210 – Human Responsibility and Man’s Inability

SEMESTER 1

210 – Human Responsibility and Man’s Inability

BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE

COURSE:  SOTERIOLOGY I LESSON # 10
HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY AND MAN’S INABILITY

INTRODUCTION:

1. Someone has unwisely said and others have foolishly believed, that ability is always equal to responsibility.
2. This criteria for judging responsibility has today been applied to morality itself and has wrought havoc through the world.

I. ABILITY DOES NOT DETERMINE RESPONSIBILITY

1. Man is incapable of loving God rightly, but he is responsible.
2. Man may find himself uncontrollably covetous yet he remains responsible.

II. MAN IS TO BLAME FOR HIS INABILITY

III: The driving responsibilities of a drunk.

1. This blame is inherited from Adam. (Rom. 5:12)

i. This is to say we participated in the sin of Adam.
ii. How can such a thing as this be? Hear this quote from A.H. Strong on tape.

III. RESPONSIBILITY IS RELATIVE TO KNOWLEDGE

1. Man is responsible to that which he knows, or may know.
2. The heathen’s responsibility is relevant to his ability to know. (Rom. 1:19-20)
3. It is also relevant to his conscience, the law of God written in his heart. (Rom. 1:12-15)
4. Let it be said that, “willing ignorance” is not an excuse.

III: A command to read instruction and per­form relevant act, then becomes the sin of the one who could have read, though he could not have performed the act without reading.

5. So it is not only knowledge that brings responsibility, but access to it.
6. This concept supports the opinion that infants and imbeciles will be saved.

i. That is to say they are mentally blind to moral principles.
ii. Study and exposition of Jn. 9:39-41, Jn. 12:37-40 and II Cor. 4:3-4 substantiate this.
iii. For more knowledge concerning the coordination of infant knowledge and responsibility, see Deut. 1:39.