Can You See the Logical Fallacy?
Classic False Dilemma of Choice
Paul tells his readers quite clearly why every person is guilty of sin and thus condemned before God. How is this possible? Paul describes the process but it does not translate clearly into English. We will look at Paul’s answer in some detail and discover the absurdly simple process is automatic. This becomes the basis for Total Depravity; the belief that man is born without any goodness, already destined for Hell. The answer to the graphic will be given at the end of the post.
Our text comes from Romans (Ro 1:28-32). The reason the answer is not obvious is because it is contained in the underlying original Greek language. Reading the Bible in your native language is a boon to gaining of salvation; however, at some point the reader must move beyond one’s vernacular language to the original language. I do not suggest that everyone become a Greek and Hebrew scholar; I do suggest that every reader become familiar with some of the original languages. There are enough affordable references to help any person. Each f us can become knowledgable without spending years becoming an expert.
In earlier verses Paul wrote that the ungodliness and unrighteousness of man actively suppresses the truth of God. What may be known of God is clearly communicated from two sources. The outer source is Creation which continually screams out the message of God’s existence (Ps 19:1-6). Paul says that God’s power and divine nature are clearly perceived by God’s creation; so much so that man rejects the truth of God to worship the Creation as the source of truth. Man also has another inner witness: internal moral law evidenced by guilt which notifies everyone when God’s morality is violated. Thus, guilt is the gift of God and not the curse of man; unless of course man seeks to suppress the truth guilt; that man is a sinner in need of a Savior. This occurs because man is made in God’s image (Ge 1:26-27). Even after sin man retained God’s nature evidenced by the fact that historically man has developed societies to control the same sins: murder, lying, stealing, etc. as contained in the Decalogue {Ten Words or Commandments}. This image separates man from animal; man is moral, having a self-awareness of right and wrong whereas animals have no such moral compass. However, sin transmuted this godly moral image in man into ungodliness. Ungodliness is the antithesis or opposite of God. Unrighteousness are the thoughts, words and deeds arising from ungodliness: murder, anger, gossip, etc.
Since man is a moral being, with a moral code, man must have a source explaining this code; hence, religion. Bible writes that what may be known of God is declared by our conscience and Creation. However, man rejects this testimony in a process we will describe shortly. Thus, rather than worship the God of Creation, man worships creation itself. The substitution of creation for the Creator as the source of truth is the basis of ungodliness. Unrighteousness is ungodliness expressed. As interesting as the process may be, it does not explain the process; “How does one become ungodly?”
Ungodliness is not an identifying mask
Ungodliness is an identifying worldview
Paul writes that man did not see fit to acknowledge God. The Greek word translated as fit is a verb that means to test or prove the suitability of perceptions. Man in his lost state rejects everything of God which begins at conception (Ps 51:5). Think of man’s nature, corrupted by sin, tests all incoming perceptions and thoughts to reject any that bear the truth of God. The only incoming truth allowed is actually none truth; i.e., that which shows God is not God. Matthew says it best when he writes that if the light in you be single then bright is that light; but if the light be scattered, then dark is that light (Mt 6:22-23). Man’s sinful nature only lets in that which feeds the Darkness; the Light is rejected. Thus, man is the arbiter of right and wrong according to his sin nature. This seeks to co-opted biblical morality while assigning a non-biblical explanation. The result is a debased mind, a mind devoid of any Light of God while actively suppressing the truth of God. This will obviously result in behaviors that are not congruent with biblical morality.
Since the knowledge within us is darkness man builds a worldview from the darkness. A worldview is the process by which one interprets and judges all input from the world, inner and outer. This worldview is built out of Darkness, therefore the lost worldview rejects God’s truth and accepts ungodliness expressed in four major areas: unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. But a look at the underlying Greek words gives us more insight. Unrighteousness are the thoughts, words and deeds already discussed. Evil is actually any developed system of works that try to prove man is not a sinner. Covetousness is the inordinate desire for whatever you do not possess but others may. Malice is the goal of man: condemnation of God as the author of evil. These are the criteria by which man judges himself as righteous and everyone else as not righteous, so each person can appear righteous enough to be excused from judgment.
Because man’s sin nature only allows evil to be the basis for morality and the standard by which to judge all words, thoughts and deeds, it is not surprising that man is completely filled with all manner of anti-God motivations: internal and external. Paul gives us an exemplary list that run the gauntlet of disobedient to parents, rebellion against authority, to the ultimate expression of anger, murder. Then man falls back upon logical fallacies to prove his position is righteous. People know they are doing wrong, guilt informs them that they are in danger of God’s judgment. This is the basis for fear (1Jo 4:18). People for associations and alliances with those who have similar worldviews and approve each other’s practice of sin. This is the logical fallacy of appeal to the majority; otherwise known as democracy. According to Plato this was the last step on the path to totalitarianism which may be instituted by brute force or more effectively with the consent of the people. If these tactics worked then people would not have fear; yet, fear appears to be the increasingly great motivator of ungodliness.
Sin did not catch God off guard
God’s Plan existed before sin to erase sin
In the first graphic, choice, I spoke of a logical fallacy designed into the graphic; fallacy of the false dilemma; positioning the person into making the preferred choice rather than the correct choice. You are presented with a choice between the red pill, sovereign election, and the blue pill, human freedom. The implication is that election means God has limited your choice making God responsible for your sin. As Paul has written, your sin nature limited your choice making free choice impossible. Your sin nature has eliminated all truth of God exchanging it for the lie of Satan (2Th 2:9-12). God’s election is that though all are worthy of death, God has chosen to save some based solely on His will and not on any human criteria (Ep 1:3-10). The jailer is not obligated to show mercy until the entire sentence is paid in full; however, God through Christ has remitted that for some (Mt 5:25-26). It is God who frees sinners from the slavery to sin (Ro 6:16-18).
The essence of Total Depravity is that you are not free to choose so God has made the choice for some even though it violates their choice to remain slaves to sin. The lost carry some caricature of God’s moral image which they constantly distort to justify sin. Some even act as bad as possible but God in His mercy has prevented man from being as bad as possible. Yet, when the restraining Spirit will be taken away man will be unrestrained, free, to express the great evilness that exists in every sinful heart (2Th 2:3-8). Thus, man is the great evil in following his father, Satan, and the author of his, or her, own destruction (Jo 8:44; Re 20:11-15). Do you hear the call of God to salvation today? Answer (Jo 3:16)!