intervene.
31:10
Yes, through His Providence arranging circumstances maybe,
31:15
but crucially through the internal supernatural work of
31:18
the Holy Spirit within the human heart.
31:20
True change isn't self generated, it's divinely
31:23
initiated and empowered. It's a gift, not an achievement.
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Entirely. And this leads to the ultimate
31:29
source of victory, the covenant of grace.
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God's plan of salvation through Christ.
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Exactly. Edwards argues that victory over
31:37
sin and temptation doesn't come from our own strength, but
31:39
relies entirely on the nature of the covenant of grace and the
31:43
promises of that covenant. What does that mean practically?
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It means true Christian virtue. The ability to overcome sin
31:49
depends on God's promises to help us.
31:52
His promises engage God's strength and assistance to be on
31:54
its side. We fight not in our own power,
31:57
but relying on God's pledge support.
31:59
Like the verse, the just shall live by faith.
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Precisely or first, John 5.4. This is the victory that
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overcomes the world, even our faith.
32:09
Faith, for Edwards, isn't just believing facts.
32:11
It's actively relying on Christ and drawing strength and
32:15
efficacy from the divine fountain, from God himself, to
32:18
live a holy life. So faith connects us to God's
32:21
power, which is the only power strong enough to overcome our
32:24
depravity. Yes, it's about trusting God's
32:26
promises. Promises that he'll never leave
32:28
us, that his grace is sufficient, that He'll complete
32:30
the work He begins in us. Our hope isn't in our own
32:33
ability to resist temptation, but in God's faithfulness to his
32:36
covenant promises through Christ.
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It shifts the focus entirely from human ability to God's
32:41
gracious action. Completely.
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And that's the only place, according to Edwards, that real,
32:46
lasting hope can be found given the reality of our fallen
32:49
nature. So we've taken this really quite
32:52
deep dive into Jonathan Edwards arguments for human depravity.
32:55
It's a lot to take in it. Really.
32:57
Is he builds such a cumulative case?
32:59
Yeah, looking at universal sin, that lack of true love for God,
33:02
the spiritual irrationality we show.
33:05
Right. And then the mass of evidence
33:06
from history and the failure of even God's own interventions to
33:10
fix things on a grand scale. He definitely leaves us with a
33:13
stark picture of our natural condition, and he pretty
33:17
systematically takes apart the alternative explanations.
33:20
He does, but importantly, it's not meant to just leave us there
33:24
in despair. No, it seems the purpose is to
33:26
show why grace is so necessary and so amazing.
33:30
Absolutely. If our nature really is this
33:33
corrupt, this bent away from God, then our hope has to shift
33:37
completely away from ourselves. It has to rest entirely on God's
33:40
gracious actions, His Providence, and most centrally,
33:44
the work of His Spirit through the covenant of grace in Christ.
33:46
Understanding our depravity isn't the end point, it's the
33:49
essential background that makes the gospel shine, you could say.
33:53
That's a great way to put it. It directs our gaze firmly onto
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Christ, realizing that any ability we have to overcome sin,
33:58
to walk in holiness isn't from us.
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It's a gift. It magnifies God's grace.
34:03
It certainly does. Which leaves us with something
34:06
to think about, doesn't it? If Edwards is right about our
34:09
deep seated predisposition to sin, well, what does that really
34:13
mean for our hopes for human progress?
34:16
For fixing the world purely through human effort, education
34:19
or politics. That's a challenging question.
34:23
It definitely tempers any naive optimism about human potential
34:26
on its own. And maybe, personally, how does
34:28
grappling with this doctrine shape your own appreciation for
34:31
the redemption that God offers solely through his sovereign
34:34
grace? Something to ponder.
34:36
Definitely food for thought. Well, thank you for joining us
34:38
for this deep dive on reformed thinking.
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Until next time, keep seeking wisdom and understanding.