The
Depravity of Man
Systematic Theology
I. What is depravity?
a. Depravity is a state of moral corruption.
b. All Christians would agree that man is corrupt. The extent of this corruption is heavily debated.
c. The actual term is not used in Scripture.
d. How depraved is man?
i. Man is never able to do any good that is fundamentally pleasing to God, and, in fact, does evil all the time. Man cannot recognize his own moral corruption nor turn to God. (Death analogy)
ii. Man has a corrupt nature and is prone to sin. Man cannot stop sinning but is able to recognize his depravity and the need for help. (Alcoholism analogy)
e. “Total Depravity” is the term often used to describe man’s total inability to do good or to turn to God. Others meaning the same thing include pervasive depravity, radical depravity, and total inability.
f. Total inability is critical to the Calvinistic view of salvation. Man’s total inability to turn to God creates the necessity of unconditional election and irresistible grace.
II. The Case for Total Inability
a. Description
i. “Man is a fallen creature, a slave to sin, spiritually dead, incapable of doing that which is pleasing to God.” – James White
ii. “Truly recognizing one’s spiritual state is a gift of grace. Outside of God opening the eyes of the heart man thinks himself wonderfully pure, or at least acceptable in God’s sight.” – James White
iii. This view of depravity is irreconcilable with free will as it pertains to salvation.
iv. A dead person is the best analogy. The natural man can do nothing spiritually good.
b. Scriptural Basis [not exhaustive]
i. Every man is corrupt in his heart. It is not a mere sickness. Every intent of his heart is evil. There is no good here: Genesis 6:5 – “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.”
ii. Extreme corruption begins at youth: Genesis 8:21 – “…I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for [even though] the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth…” Also Psalm 58:3a – “The wicked are estranged from the womb;”
iii. Natural men do evil and cannot do good without a change of heart given to them by God: Jeremiah 13:23 – “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” Also Matthew 7:17-18.
iv. Natural man is wholly corrupt and cannot seek after God. They cannot, in any way, desire to please God. Outside of God’s grace, man is corrupt, violent, hateful, and without fear of God: Romans 3:10-12 – “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.” If man cannot seek God, then God must unconditionally elect him. (Quotes are largely from Psalm 14:1-3 and 53:1-3.)
v. Death is the metaphor for natural man. Dead people don’t move or act. Spiritually dead people cannot move or act spiritually: Ephesians 2:1-2 – “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”
III. The Case for Depravity as Sin Nature
a. Description
i. “As a consequence of his depravity, man cannot do anything good that is fundamentally pleasing to God so as to merit his favor. He cannot demand that God save him. He cannot contribute to his salvation. He cannot change his nature. He cannot save himself. This is what his ‘inability’ consists of.” – Laurence Vance
ii. Sin has corrupted man. He will inevitably sin. This does not mean that he sins at every moment, but that sin is pervasive in his actions.
iii. Man is capable of recognizing his sins. Without help, he cannot do anything to stop sinning.
iv. The best analogy is that of an alcoholic. An alcoholic is not always drinking or always drunk but such is often the case. An alcoholic can recognize that they have a problem but cannot just quit. For that, they need help.
b. Scriptural Basis [not exhaustive]
i. Man has a sin nature: Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Also Gal. 3:22.
ii. The best man can do is worthless in God’s eyes: Isaiah 64:6 – “And all our righteous deed are like a filthy garment.”
iii. Men can recognize their sinfulness and thus have no excuse: Romans 2:14-15 – “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.” Also Romans 1:18-20, Acts 17:26-27.
iv. God commands men to seek him: Isaiah 55:6 – “Seek the Lord while he may be found; Call upon Him while he is near.” Also Amos 5:4, Zeph 2:3, 1 Chr 16:11, Heb 11:6. If man is not capable of doing so, this command is given in vain. Even worse, this command is mocking those who cannot respond.
v. God’s command is not given in vain. He can be found: Isaiah 45:19 – “I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in a waste place’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness. Declaring things that are upright.”
vi. God says if man seeks him, he will be found: Matthew 7:7 – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Also Hebrews 11:6, Proverbs 8:17, 1 Chron. 28:9.
vii. If men refuse to seek God, He will give them over to their own thoughts so they can no longer sense His presence. Essentially, He hardens their conscience. Romans 1:24 – “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.” Also Romans 1:26, 28.
IV. Which view of Depravity is correct?
a. It is important to note what both views agree upon. Man is corrupt from his birth. His nature is sinful which will cause him to sin. There is nothing man can do to save himself.
b. The “total depravity” of the Calvinists is focused on the result of the depravity, not the nature of it. It is defined so as to make belief on Christ impossible without God forcing us. This is not Biblical.
c. Man can do some good, just not meritorious good.
i. Most of the verses Calvinists claim merely state that man cannot do meritorious good. This is not controversial.
ii. It is important to note that unregenerate man can do some good.
1. Luke 6:33 – “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
2. One can think of numerous examples of unregenerate sinners doing isolation good. Soldiers jumping on grenades to save their friends, people giving to the poor, doctors giving their time for others. False religions are full of people doing good.
3. The important item is not to note that sinners can do good, but rather what is the effect of that good? It is never sufficient to outweigh their sin. It can never be used to earn salvation.
iii. The difficulty comes when they move the recognition of sin and the acceptance of God’s gift into this tent.
d. Isn’t faith a meritorious good? If so, how can unregenerate man have faith?
i. Paul makes it clear in Romans 4:1-5 that faith is not a meritorious act.
ii. The Bible clearly calls upon sinners to repent. It seems to be expecting an answer. Acts 17:30b – “God is now declaring that all people everywhere should repent.”
iii. The missing distinction is that God is not required to respect our repentance. Faith, by itself, is powerless. It creates no obligation. It is only the grace of God that allows it to have any efficacy in removing our burden of sin. Without God, faith and repentance are merely wishful thinking.
e. Specific Texts:
i. Genesis 6:5 is talking about only a specific set of men: those that lived on earth before the flood. These were indeed wicked men who had continually strived against God and seared their consciences. It is important to note two things. First, this didn’t apply to all men on earth as “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (Gen 6:8). Second, the circumstances made God grieve (Gen 6:6-7).
ii. Genesis 8:21 merely states that men are sinful from birth. It isn’t stating that every intent of every man’s heart is evil. This is empirically untrue (see discussion of good above).
iii. Jeremiah 13:23 is presented as a verse saying that good cannot come from sinners. Note first that repentance is not “good” in this sense. It is recognition of our sin, not the cessation of it. Second, sinful man is capable of doing “good” just not sufficient good to merit salvation. Third, the context makes it clear that it is “Because of the magnitude of your iniquity” (v. 22) that these particular people are unable to do good. Again, they have seared their conscience.
iv. Romans 3:10-12 is the verse held up to say that man cannot seek God. By this, it is meant that no individual can ever try to find God. It is important to recognize that God commands men to seek him (see discussion above). Additionally, Proverbs 1:28-29 says, “They will seek me diligently but they shall not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.” Clearly unregenerate man can seek the Lord. What then is Paul saying here? The context of this verse is Paul telling the Jews that they are no better than gentiles (they are not righteous) and that they cannot be saved by following the law (none who does good).