Christian anthropology

[JesusIsLord]

Hello brothers I have a brother at our church that believes that the new man (the christian) has no sin in his heart but rather in regeneration is given a new heart by God and can now do good works (obviously Not towards salvation) but out of gratitude and desire to obey God. He doesn't believe that the Christian man has a corrupt heart but rather has sin dwelling in his members. He believes in sin, sanctification,and mortification of sin but the biggest issue with him is that he believes that when the bible speaks of the new heart it is not a partially new heart but fully new and therefore good. Is this considered heresy?

 

[MichaelNZ]

If someone says that they no longer sin, then yes, that is heresy.

"If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8)
"For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me" (Romans 7:19-20)

Ask your brother if he is better in Christian character than John and Paul.

 

[Peairtach]

The Christian receives a new fundamental motive of love for the true God and love for man made in God's image when he is regenerated.

But it would be untrue to say that the Christian is not motivated by sinful desires, just that those desires are not his most basic desires.

So it is not true to say that the Christian's heart is free from all sin, otherwise he would have no sin.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2

 

[KeithW]

If someone says that they no longer sin, then yes, that is heresy.
...
Ask your brother if he is better in Christian character than John and Paul.

But the original post said,

He doesn't believe that the Christian man has a corrupt heart but rather has sin dwelling in his members.

The brother in his church is making a distinction about where sin dwells in a Christian -- in the heart or in the flesh. In your quotation of Romans 7, backing up one verse we see:

(Rom. 7:18) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

So it seems that the brother in his church does understand Paul.

 

[KeithW]

Did you really mean to use the word heresy? It can mean the idea that someone believes and promotes something contrary to the doctrines held by your church or denomination. Church discipline is brought against them to change their mind. If they are unrepentant of their views then they are kicked out of the church. I am going to guess that what you meant was to ask was if his view is what is commonly understood from Scripture.

Have you asked him where does his viewpoint come from in Scripture? Do you know where your viewpoint comes from in Scripture?

The idea of a new heart comes from the promises of the new covenant.

Ezek. 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

The idea that sin dwells within the flesh can come from Paul (which I mentioned in my previous post).

Rom. 7:18-20 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So at first glance it looks like the brother in your church holds a correct Scriptural viewpoint.

Your church holds this viewpoint, (Our Doctrinal Statement | Grace Bible Church)

There is some element of corruption in every part of the fallen nature which is the source for the war between the flesh and the Spirit.

(The Scriptures cited in that section are not relevant to this statement.)

Does the New Testament contain additional teaching about the heart?

Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matt. 15:19,20 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

James 3:8-10 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

So here we have teaching that what we speak comes out of the heart, both blessing and cursing, both good and evil. So much of our sin still comes from our heart. The brother in your church might need some help in understanding this more nuanced explanation about the heart.

My own opinion is that the brother in your church already recognizes that before a man is saved he only has the sinful nature within him. After he is saved he still has the sinful nature but he now also has something new alongside of it, and the two war against each other.

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

But it would be untrue to say that the Christian is not motivated by sinful desires, just that those desires are not his most basic desires.

Could you elaborate on the bolded phrase? Also, would you say that the Christian's godly desires are his "most basic desires" (whatever that means)?

 

[MW]

Is this considered heresy?

It is basically saying that the regenerate man has two natures, which is false. Whether it is heresy depends on the manner in which it is held or taught. It is enough to say it is an error that can have serious consequences.

The biblical and reformed doctrine is taught in WCF 13.2: "This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part: whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war; the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh."

Denying that corruption is in every part of the regenerate basically lays claim to a form of "perfection" this side of eternity. This leads to numerous abnormalities, such as (1) a failure to engage in the irreconcilable war as described by the Confession; (2) refusal to take personal responsibility for sin, to confess it, and seek forgiveness for it on the basis of Christ's righteousness alone; and (3) a reliance upon something within the believer in the place of seeking strength and grace from God. There are many other ill consequences, but these should suffice to show how mischievous such a false dichotomy can be.