TULIP - T

I've said before that I don't like the common acronym, "TULIP," not because I disagree with the principles, but because the chosen memory tool misrepresents the principles. So, I'm going to look at "T" -- Total Depravity -- with the aim of eliminating the misconceptions and showing in Scripture what it really is. (Please note: I won't be presenting this as philosophy or fine arguments. I'm not using Calvin or anyone else. My source document is the Bible.)

"Total Depravity" suggests that Man (I suppose, in today's world, I have to explain that "Man" is not male, but "mankind," "humanity," the human race) is depraved, totally depraved, as bad as he/she can possibly be. That would (obviously) be a mistake. The principle is not that we are as bad as we possibly can be, but that sin has affected us to the very core. There is no part of us that is not touched. And it's a bigger problem than we imagine. Maybe "Radical Depravity" is better.

The Bible explains that God made humans perfect (Gen 1:31). That didn't change until Genesis 3, when the serpent tempted Eve and the couple leapt into sin. That fall affected all of Adam's race (Rom 5:12). All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). If that's not bad enough, the ramifications of this condition are larger than we think. Scripture says we are sinners from birth. David cried, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me" (Psa 51:5). Elsewhere he says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from birth" (Psa 58:3). That is, we aren't just sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. God said, "The intention of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21). We understand that we're all sinners, but Scripture says, "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" (Rom 3:10-12). And, if you can believe it, it gets worse. Paul wrote, "A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Cor 2:14). That's a "cannot." Natural man lacks the capacity to understand the things of God. Why? Natural man is dead in sin (Eph 2:1-3). Instead, "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor 4:4). WE're not as bad as we could be, but we're in a hopeless condition of sin that permeates everything.

That is the concept of "Total Depravity." It's not that we're really, really bad people. It's that we're sinners at the core and neither capable of understanding the things of the Spirit or pleasing God. Until God intervenes, we are without hope (Eph 2:12). We've all heard the calls. We're all encouraged to choose Christ. What we fail to grasp is, left to our own devices, it cannot happen. We are a rebellious people, dead in sin, without the capacity to even understand. If Someone supernatural does not do something -- something radical -- it's a story with a dreadful ending. Sugar-coating or covering up the truth of human depravity only covers the real problem. But ... obviously ... I'm going to have to continue this series to offer a solution ... God's solution.
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For more Scripture on this, I offer John 1:12-13; John 3:5-7; John 6:63-65; 1 Peter 4:6; Gen 6:5; Jer 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; Rom 8:7-8. Feel free to find more.