What is the Doctrine of Total Depravity?

 

The above is the sixth in the series of 16 short video clips from the late theologian RC Sproul, explaining various aspects of Reformed or Calvinist theology. In this video he explains the doctrine of Total Depravity, the “T” in the “TULIP” acronym that summarises the theology of Calvinism. He explains it as follows:

“Well the doctrine of Total Depravity, or what we call Radical Corruption, which Augustine expressed in terms of our moral inability, is important for us to understand, that we may understand grace, and that we may understand the gospel. In my church for example, every Sunday I read one of the Ten Commandments, and then use the Heidelberg Catechism’s exposition of that particular commandment. And we study the Law of God because the Law reveals to us not only the righteousness of God and his holiness, but by contrast it stands as a mirror. I look in the mirror of God’s law, and I realize my utter helplessness in and of myself. As long as I compare myself up to other people—as the Apostle Paul said, those who judge themselves by themselves, and among themselves, are not wise—I begin to get a kind of inflated view of my own righteousness. And Calvin said, we looking on the earth, keep our gaze here, we begin to address ourselves as only less than gods, until we turn our gaze to God himself; and in the light of the ultimate norm of perfection, the perfect holiness of God, I am exposed; and like Isaiah, I realize I am a man of unclean lips, and I disintegrate. And I understand that my sin is not just something that is on the edges of my life.

“You go out into the culture, and everybody out there says, Well nobody is perfect, so what is the big deal? They think it is so common to have sin. But there are few people who really understand the gravity of it, the degree of it. And when we look at the biblical doctrine of sin, and the biblical doctrine of my corruption, and I understand what it is teaching me, then I know the only way I can ever be saved is through somebody else’s righteousness. As long as I entertain the idea that there is some island of righteousness inside my soul, that can avail to my salvation, I don’t really need the gospel.”

There are several issues with that statement. The first is, he is saying that the purpose of the Law is not that we should keep the Law; but to show us how impossible it is for us to keep the Law! the implication of that being that we shouldn’t even try! We can only acquire righteousness by the “imputation” of the righteousness of Christ to us—but we shouldn’t make any efforts to be righteous ourselves. That goes contrary to everything that is taught in the Bible. Nothing is emphasized more in the Bible than that we should strive to do good, to be good, to do what is right in the sight of God, to repent of our sins, and to keep God’s commandments:

1 John 3:

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

That is what the Bible teaches. In Calvinism, “purifying yourself” is a sin! You are “trusting in your own righteousness,” and that is a sin! The Bible teaches the opposite. Here is what Paul has to say about it:

Romans 2:

6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

According to these words, not only obeying the Law is possible, and also required; but even the Gentiles, the pagans, who do not have the Law, but who out of a good conscience do what is in the Law, meaning that they do what is good and right in their lives, act as if they already have the Law written in their hearts; and they will be saved. Calvinism is the polar opposite of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Bible. It is diametrically opposed to it. A more evil and damnable heresy was never conceived since Christianity came into existence.

Another thing that is wrong with that statement is that it is not correct, nor biblical, to say that nobody by their own actions can be righteous, or do any good that can be approved of God, or considered righteous. There are many examples in the Bible of people having been approved of God for their righteous actions, Cornelius being one example. He was not even a Christian when he was visited by an angel, telling him that his good deeds and righteous acts had been approved by God:

Acts 10:

1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

In response to that Peter was moved to says:

Acts 10:

34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

He was approved of by God for his righteous deeds as a pagan, long before he had become a Christian. That is one example. Many more examples have been given in my previous posts. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Noah, Enoch, Job, Zechariah etc. were all approved by God for their righteous acts. According to Romans 2:6–16 quoted above, you don’t even need to be a believer, a Jew, or a Christian to be able to do what is good, to keep the Law, and be saved thereby.

Another error made in that statement is a serious misreading of the biblical passages that talk about “imputation”. It doesn’t mean what Calvinists like to think it means. It simply means to assign, ascribe, or attribute. In Psalm 32 for example, that Paul quotes several times, and bases his theology on, it says this:

Psalm 32:

1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

The word “impute” in that verse means to attribute, assign, or ascribe. The reason why “no iniquity” is attributed to him is because his transgression is forgiven, meaning that he has repented of his sins, which is confirmed in the second verse, by saying that in his spirit there is no guile, meaning that there is no deception or dishonesty. He is sincere and genuine in his repentance. There is no such thing as the “righteousness” of Christ being “imputed” to anybody, in the sense that Calvinists understand the term. That is a metaphor used by Paul to refer to the forgiveness and remission of sins brought about by virtue of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, through faith and genuine repentance. “Faith alone” doesn’t save anybody, like it says in the heresy of Calvinism; but faith coupled with genuine repentance does. And “repentance” is a volitional act. It is something that we choose to do by our own freewill and choice. It is not something that just “happens” to people whether they like it or not just because they have “believed”. And it doesn’t mean just “changing your mind” either. It means to stop sinning. It means to stop doing what one knows to be wrong, and start doing what is right.

So the bottom line is that Calvinism is a damnable heresy. It is an abomination in the sight of God. It is a recipe for damnation rather than salvation. Avoid like a plague.