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) and present them in a way layman can grok* them (*a science fiction term coined by Robert Heinlein to signify a complete understanding of a concept).  I approach these complex ideas and concepts as a layman, but as a layman who has studied the literature and has a fairly good grasp of the ideas before i try to lay them out for others. I’ve been doing this as a teacher/professor for over 30 years.  I’ve taught both part-time and full-time at the college level (at 6 different colleges/universities) in the field of Business, Statistics, Computers and Computer Programming. I’ve also taught Adult Christian Education classes for those same 30 years. I consider this blog to be a new way to carry on my passion for explaining, teaching, and exploring difficult ideas and topics. I am more glad than i can express that there are those who are willing to come along for the ride.

I want very much to explain in a clear and rational way, the concept of Total Depravity. This is a theological doctrine, and while i am not a theologian, i am an avid reader, thoroughly comfortable wading through theological tomes in search of useful explanations of biblical concepts. I graduated from an undergrad Christian university with the equivalent of a minor in Bible and I’ve taken just enough Greek to be dangerous. I have a very complete library of commentaries, Biblical encyclopedias, Biblical dictionaries, and books of theology of around 4,000 volumes, most of which are in a Bible Software program called Logos, and I also have a few bookshelves of actual physical books in this area. I haven’t read all of these books, but i do search them for relevant information and exegesis in my Biblical study. So here goes my attempt at making Total Depravity lucid and to elaborate on some of its nuances.

Total Depravity – A Definition

Defining this term is not as easy as you might think.  I have a multitude of books which cover this doctrine, and all define it a bit differently. They cover the same ideas, the difference is mostly in how depraved ‘Total Depravity’ actually goes.  This doctrine came from St. Augustine’s teaching and writing about Original Sin.  The idea is that when Adam (and Eve) sinned in the garden, that fall resulted in the penchant to sin being passed down to all of mankind. Man is not just inclined to sin, but actually has a sinful disposition. In other words, mankind is inclined toward sin and not toward righteousness.

I am comfortable with the following non-technical definition as a starting point.  I say as a starting point because this doctrine is held with slightly differing tweaks or emphasis by all branches of Christianity including Calvinists, Arminians, Lutherans, Catholics and Eastern Orthodox because it was first fully discussed and codified by St. Augustine around 400 A.D. before there was any breakup in Christianity.

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.

This has both far-reaching and critically important repercussions into the heart of what Christianity is.  The heart of Christianity is that God sent his son, Jesus, to live as a man, yet without sin, and that by being unjustly crucified, he enabled the sins of man to be forgiven and that the damage to mankind caused by Adam’s sin can be redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. St. Paul says that by believing in Jesus as God’s son come in the flesh, we can become a new creature with old things (ways, actions, behaviors) passing away and all things becoming new.

In future posts, i will elaborate and flesh out what this means and also some of the slightly differing ways that this doctrine is ‘fleshed out’ by some denominations. We will go deeper by looking into scripture for a solid perspective of the reality of Total Depravity. We will also look at other more descriptive ways of labeling this doctrine. (I think that the phrase Total Depravity implies more than the doctrine actually teaches, but we will look at that in the next post.)

Ask any questions in the comments section!

Here are links to the other 2 posts in the Total Depravity series:

Total Depravity – Part 2

Total Depravity – Part 3