R.C. Sproul on Original sin & the human will
Will in bondage; needs sovereign grace to be freed
"The force of this verb is the force of divine compulsion... that verse alone is sufficient to end the debate forever, with respect to man's ability... because Jesus Himself says that no man can do it unless the Father compels him to do it. And that is pure Augustinianism." — "Man's Radical Fallenness: Chosen By God with R.C. Sproul," ~20:35. On Romans 3 directly: "No one in his natural condition seeks after God. Seeking after God is the business of the believer."
THE POSITION
Explicit Augustinian, monergist reading of the fall: the will is in bondage and cannot come to Christ apart from a prior, effectual work of the Spirit. Argues from the Greek behind John 6:44's "draw" (force of compulsion, not mere invitation) that regeneration necessarily precedes and causes faith, not the other way around. 'The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles' (Rom. 3:10-20) makes the same point from the Romans 3 catena directly: no one, left to their own nature, moves toward God.
44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
17 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Founder of Ligonier Ministries and teaching elder in the PCA. Chaired the drafting committee for the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy; best known for The Holiness of God and for popularizing Reformed theology — the five solas and TULIP — for a lay audience.
Cite this page
"R.C. Sproul on Original sin & the human will", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/sproul/original-sin (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/sproul/original-sin).