John Piper - Does being totally depraved mean were always sinning no matter what?

Even though we're always sinning, John Piper says that shouldn't paralyze us.

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[Isaiah1v18]

Rom.14:22-23 HCSB

Do you have a conviction? Keep it to yourself before God. The man who does NOT condemn himself by what he approves IS BLESSED. But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from a conviction, and everything that is not from a conviction is sin.

"Dont condemn yourself by what God approves, thats a sin because of a Lack of Faith"... is Pauls Moral message, not that youre SINNING 24-7 as Piper has concluded.

[mewtwo34]

@UrukEngineer I used to think that what faith was untill I started to learn more. Theres prove of God in a lot of things in life you just have to let those little wonderes reveal themselfs to you with time. Faith is something thats grown, its never a good idea to force it.

[UrukEngineer]

@mewtwo34 In the end it really is about understanding just what is meant by "faith". As you said you chose to believe, because as you point out I have "no concrete evidence for unbelieving". But isn't this the wrong way round? I also have no evidence for unbelief in unicorns.

Honest faith is about recognising that there is no evidence for a god(s) but chosing to believe anyway. because it doesn't feel right not to have a grand purpose in life set by a mighty power bigger than ourselves.

[mewtwo34]

@UrukEngineer most stories before jesus's sacrifce are pre christian, the religon didnt get a solid name till much later, prior to this those believed in God were Jewish or Desciples. PLus how are you sure that the stories about him are myth when in actuality you have no concrete evidence for unbelieving.The fact is we could go back and forth for hours. But at the end of the day I and millions of others choose to believe. Humans arent on this planet to just live and die a sad death

[UrukEngineer]

@mewtwo34 The existence of Jesus is disputed (read Wiki Historicity of Jesus for the arguments for and against). Even if he did exist, the stories written about him are a mix of partial fact and myth. As for Noah's Flood, this story is actually pre-christian..and although there is evidence for floods, there is nothing that supports something on the size the bible claims.

Major biblical claims fail to withstand close scrutiny

[mewtwo34]

@UrukEngineer The bible and history are our evidence. Historicaly there wa a man named Jesus who changed the world, there was a great flood as described when noah had to build a boat and Archaeology has shown that the plagues did happen. Also the bible before there ever was a NASA said that the universe was curved like a scroll. In the past few years it turns out that its true and that our universe does have a natural curve to it just like it was described in the bible.

[UrukEngineer]

@mewtwo34 Perhaps the "father" example was not the best at getting your point across. Please correct me, but I think that you are saying that for you, it is so obvious god created the world, that you just don't question it. This is effectively an intuition-based thing. Is that right?

But if you don't use evidence you have no way of objectively assessing all the other religious claims around the world. All can't be right.

[mewtwo34]

@UrukEngineer you have to dealve deaper into the question. All science is is a human interpretation of what God already understands. With the question that I asked I wanted you to assume that there was absolutlely no evidence whats so ever of your father ever existing, no photo, no dna testing, nothing. Would you then stop believeing that you had a father? no because you know its logical that you must have had one.Same thing with God.Science can only answer How, it cant answer why

[UrukEngineer]

@mewtwo34 Why doesn't it trouble you that there is no real evidence at all to substantiate belief in a god?

"If I never knew my father, doesn that mean he never existed?"- you have other sources of evidence for his exitance. You might have items that retain his DNA or documented evidence, photographs, videos etc.

Sadly the complexities of life are almost all explainable using scientifically established principles, based on evidence.

Religious faith is blind - and flawed as a result.

[mewtwo34]

@UrukEngineer True believers can see the evidence of his existence in the complexities of life. Just because God doesnt give you concreet in your face evidence of his existense doesnt mean that he isnt watching over us. As we grow in Christ, the once "invisible God" becomes much more noticable. Its tough for anyone starting out to place faith in something that cant seen.An easy place to start is to ask this question. If I never knew my father, doesn that mean he never existed?