03-Chapter 3

CHAPTER III - TOTAL DEPRAVITY

    The first point of Hyper-Calvinism and the T of the TULIP is Total Depravity. A definition of Total Depravity is found in John McNeil’s book On The Christian Faith.

Original sin, therefore, appears to be a hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused through all the parts of the soul, rendering us obnoxious to the divine wrath and producing in us those works which the Scripture calls “’works of the flesh.” For our nature is not only destitute of all good, but is so fertile in all evils that it cannot remain inactive.¹

First of all, it must be understood that Total Depravity is not a biblical principle, but a man made doctrine. People are certainly wicked, but Hyper-Calvinism teaches that an individual is destitute of all good, therefore, incapable of doing anything other than evil. Since man is destitute of good and has no free will to exercise, he is incapable of either repentance or faith. God then condemns man for not repenting or believing. Sin began in the Garden of Eden when Adam willfully broke the commandment of God forbidding Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam’s sin separated him from God and atonement had to be initiated in order for reconciliation to occur. That sin has been passed on to every individual born since that time. This is called inherent sin because it is inherited through the parents from Adam. In Romans 5:12, the Bible states that “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Adam’s sin passed upon all men through the flesh, therefore all humanity became sinful in the sight of God. Inherent sin is not the sin that causes man to spend an eternity in Hell though. Children, who die before they become accountable to God, die in the Lord and are present with Him today. Therefore, inherent sin is not the condemning sin of eternal judgment. Romans 5:12 declares that “death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” The sin that condemns man is the sin made through his own personal choice. Hyper-Calvinism teaches that man is not only totally depraved in his natural estate, but incapable of doing any good at all. Because man is totally incapable of good in any sense of the word, God must not only provide salvation for man, but must also make the choice of salvation for him. Hyper-Calvinism is teaching the total inability of man. Is this biblical truth or doctrinal error?

God’s Word teaches that the heart of all mankind is deceitful, desperately wicked, and unknowable in Jeremiah 17:9. Every man born into the world has been born into sin and the Scriptures states “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The heart is certainly all these things, but this verse does not teach total depravity. It simply says that the heart will deceive you, is wicked and capable of doing anything, and that you cannot put any confidence in it. It does not say that man is incapable of doing any good at all in his natural state. To read that into the verse is to do a grave injustice to Scripture. Man is certainly born into sin according to the Bible (Genesis 8:21; Psalms 51:5; Job 15:14-16; Psalms 58:3; Romans 5:12). Children do not have to be taught to do evil because it is inherent, but have to be taught to do good because it is contrary to their nature. Within man is born the capability of committing the most heinous sins imaginable. It does not take long, looking down through the centuries, to find out that nothing is sacred to men who let their imaginations go unchecked. The Bible declares these things to be the “work of the flesh.” The Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter 7 said that “in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.” To say that man is wicked is correct, but to say that he is incapable of good is incorrect. Does man have the capability to do good? The Bible will fully answer this question. God’s Word teaches that man is a sinner by choice as well as by birth. In the Book of Romans, chapters 1-3, God declares that the entire world is guilty before Him because of the personal choices that they have made. Man is inexcusable because God has made it possible for every man, woman, and child to know him. God has set a “tabernacle under the sun” in nature itself whereby man can know that there is a supreme Being. In John chapter one, the Bible says that God lights every man who comes into the world through His Son, Jesus Christ. How can man know a God of whom he has not heard? “Seek and ye shall find” is the answer to this question. If an individual wants to know God, God will make sure that this individual has opportunity to know Him. In Romans chapter one, there are three steps in human accountability stated. To refuse the light that God has given to you will eventually lead to a reprobate mind and eternal damnation. Here, in these verses, the lost make a three-fold choice.

First of all in Romans 1:21, we find that “when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations.” It does not say that they could not glorify Him as God, but that they chose not to recognize Him and give to Him the glory that was due. When men comes face to face with the reality of who God is, they must then make a choice to not only recognize God, but, also, to put Him in His proper place in their lives as individuals. That is to accept both His person, as God, and His position, as Lord of Lord and King of Kings. The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God and vice versa. Human wisdom that denies the very essence of God becomes foolishness in the hearts of men. The result is that God gives the individual over “to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.” Sexual sin is a direct result of failing to glorify God. Choosing not to recognize God and to give Him the thanksgiving that He is due will lead to a hardening of the heart and is the first step to a reprobate mind.

Secondly, in Romans 1:25, man begins to “change the truth of God into a lie.” When God is placed on the “back burner,” sin begins to control the sinner and his choice is to either get right with God or to water down what God has said. Scripture is of no private interpretation, yet the God denier will begin to reason it out by saying, “That is not what God meant.” The Word of God says what it means and means what it says, and to change it or alter it’s meaning is a dangerous thing. Self-justification has been the method of the sinner to lessen his sinfulness since Genesis chapter 3. In this same verse, humanism is introduced. The worship of the creature, which God created, more than the Creator Himself becomes sin. Man becomes his own god and self-gratification becomes his rule for life. Society today is permeated with this godless religion that places man upon the pedestal, therefore, making him equal with God. There is a two-fold judgment that comes with this second step to a reprobate mind. God gave them up to the sexual perversion of sodomy. Sodomy is not a result of a reprobate mind because the sodomite can be saved, but places the sodomite in a dire situation. The Bible also says that the sinners then receive “in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” God judges the perversion of sodomy, not only in the life to come, but, also, in this life. The plague of Aids is a direct result of sodomy though it is blamed upon many different things. Stop the sodomy and the Aids virus will also stop.

Thirdly, God’s Word declares that “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge” in Romans 1:28. The inevitable result of denying whom God is and changing His precious Word into a lie is to try to force God out of the mind. When man’s sin and self-glorification takes over his life completely, and God is not in his thoughts, God gives them over to a reprobate mind. Reprobate, according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, is to be “abandoned in sin; lost to virtue or grace.”² Reprobate men and women will fulfill the lusts of the flesh with no restraint, therefore, going deeper and deeper into rebellion and degradation. It is interesting that the Bible says that they know the judgment of God and yet continue not only sin, but also have pleasure in those who commit sin. In all three of these steps to a reprobate mind, it is clearly set forth that man makes his own personal choices and that God holds him accountable for them. In Chafer Systematic Theology free will is explained away as simply an act of God which cannot be resisted. In the first instance, it is well to observe that God did not create the human will as an instrument to defeat Himself; it was created rather as a means by which He might realize His own worthy purposes. Though as Sovereign He could do so, God does not coerce the human will; He rather works within the individual both to will and to do of His good pleasure (cf. Php 2:13). An efficacious call to salvation, then, is a call which none ever finally resists (cf. Romans 8:30). Everyone whom God predestinates He calls, and everyone whom He calls He justifies and glorifies. There could not be failure in one instance among the missions who are called . . . The divine invitation still is true that “whosoever will may come.” However, it also is true that none will ever come apart from this divine call, and that the call is extended only to His elect.³ This teaching is consistent with the Hyper-Calvinist teaching of total depravity and does away with human responsibility, which makes God responsible. If man cannot do good and can only do evil, it is only because he was created that way. This is a direct affront to the holiness of God! There are many verses of Scripture that bear out the ability of man to make right and good choices.

Though man’s thoughts are only evil continually, his heart is desperately wicked and deceitful, and he neither seeks nor fears God, the Bible does not say he is therefore unable―unless first of all regenerated by God―to believe the gospel even if convicted and convinced thereof by the Holy Spirit.

Paul teaches otherwise: “ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you” (Romans 6:17). Clearly, servants of sin responded to the command to repent and believe in Christ - then they were saved, regenerated, changed . . . . Nor does the statement that “none seek after God” deny that any man, no matter how depraved, can respond by intelligent choice without first being regenerated if God seeks and draws him. Neither does the Bible teach that God only seeks and draws an “elect” but no others. Indeed, many passages affirm that under the drawing of the Holy Spirit sinful man can make a moral response: “Draw me, we will run after thee” (Song of Song of Solomon 1:4); “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13); “ . . . he (God) is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Even the wicked are commanded to turn unto the Lord, with never so much as a hint that this is impossible until God first regenerates them (Isaiah 55:6-7).⁴

God has ordained that the gospel message be preached to “every creature’ (Mark 16:15), therefore, it stands to reason that “every creature” may receive it. To be able to hear the gospel and not be able to heed the gospel would be terribly unjust. The Hyper-Calvinist maintains that sinners have no ability to either repent or believe, except as God calls come selected individuals to salvation and leaves others He has predestined for Hell, unable to repent. The unregenerate (unsaved) man is dead in his sins (Romans 5:12). Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the natural man is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel (Mark 4:11-12). This is why “Total Depravity” has also been called “Total Inability.” The man without knowledge of God will never come to this knowledge without God’s making him alive through Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). But, God said that “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” If man is totally unable to make a choice in the matter of salvation, he certainly has a legitimate excuse! In Acts 17:30, God commands that every man repent. In Matthew 11:28 (also in John 7:37; Revelation 22:17), God invites every man to come to Him. In Romans 2:6-10 (also in John 5:39-40), God condemns those who do not respond to the light that has been given to them. Certainly choices are to be made and accountability is assumed. For all the importance Calvinism places upon the doctrine of Total Depravity, inasmuch as that is the condition of all mankind and the elect are delivered out of it, being totally depraved is not what keeps men in darkness after all, but God’s withholding the needed light. The lost are kept out of heaven not by their sin, but by God withholding the grace they need for salvation, because He has already predestined them to eternal torment.⁵

Why does man stand condemned in the eyes of God? The answer is clearly given in John, Chapter 3:19-20, which states that This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Scripture does not say that man cannot come to God, but that he will not come to God because of his lack of repentance. Once again, there is no inability here, but a personal choice clearly made.

Hyper-Calvinism teaches Total Depravity, which is Total Inability. If the doctrine of Total Depravity as defined in TULIP were true, then from Genesis to Revelation we have a God who pleads for thousands of years with a seemingly endless procession of billions of individuals to repent and turn to Him, individuals who are so hopelessly depraved that they can do nothing except persist in rebellion against Him unless He regenerates them. If He really wants those with who He pleads to repent and turn to Him, would God not give them the necessary grace to do so? He does that for the elect. Why not for all?⁶ The Bible teaches human responsibility. In Genesis 4:1-26, Abel brought the blood that God required for atonement, but Cain brought the fruit of his labors which is a type of works. The Lord accepted the blood offered by Abel, but rejected the work of Cain. When Cain’s countenance fell, the Lord said to him, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” Here a clear choice is given to Cain and also a second chance to do right. It was Cain’s responsibility to make the right decision. The Lord made no effort to make the decision for him, but left it to Cain and held him personally responsible for the choice made. The wrong choice was made because of sinfulness, not sovereignty. In John, the Pharisees having rejected Jesus as the Christ of God were indicted by the Lord when He said, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Would Christ have made such an accusation if these men were rejected in the sovereignty of God and had neither will nor choice? Later, in Matthew 23:37, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of the unwillingness of Jerusalem to come to Him when He said,

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

It was stated that they would not, not that they could not. In Matthew 19:16-22, there is a story of a rich young ruler who came to the Lord seeking salvation. The Bible says in verses 21-22,

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. The young man came to the Lord for salvation, but was not willing to repent in the area of finances and went away lost. Jesus told him what he needed to do and he was unwilling to pay the price. It was his choice to either obey or disobey and he chose disobedience. In Acts 26:28-29, King Agrippa was faced with a choice in respect to eternity. He rejected Paul’s plea when he said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Paul answered and said, “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.” Agrippa certainly was able to make a choice in the matter of salvation. Man has a free will and must personally exercise it in order to be saved.

Here is an interesting note from Chafer Systematic Theology.

However, the objective in the immediate discussion is not to demonstrate the general inability of fallen man―to which fact the Scriptures bear abundant proof―but to make evident the more specific truth that unregenerate men are not able to take one step, apart from the enabling power of the Spirit, in the direction of their salvation. The Armenian error which avers that a general and universal grace is given to all men by which they, if they will, may turn to God is exposed and reproved by a large body of Scripture, and no Scripture is found which sustains this error.⁷ This note calls those who believe in the free will of man Armenians, who believe that salvation can be lost through disobedience to God. The Armenian believes that you can be saved and later lost again. Bible believers certainly do not hold to this position, but stand for eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Free will does not destroy the sovereignty of God, but, rather, shows that God in His sovereignty has given to man a will and the freedom of personal choice. Along with that choice goes personal responsibility and either reward for doing good or judgment for doing evil. John 5:28-29 says,

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.