“Shew me thy ways, O LORD;
teach me
thy paths.” (Psalm 25:4)
In this study, we will look at
the
biblical teaching regarding noetic effects
of sin. What does this mean? What
are the implications for counseling and
apologetics?
As in
previous studies, we will look at
definitions, scriptures, lexical evidence,
commentary evidence and confessional support
for the purpose to glorify God in
how we live. May God be glorified always!
Noetic effects of sin:
“The
negative effect of sin on the minds and
thinking of humankind, causing the
reasoning ability of fallen humanity to be
corrupted, especially degrading the
understanding of spiritual things; also
called the noetic effects of the fall.”
*
Noetic effect of sin:
“The noetic effect of sin is
the
effect upon the mind.The
Greek word for
"mind" is "nous."Therefore, ‘noetic’ deals with the
mind, or the rational aspect of the
person.This effect means that our
reasoning abilities are no longer pure and
proper all the time.But,
it does not mean we will always reason
improperly. We can think rationally, use
mathematics, make proper judgments,
etc. But, as is obvious, there are many
false religions in the world that are
believed and defended intellectually. So,
the noetic effect of sin upon the
mind most assuredly manifests itself in the
belief of false gods, false Christ,
false gospels, etc.” **
From Scripture:
“Because that,
when they knew God, they glorified him not
as
God, neither were thankful; but became vain
in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans
1:21)
“Having the
understanding darkened, being alienated from
the
life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of
their heart.” (Ephesians 4:18)
From Calvin's
Commentary on Romans 1:18-23:
18. For [42]
revealed, etc. He reasons now by stating
things
of a contrary nature, and proves that there
is no righteousness except what is
conferred, or comes through the gospel; for
he shows that without this all men
are condemned: by it alone there is
salvation to be found. And he brings, as
the first proof of condemnation, the fact,
-- that though the structure of the
world, and the most beautiful arrangement of
the elements, ought to have
induced man to glorify God, yet no one
discharged his proper duty: it hence
appears that all were guilty of sacrilege,
and of wicked and abominable
ingratitude.
To some it
seems that this is a main subject, and that
Paul
forms his discourse for the purpose of
enforcing repentance; but I think that
the discussion of the subject begins here,
and that the principal point is
stated in a former proposition; for Paul's
object was to teach us where
salvation is to be found. He has already
declared that we cannot obtain it
except through the gospel: but as the flesh
will not willingly humble itself so
far as to assign the praise of salvation to
the grace of God alone, Paul shows
that the whole world is deserving of eternal
death. It hence follows, that life
is to be recovered in some other way, since
we are all lost in ourselves. But
the words, being well considered, will help
us much to understand the meaning
of the passage.
Some make a
difference between impiety and
unrighteousness,
and think, that by the former word is meant
the profanation of God's worship,
and by the latter, injustice towards men;
but as the Apostle immediately refers
this unrighteousness to the neglect of true
religion, we shall explain both as
referring to the same thing. [43] And then,
all the impiety of men is to be
taken, by a figure in language, as meaning
"the impiety of all men,"
or, the impiety of which all men are guilty.
But by these two words one thing
is designated, and that is, ingratitude
towards God; for we thereby offend in
two ways: it is said to be asebeia,
impiety, as it is a dishonoring of God; it
is adikia, unrighteousness,
because man, by transferring to himself
what belongs to God, unjustly deprives God
of his glory. The word wrath,
according to the usage of Scripture,
speaking after the manner of men, means
the vengeance of God; for God, in punishing,
has, according to our notion, the
appearance of one in wrath. It imports,
therefore, no such emotion in God, but
only has a reference to the perception and
feeling of the sinner who is
punished. Then he says that it is revealed
from heaven; though the expression,
from heaven, is taken by some in the sense
of an adjective, as though he had
said “the wrath of the celestial God;” yet I
think it more emphatical, when
taken as having this import, “Wheresoever a
man may look around him, he will
find no salvation; for the wrath of God is
poured out on the whole world, to
the full extent of heaven.”
The truth of
God means, the true knowledge of God; and to
hold in that, is to suppress or to obscure
it: hence they are charged as guilty
of robbery. -- What we render unjustly, is
given literally by Paul, in
unrighteousness, which means the same thing
in Hebrew: but we have regard to
perspicuity. [44]
19. Inasmuch as
what may be known of God, etc. He thus
designates what it behoves us to know of
God; and he means all that appertains
to the setting forth of the glory of the
Lord, or, which is the same thing,
whatever ought to move and excite us to
glorify God. And by this expression he
intimates, that God in his greatness can by
no means be fully comprehended by
us, and that there are certain limits within
which men ought to confine
themselves, inasmuch as God accommodates to
our small capacities what he
testifies of himself. Insane then are all
they who seek to know of themselves
what God is: for the Spirit, the teacher of
perfect wisdom, does not in vain
invite our attention to what may be known,
to gnoston; and by what means
this is known, he immediately explains.
And he said, in them rather than to them,
for the sake of greater emphasis: for
though the Apostle adopts everywhere Hebrew
phrases, and v, beth,
is often redundant in that
language, yet he seems here to have intended
to indicate a manifestation, by
which they might be so closely pressed, that
they could not evade; for every
one of us undoubtedly finds it to be
engraven on his own heart, [45] By saying,
that God has made it manifest, he means,
that man was created to be a spectator
of this formed world, and that eyes were
given him, that he might, by looking
on so beautiful a picture, be led up to the
Author himself.
20. Since his
invisible things, [46] etc. God is in
himself
invisible; but as his majesty shines forth
in his works and in his creatures
everywhere, men ought in these to
acknowledge him, for they clearly set forth
their Maker: and for this reason the Apostle
in his Epistle to the Hebrews
says, that this world is a mirror, or the
representation of invisible things.
He does not mention all the particulars
which may be thought to belong to God;
but he states, that we can arrive at the
knowledge of his eternal power and
divinity; [47] for he who is the framer of
all things, must necessarily be
without beginning and from himself. When we
arrive at this point, the divinity
becomes known to us, which cannot exist
except accompanied with all the
attributes of a God, since they are all
included under that idea.
So that they
are inexcusable. It hence clearly appears
what
the consequence is of having this evidence
-- that men cannot allege anything
before God's tribunal for the purpose of
showing that they are not justly
condemned. Yet let this difference be
remembered, that the manifestation of God,
by which he makes his glory known in his
creation, is, with regard to the light
itself, sufficiently clear; but that on
account of our blindness, it is not
found to be sufficient. We are not however
so blind, that we can plead our
ignorance as an excuse for our perverseness.
We conceive that there is a Deity;
and then we conclude, that whoever he may
be, he ought to be worshipped: but
our reason here fails, because it cannot
ascertain who or what sort of being
God is. Hence the Apostle in Hebrews 11:3,
ascribes to faith the light by which
man can gain real knowledge from the work of
creation, and not without reason;
for we are prevented by our blindness, so
that we reach not to the end in view;
we yet see so far, that we cannot pretend
any excuse. Both these things are
strikingly set forth by Paul in Acts
14:16-17, when he says, that the Lord in
past times left the nations in their
ignorance, and yet that he left them not
without witness (amarturon,)
since he
gave them rain and fertility from heaven.
But this knowledge of God, which
avails only to take away excuse, differs
greatly from that which brings
salvation, which Christ mentions in John
17:3, and in which we are to glory, as
Jeremiah teaches us, Jeremiah 9:24
21. For when
they knew God, etc. He plainly testifies
here,
that God has presented to the minds of all
the means of knowing him, having so
manifested himself by his works, that they
must necessarily see what of
themselves they seek not to know -- that
there is some God; for the world does
not by chance exist, nor could it have
proceeded from itself. But we must ever
bear in mind the degree of knowledge in
which they continued; and this appears
from what follows.
They glorified
him not as God. No idea can be formed of God
without including his eternity, power,
wisdom, goodness, truth, righteousness,
and mercy. His eternity appears evident,
because he is the maker of all things
-- his power, because he holds all things in
his hand and continues their
existence -- his wisdom, because he has
arranged things in such an exquisite
order -- his goodness, for there is no other
cause than himself, why he created
all things, and no other reason, why he
should be induced to preserve them --
his justice, because in his government he
punishes the guilty and defends the
innocent -- his mercy, because he bears with
so much forbearance the perversity
of men -- and his truth, because he is
unchangeable. He then who has a right
notion of God ought to give him the praise
due to his eternity, wisdom,
goodness, and justice. Since men have not
recognized these attributes in God,
but have dreamt of him as though he were an
empty phantom, they are justly said
to have impiously robbed him of his own
glory. Nor is it without reason that he
adds, that they were not thankful, [48] for
there is no one who is not indebted
to him for numberless benefits: yea, even on
this account alone, because he has
been pleased to reveal himself to us, he has
abundantly made us indebted to
him. But they became vain, [49] etc.; that
is, having forsaken the truth of
God, they turned to the vanity of their own
reason, all the acuteness of which
is fading and passes away like vapor. And
thus their foolish mind, being
involved in darkness, could understand
nothing aright but was carried away
headlong, in various ways, into errors and
delusions. Their unrighteousness was
this -- they quickly choked by their own
depravity the seed of right knowledge,
before it grew up to ripeness.
22. While they
were thinking, etc. It is commonly inferred
from this passage, that Paul alludes here to
those philosophers, who assumed to
themselves in a peculiar manner the
reputation of wisdom; and it is thought
that the design of his discourse is to show,
that when the superiority of the
great is brought down to nothing, the common
people would have no reason to
suppose that they had anything worthy of
being commended: but they seem to me
to have been guided by too slender a reason;
for it was not peculiar to the
philosophers to suppose themselves wise in
the knowledge of God, but it was
equally common to all nations, and to all
ranks of men. There were indeed none
who sought not to form some ideas of the
majesty of God, and to make him such a
God as they could conceive him to be
according to their own reason. This
presumption I hold is not learned in the
schools, but is innate, and comes with
us, so to speak, from the womb. It is indeed
evident, that it is an evil which
has prevailed in all ages -- that men have
allowed themselves every liberty in
coining superstitions. The arrogance then
which is condemned here is this --
that men sought to be of themselves wise,
and to draw God down to a level with
their own low condition, when they ought
humbly to have given him his own
glory. For Paul holds this principle, that
none, except through their own
fault, are unacquainted with the worship due
to God; as though he said, “As
they have proudly exalted themselves, they
have become infatuated through the
righteous judgment of God.” There is an
obvious reason, which contravenes the
interpretation which I reject; for the error
of forming an image of God did not
originate with the philosophers; but they,
by their consent, approved of it as
received from others. [50]
23. And
changed, etc. Having feigned such a God as
they
could comprehend according to their carnal
reason, they were very far from
acknowledging the true God: but devised a
fictitious and a new god, or rather a
phantom. And what he says is, that they
changed the glory of God; for as though
one substituted a strange child, so they
departed from the true God. Nor are
they to be excused for this pretense, that
they believe that God dwells in
heaven, and that they count not the wood to
be God, but his image; for it is a
high indignity to God, to form so gross an
idea of his majesty as to dare to
make an image of him. But from the
wickedness of such a presumption none were
exempt, neither priests, nor statesmen, nor
philosophers, of whom the most
sound-minded, even Plato himself, sought to
find out some likeness of God.
The madness
then here noticed, is, that all attempted to
make for themselves an image of God; which
was a certain proof that their
notions of God were gross and absurd. And,
first, they befouled the majesty of
God by forming him in the likeness of a
corruptible man: for I prefer this
rendering to that of mortal man, which is
adopted by Erasmus; for Paul sets not
the immortality of God in opposition to the
mortality of man, but that glory,
which is subject to no defects, to the most
wretched condition of man. And
then, being not satisfied with so great a
crime, they descended even to beasts
and to those of the most filthy kind; by
which their stupidity appeared still
more evident. You may see an account of
these abominations in Lactantius, in
Eusebius, and in Augustine in his book on
the city of God. (1)
Calvin on
the
Sensus Divinitatis or the sense
of divinity:
“That there
exists in the human mind and indeed by
natural
instinct, some sense of Deity [sensusdivinitatis].
This we take to be
beyond dispute, since God himself, to
prevent any man from pretending
ignorance, has endued all men with some idea
of his Godhead.” (2)
Comments:
Closely related
to the sensus
divinitatis is the Imago
Dei or
the image of God:
In Christian
theology, the Imago Dei, Latin for the image
of God refers to the stamp of God
placed upon humankind. A man is an image
bearer of God. In the fall, this image
is marred.
As Calvin has
explained in his comments on Romans 1:18-23
and on the sensus
dvinitatis, fallen
humankind even though fallen in sin, have an
awareness of God’s presence or knowledge
of Him. Sinful men suppress this knowledge.
A fallen man is not neutral. Understanding
this about fallen men has implications for
biblical apologetics and biblical
counseling. This innate knowledge in the
fallen man becomes a point contact as
the believer approaches the non-believer.
In the area of
counseling, this is approach is nouthetic
counseling or biblical counseling. Nouthetic
counseling breaks with non-Christianphycology, and Christian
non-believer influenced phycology.
In the area of
apologetics, this approach is
presuppositional
apologetics. Presuppositional apologetics
presents the Christian religion from
the Bible and defends it against opposition
by means of exposing the logical
fallacies or specifically the reductio
ad
absurdum of non-Christian worldviews,
and consequently, establishes the biblical
worldview as the only worldview that can
account for a consistent sense of
reality.
Presuppositional
apologetics exclusively argues for the
biblical God, and not just the existence of
some kind of god or a simple theism
devoid of any content. An example of theism
without content would be
Aristotle’s prime mover. Aristotle’s prime
mover is nothing more than a philosophical
construct. In contrast, the God of Holy
Scripture reveals His characteristics in
His written Word.
Confessional
support from the
Canons of Dordt the
Noetic Effects of Sin:
The
Third
and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine
Article
1
The
Effect
of the Fall on Human Nature
Man
was
originally created in the image of God and
was furnished in his mind with a
true and salutary knowledge of his Creator
and things spiritual, in his will
and heart with righteousness, and in all his
emotions with purity; indeed, the
whole man was holy. However, rebelling
against God at the devil’s instigation
and by his own free will, he deprived
himself of these outstanding gifts.
Rather, in their place he brought upon
himself blindness, terrible darkness,
futility, and distortion of judgment in his
mind; perversity, defiance, and
hardness in his heart and will; and finally
impurity in all his emotions.
Article
2
The
Spread
of Corruption
Man
brought forth children of the same nature as
himself after the fall. That is to
say, being corrupt he brought forth corrupt
children. The corruption spread, by
God’s just judgment, from Adam to all his
descendants - except for Christ alone
- not by way of imitation (as in former
times the Pelagians would have it) but
by way of the propagation of his perverted
nature.
Article
4
The
Inadequacy of the Light of Nature
There
is,
to be sure, a certain light of nature
remaining in man after the fall, by
virtue of which he retains some notions
about God, natural things, and the
difference between what is moral and
immoral, and demonstrates a certain
eagerness for virtue and for good outward
behavior. But this light of nature is
far from enabling man to come to a saving
knowledge of God and conversion to
him - so far, in fact, that man does not use
it rightly even in matters of
nature and society. Instead, in various ways
he completely distorts this light,
whatever its precise character, and
suppresses it in unrighteousness. In doing
so,
he renders himself without excuse before
God.
In closing:
As
noted,
a man suppresses this knowledge of God, yet
it remains the best point of
contact for evangelism and discipleship by
appealing to this sensusdivinitatis
using biblical theology that replicates
this approach along with the converting
power of the Holy Spirit.
“Blessed art thou, O LORD:
teach me
thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:12)
“Study to shew thyself approved
unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Notes:
1.John
Calvin, Calvin's
Commentaries, Romans,
Vol. XIX, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker
Book House Reprinted 1979), pp. 67-74.
2.John
Calvin, Institutes
of the Christian
Religion, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Westminster Press), p. 43-44.
“To God, only wise, be glory
through
Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” (Romans 16:27)
and “heirs according to the
promise.” (Galatians 3:28, 29)
Mr. Kettler has previously
published
articles in the Chalcedon
Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife Marea
attend the Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. He
served as an ordained ruling elder
in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He
worked in and retired from a fortune
five hundred company in corporate America
after forty years. He runs two blogs
sites and is the author of the book
defending the Reformed Faith against
attacks, titled: The
Religion That
Started in a Hat. Available at:
www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.com
For more study:
* For a great source of
theological
definitions go to Rebecca writes at Rebecca
Writes
http://www.rebecca-writes.com/theological-terms-in-ao/