R.C. Sproul
 


Clips:

Bondage to Sin
God Permits Sin
Mass of Sinfulness
 Not Possible to Not Sin
Adam our Representative

Some Excerpts from his Sermons:

"God looks at Christ and what does He see? Justice...? He see's a mass of sinfulness, because the sin has now been transferred to Jesus. This is elementary, I don't want to be insulting your intelligence, but we have got to get this into our blood stream. The sin is transferred or imputed to Jesus. Now, if that happened and that's all that happened, the single transfer, the one dimensional transaction, you would never be justified. If Jesus took all of my sins that I have ever committed on his back and took the punishment for me, that would not get me into the kingdom of God. All that would do is keep me out of hell. I would still not be just! I would be innocent, if you will, but still not just in a positive sense. I would have no righteousness of which to speak. Now remember, it's not simply innocence that gets me into the kingdom of God, it's righteousness! Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, then you will never get into the kingdom of God. And so maybe we can talk about, well, maybe I'm not guilty of anything, but I haven't done anything...I haven't merited anything that whereby justice would give a reward. So the point is that there is a double transfer. Not only does the sin of man imputed to Christ, but what happens to the righteousness of Christ? The sin is transferred to Jesus. The righteousness of Christ is transferred to us, to our account. So that, in God's site, this circle is now clean."              

R.C. Sproul, like all Reformed Theologians, is quick to criticize opponets who disagree with his hermeneutics of teaching a 'Works' based Gospel that is void of Grace, HOWEVER, if one was to dwell into the Calvinist 'Forensic Theory' (or 'Penal Substitution' model) of Reconciliation they would discover that the Reformed Faith actually advocates what they supposedly reject, that being, a 'legalistic' Gospel.
Where it may be obvious that the Reformed Tradition plainly explains that Christ absorbed the Elects punishment on the Tree and thereby extinguished God's Wrath forevermore through Substitution (i.e. 'Passive Obedience of Christ'), it is often overlooked or unknown that this theory also includes the 'Imputation' or 'Transfer' of Christ perfect OBEDIENCE (Righteousness) to the Believers account. (i.e. 'Active Obedience of Christ') In short, what this doctrine entails is that the Lord's flawless Submission to the Law of Moses is the Grounds of the Believers Justification before God.
"Where Adam was the covenant breaker, Jesus is the covenant keeper. Where Adam failed to gain the blessedness of the tree of life, Christ wins that blessedness by His obedience, which blessedness He provides for those who put their trust in Him. In this work of fulfilling the covenant for us in our stead, theology speaks of the “active obedience” of Christ. That is, Christ’s redeeming work includes not only His death, but His life. His life of perfect obedience becomes the sole ground of our justification. It is His perfect righteousness, gained via His perfect obedience, that is imputed to all who put their trust in Him. Therefore, Christ’s work of active obedience is absolutely essential to the justification of anyone." (Article: 'The Covenant of Works', by R.C. Sproul)          
In other words, man can be Forgiven by God because Christ Not only was Morally Perfect in their place, but that He also paid their Sin Debt at Calvary (past, present AND future) that their disobedience has incured. Both of these tenets are Refuted by Scripture.
The idea of Christ Sacrifice being aimed at Satisfying the Demands of Justice so God can 'Justly' forgive Sins is essentially Denied by the Lord in Matthew 18, where He plainly teaches that Divine Forgiveness is FREE, meaning, our [past] Sin debt can be erased APART from a payment being made to the Father. (Matt. 18:27 & 32) Furthermore, the Bible tells us that Jesus Death was an 'OFFERING' for Sin and He was "WITHOUT spot", which means, when the Lamb of God "manifested to take away our sins, IN Him, there was NO Sin"! (Isa. 53:10; Jn. 1:29;  Heb. 9:14; 10:10; 1 Pet. 1:19; 1 Jn. 3:5) This contradicts Sproul's Blasphemous comment that Christ became a 'mass of Sinfulness' on the Cross.
Just the same, if we must simply "Trust" that Christ Obedience to the Law of Moses was rendered so we can be 'Imputed' with an alien Righteous by God, then we must also now accept that we are Justified by what Paul said we could NOT be Justified by! "By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight!" (Rom. 3:20) And again, "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." (Gal. 5:4) R.C Sproul, like ALL Calvinist, is in opposition to the Scripture. He is what the Bible refers to as a "blind leader of the blind!" (Matt. 15:14)
Many other fallacies are associated with this doctrine of Double Imputation as well. Don't be tricked by the spirit of error into thinking God has Deceived Himself THROUGH Christ into "Viewing" you as Pure & Holy, when in fact, your Wicked. (2 Tim. 2:19; Gal. 6:7-9; Rev. 22:11) As the Bible says"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." (Heb. 4:13 & 2 Cor. 5:10)

"Augustine, as the Scriptures plainly declare said that this fallen condition that yields this tendency towards sin is already a punishment for sin. The reason why Adam fell into that state and all of his ancestors fell into that state was because Adam served as our representative, the head of the whole human race. So that his probation that he failed, as the Bible tells us, 'through one man's sin death came into the world, and sin then passed on to all generations'. When Adam fell, the human race fell with him as a result of God's judgment on a race of creatures that despised his authority."

The fallen condition (or 'TOTAL Depravity')  that is alluded to by Sproul that dates back to Augustine is nothing more than raw Concupiscence (fleshy lust), HOWEVER, one should note that these impulses were present in the first parents IN Paradise, which means, the fact that their loins have inherited them, is NO proof that the Sin (Guilt) of the first parents has been transmitted to us through the reproduction process as Augustine and teachers like R.C. Sproul would have it. (Gen. 3:6 & 1 Jn. 2:16)
The entire human race also could NOT have been 'Represented' by Adam in moral conduct in the Garden since the Apostle so plainly tells us that DEATH reigned "over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam". (Rom. 5:14) If Paul understood that Adam was the head of the human race, in that we Transgressed with him like Sproul contends for, he could have NEVER penned such a Verse!
Also, did you notice what Sproul said passed to all men in the above excerpt? He says 'Sins!' "...the Bible tells us, 'through one man's sin death came into the world, and sin then passed on to all generations...' The Bible does NOT say this, instead, is tells us: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned". (compare with 1 Cor. 15:21-22)
Many places in the Scripture DENY that there is a continuous propagation of Sin with the continuous propagation of souls! (God does NOT Punish Sins with Sins!) "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin" AND again, "the soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezk. 18:20) Aimless conduct is received "by tradition from your fathers", says the Apostle, NOT Birth as the Reformed-Augustinian Tradition insist! (1 Pet. 1:18)
Furthermore, to be consistent, If the the entire human race Sinned with Adam (Representative), then the opposite is also true, that being, everyone who ever existed must be Justified by Christ (Substitution). "Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life." (Rom. 5:18) To imply that the "ALL" in this Text means two different things (as the Reformed Faith does!) is a private Interpretation of Scripture. (2 Pet. 1:20; 2 Pet. 3:14-17)


"God is free, and you are free, but He is more free than you are. And anytime your freewill wants to do something that God's freewill doesn't want you to do, there's a conflict and you are going to lose. And you say, 'what about when I sin? He [God] permits me to sin?' He permits it he doesn't sanction it, but even that, you couldn't possible sin, unless God in His sovereignty chose to let you sin, that doesn't mean he forces you to sin."

Be aware that R.C. Sproul is a Calvinist and therefore Pro-Augustinian in his approach to Biblical exegesis. His depiction that Reformed Doctrine allows "Free Will" to exist in concert with his explanations of "Grace" (which is really NOTHING more that sheer Fatalism!) is utterly absurd, since it becomes obvious from the ancient documents that AUGUSTINIAN GRACE DESTROYS THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL ALTOGETHER!
In no way, within the parameters of this particular systematic theology (T U L I P) CAN or does Free Agency survive and to say it does is Not only misleading, but deceptive! "Freewill avails nothing except Sin." (Augustine, Pg. 207, Source) How does that equal Freedom? It DOESN'T! (let us remember that the many Virtues of the heathen, according to Augustine and teachers like Sproul, are Nothing more than "splendid vices")
Sproul is also found advancing Augustine's position that "Before the Fall: Adam had the ability not to sin, and the ability to sin" and that "After the Fall: Mankind now has the inability not to sin." (Source) WHY? Because of the notion of Original Sin. Again, the tenet of 'Total Depravity' erases Free Will!
Notice also that Sproul says in the above quote: "you couldn't possible sin, unless God in His sovereignty chose to let you sin, that doesn't mean he forces you to sin."
Oh yes He does! Ask yourself, HOW doesn't God 'force' me to Sin, when it is impossible for me to do anything BUT Sin until I am bestowed with the Ability (Grace) to live in a different manner? Furthermore, HOW can I be blamed by God for being Disobedient, when in fact, He knows I can't do anything but Disobey until He decideds to make me Obedient through tweaking my nature with Grace? Hopefully you can see the practical evil of this doctrine. If God doesn't allow an individual the Grace by which they could live right, then obviously His plan for that person's life was that they live wrong. (remember the Reformed Tradition that Sproul is associated with states: "By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death." (Source - see Chapter 3)
Finally, understand that if Free Will is retained, then according to Reformed theology, the 'Absolute Sovereignty' of God is dismissed! Think of it this way. . . if man had Free Will, he could "Resist" the Will of God (Acts 7:51 & 2 Tim. 3:8). The problem with this is it could thwart the Reformed concept of [Absolute] Predestination! (known in theological language as 'Monergism')
R.C. Sproul is merely repeating words from past teachers of his tradition and has fallen prey to the Errors of Augustine. Like the early Church said, who wrote PRIOR to Augustine, many Text in the Bible reveal man has the Will and ability to Submit or Resist God. (Gen. 4:6-7; Deut. 30:19; Josh. 24:15; 1 Chron. 28:9; Pro. 16:1; Isa. 1:16-20; Isa. 55:6-7; Jer. 26:13; Ezk. 18:30-32; Jon. 3:8-10; Matt. 23:37; Jn. 3:21; 3:36; Acts 10:34-35; Acts 17:30-31; Rom. 6:16-17; 2 Cor. 7:1; 2 Tim. 2:21; Jas. 4:7-10; 1 Pet. 1:22; Rv. 22:17)
Let us always remember that God is NOT the Author of Sin and has told us to "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame." (1 Cor. 15:34) Therefore God's Grace does NOT permit Sin, instead, He has told us to "Go and Sin No More!" since "he who Sins is of the Devil." (Jn. 5:14; Rom. 6:1-2; 1 Jn. 3:8; Tit. 2:11-12; Heb. 10:26-27; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; Jude 3-4)
R.C Sproul is preaching 'Another Jesus' and a 'Different Gospel'! (2 Cor. 11:3-4) Only the 'spirit of error' would try to convince your mind that God (or another person like Adam!) is responsible for your personal vices. (Isa. 59:2) Do Not err. Judgment is according to Deeds (Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:10; Gal. 6:7-9; 1 Pet. 1:17) and the Impentient heart BELONGS to man! (Lk. 24:46-47; Acts 17:30; Rom. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:9) Calvinism is HERESY and the teachers who advance it are the REAL Heretics!