TOTAL DEPRAVITY Proof-Text DISMANTLED In 10 MINUTES | Dr. Leighton Flowers | Soteriology 101

Dr. Leighton Flowers, Director of Evangelism and Apologetics for Texas Baptists, walks through 1 Corinthians 2:14, a prooftext Calvinists often use to teach Total Depravity.

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[Fello]

Thank you brother your videos are helping me out of Calvinism.

[a.k.]

Leighton, you have once again made the context _crystal clear._ Thanks so much for expounding upon God's Word! 🙏

[Terrobul]

It’s amazing how understanding the true context gives the right interpretation. Paul is describing “meat”not “milk”. Thanks brother Leighton 🙏🏼🤙🏼

[steventhompson]

Correct. No one could have said it better. Blessings

[grizz]

Dr. Flowers, having the passage up on the screen and high lighting, underlining, using bold print, going verse by verse the way you did is excellent ! Make sure you continue doing that ! Thankyou !

[makedisciples]

John 20:31 yes, “that you may believe”
Thank you Leighton

[elteacher]

Thank you, brother Leighton.
Your ministry and your life's work have helped me a lot.

[AlexanderosD]

Now that is some dang good hermeneutics!
Thanks for sharing Leighton.

[stanleyseiti]

You are growing and maturing in deviding the word of truth with wisdom. You pack so much in a short clip that I had listen and relisten. May the Lord establish you and expand your understanding of His truth

[grindercap]

Imagine that reading the scripture passages in their given context provides the true and correct understanding.
Inconceivable!
This simple concept proves beyond a shadow of doubt the fact that there is no scripture which supports Calvinism. The scriptures simply do not say what Calvinists profess.

[mikelyons]

We are in a spiritual battle "For we wrestle not against flesh & blood..." Calvinists are in a spiritual stupor. Not saying they're all unsaved, but those I know that have come out of it, call it another gospel.

[bornagainbeliever]

Amen Leighton! I’m following and highlighting THE WORD🙌🏻

[clelladams]

Amen. Keep tearing down their false doctrine. We will share these videos.

[webgold]

In Acts 16:14 we are told that God open the heart of Lydia so that she could receive the preaching of Paul. In 1st Thes. 1:5 we are told that the gospel must come to us in power and in the Holy Spirit. This is how we know our election of God.

[freeguy]

The absolute arrogance of the Calvinist to acknowledge that knowing who the elect are is 100% impossible and still claiming to be part of that group. Calvinist: "I am saved!" Me: Oh, how could you know that? I thought it was impossible to know God's mind? Calvinist: Well, I do lots of good works, so I feel pretty saved. I mean, look at my life! I do lots of good stuff! " Me: What about that guy? That guys whose shirt says 'Jesus Loves You' but doesn't always make it to church and swears a lot?" Calvinist: "That guy says he is a Christian but he doesn't do enough good works in my opinion. He isn't godly enough! I do more good works, I persevere!" Me: Oh, ok then. (runs away from Pharisee)

[ETube]

Great video. I have made this same point regarding the context of 1 Corinthians 2:14 many times on Christian forums/message boards. There are a few places in scripture where I think they should not have made chapter breaks and this is one of them. People stop reading at the end of 1 Corinthians 2 and think that Paul changes the subject after that, but as you showed, the context of 1 Corinthians 2:14 can be further seen by looking at what he said in 1 Corinthians 3 where he differentiates between the milk and the solid food of the word.

When you look at everything he said in 1 Corinthians 2 and 3 it can be clearly seen that he was differentiating between elementary truths (the milk) and deeper truths (solid food) and he was saying that the natural man can't understand the deeper truths that require discernment from the Holy Spirit and NOT saying the natural man is incapable of understanding basic truths such as the gospel.

[greenbeans]

Thank you, Dr. Flowers. God bless you for your discernment and humility. 🙏

[davisgeorgemoye]

Thank you for sharing this. You have strengthened my conviction that Total Depravity is Biblical. Undisputed, this passage primarily concerns spiritual growth. As a Calvinist, I see total depravity as a background assumption, not the main point. Undisputed: 1 Cor 3:1 teaches that a baby Christian needs the right spiritual diet to spiritually grow. Elsewhere in Scripture, we see imagery of baby Christians and where they come from: John 3, John 1:13, 2 Corinthians 5. A few other important Total Depravity passages: John 6, Genesis 3, Ephesians 2.

[TheMaineSurveyor]

*The context:* _(1 Corinthians 2:1-3:4)_
The Holy Spirit imparts wisdom. The natural person does not accept the things of God, and is unable to understand them. Spiritual people are taught by the Spirit of God, having the mind of Christ.

Paul had to speak to the believers at Corinth as if they were not spiritual people, for they were still getting into quarrels. He likened their immaturity to natural people, who are unable to understand the things of God. He is not saying they are natural people, but that he has to treat them as if they are.

*Review of the verse in question:*
1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

*Basic Questions:*
_Who does not accept the things of the Spirit of God?_ The natural person.
_What are the things of the Spirit of God to the natural person?_ They are folly.
_Can the natural person understand the things of God?_ No, a natural person is not able to understand them.
_Why can't the natural person understand the things of God?_ The things of God are spiritually discerned.

*Follow-up Quesions:*
From the context, who is a _natural person?_ An unregenerate person; someone who does not believe the gospel, and is unable to believe the gospel; a person of the flesh; a person who does not have the Holy Spirit.
From the context, who is a _spiritual person?_ A regenerate person; someone who believes the gospel, and has the Holy Spirit.

What is a key takeaway of verse 2:14? A natural person cannot understand anything from God, including the gospel. He or she must be taught by the Holy Spirit, otherwise, it would be foolishness to him or her.

Is there an example of this playing out elsewhere in Scripture? Yes!
Matthew 16:16-17 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."

Could Peter have made this confession of faith on his own? No, as Jesus testifies, flesh and blood could not reveal this to Peter. There is no flesh and blood that could have told Peter that Jesus is the Christ. Even Peter himself could not have reasoned this out.
Who revealed this to Peter? The Father, who is in heaven.

*Conclusion*
What does this mean? The natural man or woman can't understand or accept the gospel without the Holy Spirit.

[cjphillips]

Thank you for the video. Commenting for the Algorithm.