Total Depravity-We can't even!
This joke is so cheesy, but it cracks me up!! The title and this meme do sort of relate to our topic today, as you will see soon. Total depravity, or Total Inability (as it's also known) is the topic of study today, my friends. I am going to do a five post series addressing the basics of reformed theology, or as I prefer to call them, the Doctrines of Grace, found in the acrostic "TULIP". Check my last blog that sets up the basic history of these doctrines. The system of thought that will be discussed over this series is also known as Calvinism, though it actually doesn't have much to do with John Calvin. That name was given to the members of the movement by Lutherans. Calvin was actually placed in an
unmarked grave after he died because many people were coming to see his grave, and reformers were concerned about people starting some strange new following or cult, which Calvin would have disapproved of. It is all about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and truths found in scripture. The truths found in scripture were inspired long before Calvin came along, and they shall stand forever, as God promises in his word. Total depravity is the first letter of the Doctrines of Grace, aka. trouble with a capital 'T'.
First things first, let's define our terms. I like the definition that Theopedia.com presents for the doctrine, "Total depravity (also called total inability or total corruption) is a biblical doctrine closely linked with the doctrine of original sin as formalized by Augustine and advocated in many Protestant confessions of faith and catechisms, especially in Calvinism. The doctrine understands the Bible to teach that, as a consequence of the the Fall of man, every person born into the world is morally corrupt, enslaved to sin and is, apart from the grace of God, utterly unable to choose to follow God or choose to turn to Christ in faith for salvation." emphasis added Now you can better understand my choice of meme! This is the spiritual equivalent of "I can't even"!
It is important to note, that this doctrine is discussing man in his natural state, apart from the grace of God. Keep that in mind as we discuss this. Also, I am not doing this to depress or discourage anyone, far from it! I want to bring all the glory of our salvation to God, and teach a proper view of man. Now, you may trust me, and you might like the above definition, but the most important question is "What does the bible say about this?". We are gonna get to scripture, and my inner nerd is ready, but let me break down the idea of Total Depravity first. I feel like two doctrines that are beneficial to study in order to grasp this are: Original Sin, and the Will of Man. Specifically, we will look at how sin and the fall brought about Original Sin and how it affected the will of man.
To study Original Sin and the Will of Man, we are going to use the London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689 because it contains many scriptures that support its summaries of doctrines. Good confessions are like guide rails that always point you back to the word of God and keep you from wandering into heresy.
Original Sin-the tendency to sin innate in all human beings, held to be inherited from Adam in consequence of the Fall. The concept of original sin was developed in the writings of St. Augustine. Ch. 6 of the LBCF 1689 touches on this.
Chapter 6: Of the Fall of Man, Of Sin, And of the Punishment Thereof
(I hyper linked every scripture below, so please take time and look at some, maybe even design a bible study or two around this, I did it so you could see the biblical evidence for yourself. God bless!)
1._____ Although God created man upright and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it, and threatened death upon the breach thereof, yet he did not long abide in this honor; Satan using the subtlety of the serpent to subdue Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who, without any compulsion, did willfully transgress the law of their creation, and the command given unto them, in eating the forbidden fruit, which God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory. ( Genesis 2:16, 17; Genesis 3:12,13; 2 Corinthians 11:3 )
2._____ Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them whereby death came upon all: all becoming dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. ( Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12, etc; Titus 1:15; Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-19 )
3._____ They being the root, and by God's appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free. ( Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22, 45, 49; Psalms 51:5; Job 14:4; Ephesians 2:3; Romans 6:20 Romans 5:12; Hebrews 2:14, 15; 1 Thessalonians 1:10 )
4._____ From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions. ( Romans 8:7; Colossians 1:21; James 1:14, 15; Matthew 15:19 )
5._____ The corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and the first motions thereof, are truly and properly sin. ( Romans 7:18,23; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8; Romans 7:23-25; Galatians 5:17 )
Please read about the will of man here. It is too long for this post, and hyperlinking all the above scripture took forever haha!
Wrap it up!
Our first parents fell because of their sin, and by this death came to all. And it defiled us. This is a good place to make a distinction about the word "total" in Total Depravity. It doesn't mean that we are as evil as we co
uld be, or that we are full of depravity. It means that every part of us is effected, our will, mental faculties, bodies, etc..that is what "total" means in this sense. Anyone who sins is a slave to sin John 8:34, and there are no God seekers Romans 3:11. Both of these statements are fairly inclusive, as they include every single human, except for Jesus, who ever lived. Most Christians agree on the doctrine of Total Depravity, more or less. I would even argue that most people that claim to not follow Christianity, but still use their God given brains, or are possessed of a modicum of common sense, hold this view too. If nothing else, they can see the result of it in our world. There is hardly anything sweeter than a child, but they aren't innocent as many people claim. As Psalm 51:5 states above, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." As many parents know, you don't have to teach a kid to be bad, you have to teach them how to be good. Greed and lying and lust all come quite naturally to us. Man’s heart is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). We are dead in our sins and trespasses and sin has our wills enslaved, apart from God's glorious grace! It is a matter of our nature. As R.C. Sproul puts it, "we are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.". It is this nature, this inability that is important to get. We literally can't even. If you hold to this, then all of the other points of "TULIP" logically follow. It makes salvation even more amazing because, as dead people (spiritually) we can't
do a thing. Just as Jesus said "Lazarus, come forth.", he has to call each of us to come forth out of our spiritual death. We aren't just sick people who need some medicine, we are dead men who need a miracle. Our salvation is also a resurrection. Praise be to God, that he is in the business of regenerating hearts and snatching people out of the grave. Praise be to God that he is the master of life and death. Next time we will talk about unconditional election, the second point of "TULIP". I love you guys, thanks for reading and giving me your time today, wherever you are. I hope you were challenged, encouraged, informed, and blessed. Until, next time, this is Blake singing out!
