The Total Depravity of Man - 1 (Rom 3:10-12)

Grace Bible Church

4000 E. Collins Rd. P.O. Box #3762 Gillette, WY 82717 (307) 686-1516

- Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 -

THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN (1)

(Rom 3:10-12) 4/1/07

Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming

Pastor Daryl Hilbert

I. TOTAL DEPRAVITY INTRODUCTION

A. Total Depravity (also known as, “Total Inability” or “Radical Corruption”) was not a concept thought up by Augustine or even Calvin. Rather, it was penned by Paul in the Holy Scriptures under the inspiration of the Spirit of God.

B. Total Depravity is taught throughout the Scriptures. But in Rom 3:10-18, Paul teaches Total Depravity with a barrage of quotations from Scripture in order to validate his arguments on the sinfulness of man. In so doing, he reveals God’s view on the sinfulness of man (Gentiles and Jews) who is under the justified judgment of God (Rom 1:18-3:9).

C. Understand that Total Depravity does not mean, “utter depravity” in that man always exhibits the lowest degree of sin, that man does not have a conscience toward God, or that man is incapable of doing any good (humanly speaking).

D. Total Depravity means that sin’s corruption extends to every aspect of man’s being and therefore, man is incapable of meriting saving favor with God.

E. Total Depravity means that sin has affected every facet of man: (1) his intellect - 2Co 4:4; Ro 1:28; Eph 4:18; (2) his emotions - Rom 1:21, 24, 26; Tit 1:15; (3) his will - Rom 6:20; 7:20.

II. TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN DEFINED

A. …Total Depravity refers to the idea that our whole humanity is fallen. That is, there is no part of me that has not been affected in some way by the Fall. Sin affects my will, my heart, my mind, and my body. (Sproul, Chosen by God)

B. … total depravity means (1) that corruption extends to every part of mans nature, including all the faculties of his being; and (2) that there is nothing in man that can commend him to a righteous God.(Ryrie, Baker’s Dict of Theo, pg 164)

C. [Total Depravity] … declares that no part of us is untouched by sin, and therefore no action of ours is as good as it should be, and consequently nothing in us or about us ever appears meritorious in God’s eyes. We cannot earn God’s favor, no matter what we do; unless grace saves us, we are lost. (Packer, Concise Theology)

D. All men are conceived in sin, and born children of wrath, indisposed to all saving good, propense to evil, dead in sins and the slaves of sin; and without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit they are neither willing nor able to return to God, to correct their depraved nature, or to dispose themselves to the correction of it. (Articles of Synod of Dort, Chap. iii., Art. 3, in 1618)

III. TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN IN ALL ASPECTS (10-18)

A. Depraved Nature (10)

1. Paul begins with the familiar expression, “it is written” (gégraptai -perf tense - lit. “it has been and continues to be written”). Paul’s thoughts, presuppositions, and arguments are all based on Scripture.

2. He quotes from Psa 14:1-3 and Psa 53:1-3. Both are repetitious and both begin with man’s foolish unbelieving heart, “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God.”

3. In this section, eight times negatives (oúk, oudé) are used to show that man is not righteous. In fact, it emphatically teaches that, “not even one” (oudé eís) is righteous.

4. Righteous (díkaios - measure up to God’s standard), a theme of Romans, means: (1) able to meet God’s righteous requirements - Rom 3:23; Isa 64:6 (2) in right standing with God through faith in Christ - Rom 3:28.

5. Universally man is unrighteous and “corrupt” (Heb. shachath - corruption and destruction) in the core of his being and therefore commits sin which is abominable (Heb. taab- that which is loathsome and detestable) to God.

B. Depraved Mindset (11)

1. Again, quoting from Psa 14:2, Paul emphatically declares that man, in and of himself, has no spiritual understanding (suni,hmi suniemi - put together, comprehend, cp. 1Co 1:18; 1Co 2:14).

2. Man’s depraved mindset is “hostile” (échthra - opposition and hatred) toward God (Jam 4:4), His Word (Rom 8:7), and His children (Joh 15:18-20).

3. Furthermore, depraved man does not even seek (pres part of - ekzetéō - lit. “seeking out,” or searching diligently and earnestly) God. Emphatically, there is none (oúk) whose mindset understands or seeks for God.

C. Depraved Morality (12)

1. Psa 14:3 testifies that man has universally deviated (ekklínō - deviate) morally from God’s righteous standard. Depraved man has turned away by suppressing the truth (Rom 1:18) and quite often turns to false teaching (Rom 16:17; Isa 53:6).

2. Depraved man is morally useless to God and His righteousness (Mt 25:30 cp. Joh 15:6 cp. Isa 64:6).

3. There is none among depraved mankind who is morally good. The Greek word for “good” here is chrêstótês, which means moral goodness and integrity (1Co 15:33). It is also translated, “kindness” or “gentleness” (Gal 5:22; 1Co 13:4). It is, descriptive of one’s disposition and does not necessarily entail acts of goodness (Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary).

4. Like vs. 10, Scripture rules out any misunderstanding when it adds the emphatic (lit.), “not even up to one” (éws enós - Robertson).

IV. TOTAL DEPRAVITY AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

A. Total Depravity is Universal

1. All of humanity has been affected by sin in every aspect of their being and is universal (Rom 3:23; Isa 53:6).

2. Contrary to society’s popular opinion, man is not basically good, but is basically sinful.

3. Therefore, man cannot reform himself or solve his own problems. Christ is the only answer and man’s problems must be approached with his depravity as the central focus.

B. Total Depravity is Spiritual Impotence

1. Because man is basically sinful, he is spiritually impotent and incapable of doing anything that could merit favor with God for salvation.

2. God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ is the only way man can receive favor with God (Eph 2:8-9).

C. Total Depravity is Spiritual Dependence

1. Total Depravity teaches another principle which is difficult to swallow and understand, but not for lack of simple biblical statements.

2. Because man is depraved he is unable in and of himself to seek God. Rom 3:11b says, “There is none who seeks for God.” One might ask, “How is it that anyone seeks God?” Those who seek God do so because they are drawn by God (Joh 6:37; “given” cp. Joh 6:39; Joh 17:6-9, 24; and Joh 10:29). Without God’s intervention and drawing none would come (yeah, none could come - Joh 6:44 cp. Joh 6:65).

3. Some believe that God has given grace to everyone to come to Christ. This is called, “Prevenient Grace.” The problem is that Prevenient Grace is no where to be found in the Scriptures. What the Bible does say is that not only is man totally depraved, but he is spiritually dead (Eph 2:1). Therefore, because man is depraved and dead (spiritually), it must be God who spiritually awakens a sinner to faith in Christ (Eph 2:5 cp. Act 13:48; Eph 1:4).

4. This doctrine should be called Totally Incredibility because it is totally incredible that God would love, save, and die for man who is totally depraved and totally dead spiritually (Rom 5:8).

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