The Five Points of Calvinism
David N. Steele & Curtis C. Thomas
The Five Points of Calvinism
Total Depravity
Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature; therefore, he will not--indeed he cannot--choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes much more than the Spirit's assistance to bring a sinner to Christ--it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God's gift of salvation--it is God's gift to the sinner, not the sinner’s gift to God.
(
Genesis 2:15-17,
Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5,
1 Corinthians 2:14,
Romans 3:10-18,
Jeremiah 17:9,
John 6:44,
Ephesians 2:1-10)