Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine of Total Depravity?

 

Nick Norelli

 

I would like to begin by thanking Moses for this opportunity to debate the five points of Calvinism.  I consider this to be a very important and often misunderstood system of theology.  Although I stand opposed to Calvinism, I am sure that there is much to be learned from Calvinists, even if we cannot reach an agreement in the area of soteriology.  I will admit that Calvinism as a system is masterful.  It is both logical and consistent within itself, as well as down-right appealing.  But I have to ask myself if it is scriptural.  Is this the system of theology that the Bible teaches from cover to cover?  I can say with all sincerity that I don’t believe that it is.  In making this statement I don’t want to be pigeonholed into saying that Arminianism is therefore the only viable alternative because I believe to do so is to create a false dilemma.  There may be other options that have not been considered.

 

The heart of the argument on Total Depravity, I believe is in man’s ability to choose.  Does sin so wholly ruin a man that he is unable to choose what is right or good when presented with the option to do so?  The Calvinist will say, yes, man is so corrupted by sin that he is unable to choose what is right or good therefore man must be regenerated prior to exercising faith in God and repenting of his sins.  While I certainly agree that sin ruins a man, I do not believe that it annihilates the man or his faculty of choice.  I also don’t believe that man is so free that he can create his own choices, constantly choose that which is good, and thus merit his own salvation (Pelagianism).  Nor do I believe that a man initiates the salvation process of his own will before being drawn by the Father, presented with the Gospel, and convicted by the Holy Spirit (Semi-Pelagianism).

 

Allow me to state what I believe the Bible teaches us about the nature of man before salvation.  Man is born with a sin nature which the Hebrews throughout history have referred to as “The Evil Inclination” (Heb. Yetzer Hara - יצר הרע).  Note that this is not personal sin, but rather the proclivity to sin.  Scripture affirms that “…the imagination (Heb. yetzer - יצר) of man's heart is evil (Heb. ra - רע) from his youth…” (Genesis 8:21), and “As it is written, There is “none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10).    I believe that man prior to the new birth is “dead in his trespasses and sin” and “by nature a child of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1, 3).  But even in this state of spiritual death, man has the power to make choices.   

 

At this point it is needful to ask exactly what effect sin has on people, and to what extent this limits us in regards to responding to God.  Isaiah 59:2 tells us in the plainest language that sin separates from God.  This is obvious from Adam and Eve’s removal from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23-24) as well as Lucifer’s expulsion from heaven (Ezekiel 28:16).  The wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23).  We know that the death Adam died on the day that he sinned was a spiritual death because scripture records his living to the age of 930 (Genesis 5:3).  By spiritual death it is meant that he was cut off from God and the eternal life which is enjoyed in God.  His actual spirit did not die because spirits are by nature everlasting.  They are directly generated from the breath of God (Job 33:4) who is by very nature eternal (Psalm 90:2). 

 

In man’s state of sin (separation), he will not naturally seek after God (Romans 3:11).  His works although appearing righteous (i.e. donating to charities, feeding the poor, volunteering at hospitals, etc…) are anything but.  The prophet Isaiah declared that “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6, NIV).  What was meant by this comment?  Simply stated, in Israel’s state of sin they were apart from the righteousness and holiness of God, which for all intents and purposes, made their self-righteousness appear as defiled menstrual cloths.  Thus in applying this passage to ourselves we can see that everything we do outside of God is tainted with sin.  There is one perfect standard of righteousness which is God, and when compared to Him, we fall short every time (Romans 3:23). 

 

Jesus speaking to the disciples said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:3-4, NIV)  The teaching then is clear… In and of ourselves we cannot bring forth good fruit, the reason being that our roots are corrupted with sin.  Therefore, we need to be born again and receive a new spiritual root, and as the apostle Paul stated, “…if the root is holy then so are the branches” (Romans 11:16). 

 

Although I am not an Arminian I will set forth the Arminian position of the depravity of man.  Contrary to popular belief, Arminians are not Pelagians.  They do not hold that a man is so free so that he has the ability to attain his salvation through righteous works of his own, nor do they hold to the Semi-Pelagian heresy that man initiates his own salvation apart from the Grace of God.  Jacobus Arminius stated,

 

“But in his lapsed and sinful state, man is not capable, of and by himself, either to think, to will, or to do that which is really good; but it is necessary for him to be regenerated and renewed in his intellect, affections or will, and in all his powers, by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, that he may be qualified rightly to understand, esteem, consider, will, and perform whatever is truly good. When he is made a partaker of this regeneration or renovation, I consider that, since he is delivered from sin, he is capable of thinking, willing and doing that which is good, but yet not without the continued aids of Divine Grace.”[1]

 

In 1610 the students of Arminius echoed his words in the third article of the Remonstrance.

 

“Man in his fallen state is unable to accomplish any thing really and truly good, and therefore also unable to attain to saving faith, unless he be regenerated and renewed by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit”[2]

 

Man, even in his fallen state is still said to have been created in the image of God (Genesis 9:6).  Does this somehow suggest that God has a sin nature?  God forbid!  What this tells us is that even with a sin nature, we are still rational, intelligent beings and as such we are able to make intelligent decisions when presented with specific options.  This is undeniable in light of the scriptural record.   

 

The Bible declares that there is a time “before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose (Heb. v’vachor - וּבָחֹר) the good…” (Isaiah 7:16).  The clear phrasing shows that man has a choice between good and evil.  We see repeatedly in scripture that God presents fallen man with choices.  In Deuteronomy 30:19 He sets before the children of Israel life and death, and then admonishes them to “therefore choose (Heb. uvacharta - וּבָחַרְתָּ) life.”  Yahweh spoke through Joshua saying, “…choose you (Heb. bacharu - בַּחֲרוּ) this day whom you will serve…”  Each of these examples uses a derivative of the root verb “bachâr” (בָּחַר) which the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says, “…is used to express that choosing which has ultimate and eternal significance.”[3]

 

While Elijah the Tishbite stood atop Mt. Caramel, he asked the question of how long the people would halt  between two opinions, and then exhorted them to serve Yahweh if He was God or Baal is he was (1Kings 18:21).  The plain statement is that the people had a choice between the two.  Why suggest that which was impossible?  The theme which runs throughout is not that man in and of himself, is able to create his own options and then perform his own will, but rather that man has the ability to choose between the options which God has set before him.

 

Following this train of thought into the New Testament, we see the theme remains the same.  God in his Grace presents men with options, and men are enabled by God’s Grace to choose that which is good.  Does this necessitate regeneration prior to faith and repentance?  I don’t see how that it could, for God “commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).  Certainly God does not command that which He knows man has no ability to perform.  And if the unregenerate man was unable to respond to the Grace of God, believe and repent, then God could not truly hold them guilty for their sin.  If God says that man should do something, then it follows that they can do it.  Meaning that the ability is there, although not in and of themselves, but rather in response to God’s Grace.

 

The book of Romans presents us with this very picture in the 10^th chapter saying, “For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:13-17, NIV)

 

It is shown that a man cannot call on Christ until he has believed in him, and he cannot even believe until he has heard the gospel.  The persistent message of John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the rest of the apostles were one of faith and repentance.  John the Baptist told men to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven was at hand” (Matthew 3:2), while Jesus told the people of Galilee to “repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).  The 12 were sent out and “preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:12) and Peter said “repent and be converted” (Acts 3:19) as well as “whoever believes in him [Jesus] shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).  The apostle Paul testified “both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21), telling us also that “repentance from dead works and faith towards God” are the “elementary teachings” of the Christian faith (Hebrews 6:1).   

 

In an explanatory note on John 6:44, John Wesley noted,

 

“…No man can believe in Christ, unless God give him power: he draws us first, by good desires. Not by compulsion, not by laying the will under any necessity; but by the strong and sweet, yet still resistible, motions of his heavenly grace.”[4]

 

So the conclusion is that God commands men to do that which they are able to do in accordance with his Grace.  We see that in Acts 13:48 as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.  This is a perfect example of man responding to God’s Grace in the act of believing.  Another such example is Romans 2:4 which tells us that the goodness of God leads to repentance.  The Grace of God which was ultimately communicated in the sacrifice of his only begotten Son was said to have been done in order to give repentance to Israel (Acts 5:31).  In every instance, God’s Grace precedes man’s belief and repentance, but it is man who repents and believes nonetheless.  These things are not done post-regeneration, but rather pre-regeneration.  Neither are they done pre-Grace but rather post-Grace, “For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men!” (Titus 2:11)

 

ב״ה