So . . . What’s the Purpose of this doctrine of Total Depravity? The heart, the essence, of total depravity is that it results in our complete dependence on God for redemption. We have sinned, and there is nothing we ourselves can do to un-sin, to restore ourselves with God. God has said: Romans 3:23 (NLT) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 6:23 (NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Certainly, some of us sin much more than […]
Total Depravity – Part 2
In the first post about Total Depravity (Total Depravity – Part 1) i gave this definition: The doctrine of total depravity asserts that people are by nature not inclined or even able to love God wholly with heart, mind, and strength, but rather all are inclined by nature to serve their own will and desires and to reject the rule of God. I want to try to cover 2 things in this post: 1) give scripture which forms the basis for the idea of Total Depravity and 2) explain a bit about the misnomer of Total Depravity and what it doesn’t […]
Total Depravity – Part 1
I’ve decided to make this a multi-part post for several reasons: it is easier for me to write this in chunks and it will be easier (shorter) to read the post in sections, but most importantly, any discussion that comes from the ideas in these posts can be easily aimed to the relevant post instead of being jumbled together in one very large post. I am not a theologian, nor do i play one on television. In fact, one of the ways that God has gifted me is the ability to take complex ideas (theology, audio, computer, tech stuff, etc) […]