June, 2007
by: Jack Hughes
Recently in preaching through the Gospel of Luke I mentioned the two major theological systems that most Bible believing Christians have clung to in regards to salvation. One system was a system championed by John Calvin, the French leader of the reformation. The other system was championed by Jacobus Arminius. The theological systems of these two men are often described as “Calvinism” and “Arminianism.” Christians have, from the time of the reformation, described themselves as either “Arminian” or “Calvinistic” in theology.
Many people know that the teachings of Calvin were defended at the Synod of Dort (1618-1619). Many have the idea that the followers of John Calvin decided to distill Calvin’s teachings into five essential truths. Yet this was not the case. Actually the five points of Calvinism were responses to the followers of Jacobus Arminius. After Arminius died, his followers wrote a document called the “Remonstrance.” In it they expressed their disagreement with some of the teachings of Calvin. The Synod of Dort was then forced to defend the truths Calvin affirmed which the followers of Arminius disagreed with in the Remonstrance. The Remonstrance affirmed these five truths:
- The divine decree of predestination is conditional, not absolute (conditional vs. unconditional election).
- The atonement is universal in intention, in that Christ died to save all men (unlimited vs. limited atonement).
- Though man cannot save himself, he does have a free will (depravation vs. total depravity).
- The grace that draws men to salvation is a condition of human effort and does not act irresistibly (resistible grace vs. irresistible grace).
- Though a believer has the ability to resist sin they can also fall from grace and lose, forfeit, or hand back their salvation (uncertainty of salvation vs. perseverance of the saints).
These five disagreements with the teachings of Calvin required a five fold response. The five fold response by the followers of Calvin began to be referred to as “the five points of Calvinism” though they were really the five responses by the followers of Calvin to the Remonstrance. Later the mnemonic “TULIP” was invented to help people remember the distinctions between Calvinistic theology and Arminian theology.
Now that we have the history and development of the reformation teachings of “TULIP” explained, lets jump into the “T” in the mnemonic – Total Depravity. Total depravity is misunderstood by many. Many think that the doctrine of total depravity means that everyone is as sinful as they can be. Yet this is not what it means. What it means is that every part of man has been corrupted or affected by sin and the curse. A good definition is given to us by the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology:
Total depravity is the scriptural teaching that mankind is totally, thoroughly, and completely corrupted by sin in all parts of his being. Total depravity means that man is unable to please God on his own or earn any saving merit from God. It is also helpful to understand what total depravity does not mean. 1) It does not mean that people cannot do things which are relatively good in the sight of other men. 2) It does not mean that all men are as sinful as they can be or become. 3) It does not mean that men have no concept of good and evil. 4) It does not mean that men, because of their depravity, will indulge in every sin to every degree.
This definition helps us to understand that total depravity means that mankind has been touched and corrupted by sin and the curse throughout the totality of his being. Physically men get sick, grow old, and die. Spiritually speaking, men are born spiritually dead. Their thoughts, mind, heart, emotions, intentions, etc. are corrupted and tainted by sin. Even when an unbeliever decides they will do some “good deed” in the eyes of men, they do it for the wrong motive, never to glorify God. Hence even the “good deeds” of unconverted mankind are an abomination to God.
Thomas Watson in his work A Body of Divinity writes:
The sin of our nature is like a sleeping lion, the least thing that awakens it makes it rage. Though the sin of our nature seems quiet, and lies as fire hid under the embers, yet if it be a little stirred and blown up by a temptation, how quickly may it flame forth into scandalous evils!
Watson goes on to say:
I note hence the blindness of every sinner. He does not see that evil in sin which should make him leave it. He sins still. To this day, the veil is upon his heart. Sin is the spirit of and quintessence of evil, but the unregenerate person is enveloped with ignorance. If he dies in sin, he is dammed irrecoverably. But he sports with his own damnation – he sins still. Sin has made him not only sick but senseless. Though sin has death and hell following it yet he is so blind that he sins still. We pity blind men. How is every graceless man to be pitied whom the god of this world has blinded (II Cor. 4:4)? The devil carries a wicked man as the falconer does the hawk, hoodwinked to hell. But he does not see the danger he is in. He is like a bird that hastens to the snare and does not see the snare.
In reading quotes like this you might wonder if we are as sinful as some men make us out to be. Well the best resource for investigating these claims is the Bible. So now we turn to the Scriptures to see what they say about the sinfulness of man and the doctrine of total depravity.
First we learn that man is sinful from the beginning. David, when confessing his sin, says in Psa. 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” David was not saying that he was an illegitimate child but that from the moment of the conception he was a sinner. David also writes in Psa. 58:3, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from birth.” Here we learn that men are not born neutral and then become sinners, they are conceived in sin and are sinners from the womb or birth. In Gen. 8:21 Moses tells us what God said to Noah after he offered sacrifices to God. Then God says, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Here we see that man’s heart is evil from his youth. So it is clear that men are conceived in sin, born in sin, and sin because they are sinners. Now if that was all the Bible said we would have serious difficulty rejecting the doctrine of total depravity. However the Bible has much more to say about the sinfulness of man.
The Bible also explains in great detail that sin has affected man’s ability to think and act. Job’s friend Eliphaz speaks correctly when he says in Job 15:14-16, “What is man, that he should be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His sight; How much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water!” Here mankind is presented as unrighteous, detestable, corrupt, and drinking iniquity like water.
David says in Psa. 53:2-3, “God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” Here we see that men have corrupted understanding, all have turned aside to sin and no one seeks after God.
Isaiah writes about the sinfulness of man in Isa. 53:6 and says, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.” Again we see all men are sinners, all men have gone astray, all men are corrupted by their own iniquity.
The apostle Paul, describing the sinfulness of man and why all men need salvation, says in Rom. 1:21-23, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” Here Paul describes all men as not honoring God, not giving thanks to God, futile in their speculations, foolish of heart, darkened of heart, fools, and idolaters.
After Paul spends quite a bit more time explaining how sinful men are, he then says in Rom. 3:10-18, “as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”” Paul then gives his summarizing conclusion to man’s condition in vs. 23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
In Eph. 4:17-18 Paul says sin has caused men to be futile of mind, darkened in understanding, excluded from the life of God, ignorant, hard hearted, calloused, given over to sensuality, and the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
One more text should suffice to prove the point that men are totally depraved. In Tit. 1:15-16 Paul writes saying, “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” Here Paul lets us know that all men are impure, defiled, unbelieving, have defiled consciences and minds, practice sin, are detestable, disobedient, and worthless for any good deed.
Think about that in relation to those who believe that mankind is basically good! Some believe children are born with no sin, that they are morally pure and that they have to learn how to become sinners. But what parent has had to teach their child to kick, scream, and throw tantrums? What parent has had to teach their child to say in a nasty, defiant tone, “No!” Yet all children know how to do this from birth. Both experience and the Scriptures teach us that men are totally depraved! One of my favorite texts on the doctrine of man’s depravity is Gen. 6:5 where we read why the Lord sent the flood, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” As you know, God sent the flood, but it didn’t cure the problem, it only reduced the numbers of sinners. Today, mankind is still the same, our heart is a factory of sin. Our heart, mind, and conscience are all tainted by sin. And this is why all men need salvation. We are sinners through and through. Praise God for His grace in that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!”