The Total Depravity of Man
The Total Depravity of Man
The great theological doctrine of total depravity has had many enemies. Yet we find it hard to understand how anyone can take cognizance of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jews and fail to see what roots of sin are in the human heart. To call the instigators and perpetrators of these crimes "bestial" is to insult every animal that ever walked the face of the earth. If we should see a lion bound upon his prey and tear it to bits, it would be only proper to say, "He eats almost in a human fashion."
We find it hard to understand how men can fail to fully recognize the fallen position of the sons of Adam. Their inability to see it is more proof of that total depravity. Those who look at the human race through the pages of the Bible will bring both the stories of the German atrocities and the noble deeds of courage which were manifested on the battle front, into a perspective of spiritual truth.
The Bible does not teach that there is no good in man; the doctrine of total depravity does not mean that. The Bible teaches, rather, that there is no good in man that can satisfy God. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ had to come from heaven to accomplish man's redemption, and why man can never accomplish it for himself. We would be willing to accept, for the sake of argument, that the monsters of Buchenwald and Dachau may have been loving fathers who wept in their beer when they listened to Brahms and Beethoven. We must also realize, though, that the heroes of noble deeds are men with flaws in their characters. It is God who tells us that in the heart of every one of us are the roots of those abominable evils which flowered in the annihilation camps of Germany. Jeremiah 17:9 is much stronger in the original tongue than in English; we read "the heart is deceitful above all things and incurably wicked." When God calls a thing incurable, we may be sure that it is.
If preachers everywhere would constantly emphasize the fact that there is no good in man which can satisfy God, the need for the Gospel would be seen much more clearly. We believe that apart from this declaration there can be no thought of salvation in the heart of any man. Let us therefore boldly and unflinchingly declare the doctrine of total depravity, though it is undoubtedly the most unpalatable truth which can be presented to the natural man.
1. If man can do nothing to satisfy God, does holiness come about by human volition or will?
2. If God is the one who sanctifies humanity, why are we told to follow Christ, mediate on the word of God, pray and so forth?
3. Does the word totally mean completely depraved or entirely? What is the difference?
