Part One: Total Depravity
The best place to begin a discussion of what are called the
"Doctrines of Grace" is with a discussion of total depravity. It is because man is
totally depraved that grace is essential for salvation. Indeed, the evidence of man's
total depravity is what led C. H. Spurgeon
to preach the sermon titled "Sovereign Grace Hated by Modern Religionist." The two
subjects are so entwined that the truth of one demands the other.
Two common misconceptions surround the notion of total
depravity. First, total depravity does not mean absolute depravity. Man is not
always as evil as he possibly could be. Man is not the epitome of Satan himself. While
Satan is "intensely evil," natural man is "extensively evil." To be extensively evil
means that man can do no thing perfectly.
Second, total depravity does not mean a complete
absence of relative good! At this point the distinction between relative goodness and
perfect, or true, goodness should be emphasized. The Heidelberg Catechism well describes
this scriptural distinction in the question: What are good works? Only those which are
done from true faith, according to the law of God, and to His glory. Jesus described the
difference in Luke 6:33,
"And if you do good to them that do good to you, what reward do
you have? For even sinners do the same." The nonelect may happen to do what is according
to the law of God, but not because it is the law of God, and certainly not from
true faith and to His glory. They do relative good because of God's common grace and due
to the remnant of the image in which they were created.
What total depravity does mean is that even though "natural"
(unregenerate) man can do relative good, his actions are NEVER perfectly good from the
eternal perspective, "having a form of godliness but denying its power" (II Tim. 3:5).
Even the seemingly good choice of "coming" to Jesus is not good enough to save
(consider Matthew 7:21-23).
It is also important to remember that even though a regenerate
heart is capable of doing what is truly good (a rare occurrence indeed!), it is
still affected by the sinful nature. It is often that a Christian is amazed and repulsed
at how selfish, hypocritical, and dreadfully evil his own heart is. This is evidenced by
the words of the apostle Paul, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful
nature" (Rom. 7:18).
What total depravity also means is that there is an inability
of natural man to do, understand, or even desire the good. The Belgic Confession is
biblical when it says natural man has an "incapacity to perform what is truly good."
Also, the Canons of Dort
statement, "all men are. . . incapable of saving good." Jesus stated this Himself in
John 15:5-6
(see also I Cor. 1:18,
and 2:14).
Not only does natural man not desire good, he desires evil, hates God, and is not able to
desire good (Rom. 8:7).
The doctrine of total depravity humbles the human heart to
its proper place of total submission to the Sovereign God upon which our salvation rests.
If we arrogantly attempt to elevate our moral nature, then we inevitably begin to diminish
our dependence upon God. Only those regenerated by God may truly choose Christ, and even
then the Christian struggles with his depraved nature to do that which is truly good.
Reconsider Matthew 7:21
and ask yourself this question: How
many of those people who walk an aisle and "choose" God, do so (1) from true faith, and
(2) for His glory because God first "made them a new creation"? How many do so because
of their own selfish motives for "fire insurance" or emotional discomfort created by a
skilled orator? Consider your heart. Do you need to fully submit to the "author and
perfector" of your salvation (Heb. 12:2)?V
Recommended reading:
Luther, Martin. The Bondage of the Will.
Packer, J.I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.
Pink, A.W. The Sovereignty of God.
Spurgeon, C. H. Sermons on Sovereignty.
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