Ruined Sinners to Reclaim: Sin and Depravity in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective

“In Ruined Sinners to Reclaim, twenty-six gifted pastors and theologians have joined forces to bequeath the church a rich, fruitful, and comprehensive survey of the doctrine of total depravity from the perspectives of historical theology, biblical exegesis, systematic theology, and polemics. With sensitivity to the contours of our increasingly secular world, the authors demonstrate how our understanding of total depravity should impact our evangelism, counseling, and preaching in modern contexts. Above all, the authors lead us to the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This magisterial work is one of the most definitive treatments of total depravity available in the Reformed tradition.”

“As I read through the rich and deep chapters of Ruined Sinners to Reclaim, I not only found myself instructed; I also found myself moved again and again by the goodness and grace of God in Christ toward ruined sinners such as I. This book helps us to look squarely at our pervasive depravity and inability to save ourselves from sin’s ruinous grip while also helping us to gaze in wonder and worship at God’s pervasive purity and his power to save.”

“Reading a book on total depravity might betray a morbid preoccupation with the subject—or worse, confirmation of its existence in the reader! Yet this outstanding collection of essays is a treasure trove for scholars and students alike. Canvassing the historical, biblical, theological, and pastoral dimensions of this much-neglected and much-misunderstood doctrine of Holy Scripture, the Gibson brothers have provided a perspicacious window into the importance of understanding the depth of our ruin, in order to appreciate the glory of our being reclaimed by Christ. From the opening comprehensive introduction by the editors to the closing pastoral chapters, this book is a richly woven tapestry of insights into the extent of our fallenness and the wonder of God’s redeeming grace.”

“It was Seneca who said that if we desire to judge all things justly, we must first persuade ourselves that none of us is without sin. This excellent book—Ruined Sinners to Reclaim—does a superb job of persuading us about the complex nature of sin and the comprehensive salvation we find in Christ, and thus enables us to make thoughtful theological judgments for Christian ministry today. All sections, and many of the essays within, will supply good guidance for weary pilgrims through the Slough of Despond and onward toward the Celestial City.”

“As with the first volume in the Doctrines of Grace series, Ruined Sinners to Reclaim provides depth, breadth, and clarity to its chosen topic. Since, as Calvin rightly put it, nearly all the wisdom we possess consists in the knowledge of God and of ourselves, this volume on sin, its nature, and its effects provides rich and practical wisdom so that we might better know ourselves, and thus know God better, as it plumbs the depths of Scripture and the Reformed theology that naturally wells up from Scripture. There is no other volume available that so adeptly gives us a microscope into the human heart.”