Journal: Reformation and Revival
Volume: RAR 01:2 (Spring 1992)
Article: The Starving of the Church-II
Author: Jim Elliff

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RAR 1:2 (Spring 1992) p. 97

The Starving of the Church-II

Jim Elliff

“The church is swelling like the belly of a starving man.” With this thought we began in the last article to examine the doctrinal void in the typical evangelical church. Now we will look at the first two of five forgotten doctrines to be explored. Both historically and theologically it can be argued that such doctrines as those we will examine are instrumental in revivals of religion. It is my prayer that they will light a torch of spiritual zeal and concern in the reader’s heart. Think with me now about these two mammoth doctrines: the depravity of man and the judgment of the damned.

A Thorough Depravity

The doctrine of the depravity of man has been trivialized and neglected to such an extent that pressing home even the basics of this teaching to the churches, your friends, and even your family, may elicit less than rave reviews. Teach it still! Neglect it at the peril of losing the whole meaning and necessity of salvation. A Christian soldier without an understanding of depravity is a man without a weapon. How weak is the toothpick of psychoanalysis compared with this giant spear the size of a weaver’s beam! This doctrine alters the landscape of man’s thinking. It is a prairie fire which clears out his false notions and levels his proud thoughts. Man can only love it when his heart is changed to boast in God.

What benefit will the believer have in studying this doctrine? Knowing these truths will have these effects:

1. It will produce more gratitude. It is, in fact, the ground floor of the whole structure of gratitude. Understand it even a little and you will love God a lot.
2. It will increase concern. Know man and his sin and you will want to be a rescuer. You would never wish a man, any man, the kind of bondage inflicted by sin.
3. It will give you more tolerance of others. When a believing woman says of her unconverted spouse, “I just can’t live

RAR 1:2 (Spring 1992) p. 98

with that man!” I know that she has not grasped the doctrine of sin.

1. It will make you more intent on being separate from the sins of the flesh. “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!” (Rom. 6:21)

It is true: No man is as bad as he can be. This is not what depravity means. This issue of depravity is not so much about degrees of sin as about the fabric of man’s being. It is about who man is—he is constituted a sinner. Los Angeles may have more or less smog on any given day, but the air you breathe there is always smog. So the man without Christ...

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