The Doctrines of Grace (Total Depravity)

Have you ever heard of Total Depravity? All Christians either believe in total depravity or partial depravity and which ever view you hold on to will determine your view of how sinful man is born again. During the fifth century there was a controversy between Augustine and Pelagius over free will, God grace, and original sin. Augustine was a catholic theologian who wrote a prayer saying, "Lord give what you command and command what You will." Pelagius ( a British Monk) disagreed with this prayer saying, "God would never give a command unless man was capable out of his own "free will" and "ability" to kept them." The next question was: Does man need Gods grace to stand before him? Pelgaius said, "No, while Gods grace is appreciated, man out of his own free will can choose not to sin." Augstine said, " Yes, man is utterly dependant on Gods grace, because he is ruin by the sin of Adam and can do nothing to redeem himself from the wrath of God." Over time these two teachings were modified together and called semi-pelgaius; meaning that man is only sick in his sins and needs to call on the physician to cure him. So, if you are a Pelgaius all you need is a teacher to guide, if you are a semi-pelgaius all you need is a physician, if you are a Augustinian you need to be resurrected from the dead. If you hold on to the first two views, Christ died in vain. The Pelaguis teaching was condemned by the Catholic Church.


The controversy continued in the middle ages between Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus over free will. Erasmus, a Roman apologist, wrote a book on "free will". Martin Luther responded by writing his book "The Bondage of the Will." Martin Luther was once a catholic priest, but removed himself from the catholic church and the reformation history began. The Catholic Church , who once condemned this teaching was now embracing it and teaching indulgence. Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a universal priesthood. According to Luther, salvation is a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.

Well it wasn't long before this same debate continued, but this time it was within the reformed church. This was know as the Arminan/Calvinist controversy during 1619. This was the question and controversy during that meeting that lasted seven months and 154 sessions "How does fallen man become born again?" You would think, " It took that long for one question that can be answered so quick!?" Yes, its a serious issue and many hold on to different views on how a fallen man is saved. Most will say, "By his own free will, fallen man chooses Christ." Well, that's a good answer, but not close to being biblical. Jesus said that, "whoever commits sin is a slave to sin." So, how can the "will" be "free" to choose Christ if it is enslaved to sin? "Its was by the evil use of "free will" that man destroyed it and himself (Augustine). Romans 8:7 says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." This is not speaking of a "carnal christian" as most people interpret, but about the sinful man cannot or "will not" subject himself to Christ.


So, is there free will? Yes and no. Yes, because you chose to read this blog or not, what tie to wear or not wear and so forth. None of the reformed thinkers ever denied free will or choice. However, no, because man left to himself to choose good or evil, man will always choose evil. Now, lets look at Total Depravity and this debate over free will. Total Depravity means that, "Sin has effected every facet of human personality to such an extent that we are incapable of doing good or loving God as we should. The human race is incapable of saving themselves or choosing Christ."


1. The bible teaches teaches with absolute clarity that man, by nature, is DEAD: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all sinned." (Rom 5:12)


2. Man is bound: "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." (2 Tim. 2:25)


3. Men are blind and deaf: "...but unto them that are without, all these things done in parables; that seeing they may not see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand." (Mark 4:11)


4. Men are uninstructable: "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; nether can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor2:14)


5. Men are naturally sinful by birth: "Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Ps 51:5)


6. Men are sinful by practice: "And God saw the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen 6:5)


7.Men are enslaved: " Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin." (John 8:34)


8. Men are spiritually dead: "...dead in trespasses and sins..." (Eph 3:1)


We must ask, then: Can the DEAD raise themselves? Can the BOUND free themselves? Can the BLIND give themselves sight, or the DEAF hearing? Can the SLAVES redeem themselves? Can the UNINSRTUCTABLE teach themselves? Can the NATURALLY SINFUL change themselves? Can the SPIRITUALLY DEAD become spiritually alive? Jeremiah asked, " Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil." (Jer. 13:23)


The bible clearly teaches that man is incapable and unwilling to save themselves or choose salvation. However, even though the scriptures can confirm mans total fallen state, Christians will disagree without any support of scripture. Why, because it violates their theology of free will. Christian, listen; free will is bound, corrupted, enslaved, dead, captive by Satan. Did I say bound already? Then how can it be free? Please watch this video.

If man is unable to save himself then God must save, if man is blind then God must give sight, if man is enslaved then God must give a ransom, if man is bound then God must loose, if man is dead (not sick or partially dead, but dead) then God must give life. How can a dead man raise himself? The sinner is seen like Lazarus, dead and bound. Incapable of "taking the first step toward God" or choosing Christ. Question, how is than fallen man saved if he is dead? Here is the answer Jesus gave and is very important to understand and interpret correctly, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him..."( John 6:44). Also, Jesus stated a second time, " This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." (John 6:65)

Romans9:16 says," So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."

May God give us the grace to understand His Word.


Any comments?