[this article is contributed by Alex Rover]
The five main points of Calvinism are total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints. In this article, we will take a look at the first of these five. First off: what is Total Depravity? Total Depravity is the doctrine describing the human condition before God, as creatures who are completely dead in sin and unable to save themselves. John Calvin put it this way:
"Let it stand, therefore, as an indubitable truth, which no engines can shake, that the mind of man is so entirely alienated from the righteousness of God, that he cannot conceive, desire, or design anything but what is wicked, distorted, foul, impure and iniquitous; that his heart is so thoroughly envenomed by sin, that it can breathe out nothing but corruption and rottenness; that if some men occasionally make a show of goodness, their mind is ever interwoven with hypocrisy and deceit, their soul inwardly bound with fetters of wickedness." [i]
In other words, you are born a sinner, and you will die as a result of that sin, no matter what you do, save for God’s forgiveness. No human ever lived forever, which means none have attained righteousness on their own. Paul said:
“Are we better off? Certainly not […] there is no one righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away.” – Romans 3:9-12
What About David?
“How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD [Yahweh] does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit.” – Psalms 32:1-2
Does this verse contradict Total Depravity? Was David a man who defied the rule? After all, how can someone have a spirit without deceit if Total Depravity is true? The observation here is in fact that David needed forgiveness or a pardoning for his depravity. His clean spirit was thus the result of an act of God.
What About Abraham?
“For if Abraham was declared righteous by works, he has something to boast about – but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. […] his faith is credited as righteousness.” – Romans 4:2-5
“Is this blessedness then for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised. […] so that he would become the father of all those who believe” – Romans 4:9-14
Was Abraham the exception to the rule, as a righteous man? Apparently not, since he required a credit toward righteousness based on his faith. Other translations use the word “impute”, which means his faith was counted as righteousness, covering his depravity. The conclusion appears that he was not righteous on his own, and thus his righteousness does not invalidate the doctrine of total depravity.
The Original Sin
The original sin led God to pronounce the death sentence (Gen 3:19), labor would become more difficult (Gen 3:18), child bearing would become painful (Gen 3:16), and they were evicted from the Garden of Eden.
But where is the curse of total depravity, that henceforth Adam and his offspring would be cursed to always do what is wrong? Such a curse is not found in Scripture, and this is a problem for Calvinism.
It seems the only way to infer the idea of total depravity out of this account is from the curse of death. Death is the payment required for sin (Romans 6:23). We already know that Adam sinned once. But did he sin afterward? We know his offspring sinned, since Cain murdered his brother. Not long after Adam’s death, Scripture records what happened to mankind:
“But the LORD [Yahweh] saw that the wickedness of humankind has become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.” – Genesis 6:5
Hence, it appears that depravity as a most common condition following the original sin is definitely something described in the Bible. But is it a rule that all men must be this way? Noah appears to defy such a notion. If God pronounces a curse, then it has to apply always, for God cannot lie.
Yet perhaps most pronounced on this matter is the account of Job, one of Adam’s early descendants. Let’s glean from his account if total depravity is a rule.
Job
The book of Job opens with the words:
“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” (Job 1:1 NASB)
Not long afterward Satan appeared before Yahweh and God said:
“Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil. Then Satan answered the LORD [Yahweh], ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’” (Job 1:8-9 NASB)
If Job was exempted from total depravation, why didn’t Satan ask to remove this cause for exemption? Truly there are many prosperous individuals that are wicked. David said:
“For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.” – Psalm 73:3
According to Calvinism, Job’s condition could only be the consequence of some kind of forgiveness or mercy. But Satan’s answer to God is very revealing. In his own words, Satan makes the case that Job was blameless and upright only because he was blessed with exceptional prosperity. There is no mention of forgiveness and mercy or other rule at work. Scripture say this was Job’s default state, and this contradicts the Calvinistic doctrine.
A Hardened heart
You could say that the doctrine of depravity means that all of mankind is born with a hardened heart toward what is good. Calvinist doctrine is truly black and white: either you are completely evil, or you are completely good through grace.
So how can some harden their heart at all according to the Bible? If it is already totally hard, then it cannot be hardened more. On the other hand, if they are completely persevering (perseverance of the saints) then how can their heart possibly become hardened at all?
Some who repeatedly sin may ruin their conscience and render themselves past feeling. (Ephesians 4:19, 1 Timothy 4:2) Paul warns that some had their foolish hearts darkened (Romans 1:21). None of this should be possible if the total depravation doctrine is true.
Are All Humans Inherently Evil?
That our default inclination is to do what is bad is clear: Paul made this obvious in Romans chapters 7 and 8 where he describes his impossible battle against his own flesh:
“For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate.” – Romans 7:15
Yet Paul was trying to be good, despite his inclination. He hated his sinful acts. That works cannot declare us righteous is clear from Scripture. Faith is what saves us. But Calvin’s world view of total depravity is entirely too pessimistic. He overlooks that we are made in God's image, a fact that does not fit with his doctrine. Evidence of the power of this "reflection of God" in each of us is that even among those who deny there is a god, we see the kindness and mercy of God demonstrated toward others in acts of altruism. We use the term "human kindness", but since we're made in God's image that kindness originates with him whether we wish to admit it or not.
Are humans inherently good or evil? It appears that we are both capable of good and evil at the same time; these two forces are in constant opposition. Calvin’s point of view does not allow for any inherent goodness whatsoever. In Calvinism, only true believers called by God are able to display genuine goodness.
It appears to me we need another framework to understand the rampant depravity in this world. We will explore this topic in part 2.
[i] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, reprinted 1983, vol. 1, p. 291.
Archived Comments
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Comment by Vox Ratio on 2015-06-18 08:59:25
Hi Alex,
Another fine commentary, thank you.
Personally, I have found TULIP to be more useful in understanding the mind and culture of the reformist than in apprehending the deeper truths of Scripture. The issue of whether the Imago Dei has been erased from man – or whether it has been effaced – seems to be one founded more upon an “a priori” consideration of the text than on a “prior” consideration of the context. For example, consider another conundrum for the Calvinist view of depravity in Jesus' words vis-a-vis Nathanael's character:
Jesus saw Nathan'ael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" - Joh. 1:47 ESV
Was it the grace of God through Christ Jesus our Lord that made Nathanael totally good? Hardly! For this statement was made not only prior to the death and resurrection of Christ (and therefore prior also to the spirit of grace bestowed upon the Church), but it was prior even to Nathanael's acquaintance with the man from Nazareth.
Of course, since the early reformers believed that the elect were foreordained to be so by God then... well, I'll let you continue the story.
Comment by qspf on 2015-06-18 11:55:40
Matthew 26:45: "Look! The hour has drawn near for the Son of man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners."
This was spoken by Jesus to his disciples as he was about to be arrested. Yet, his disciples were also sinners, in the strict sense of the word.
It does seem that the Bible uses "sinner" in more than one sense. We are all sinners, since we are born in sin, and due to that, we will eventually grow old, get sick, and die. But there are people who have gone "out of the their way" to be bad, and it was suchlike evil persons that Jesus was referring to.
Even John the Baptist was born in sin, as have all other men, and yet look what praise Jesus gave to him. Should we believe John was "depraved" too? Perfect, no, but calling him depraved seems not only unkind and unwarranted, but extremely harsh and unfair, and such a view totally overlooks the good things he did in his life.
I am not familiar with Calvin and Calvinism, but from what little was discussed in the article, it seems like a profoundly discouraging and depressing system of doctrines.
I cannot shake the feeling that Calvin proposed this cynical and unforgiving view of mankind in order to keep his adherents in line, as though "shaming them into obedience". This is classic example why people in the world disdain religion, since so many of those religions act like bullies. You can only bully people so much, and then they will rebel - if only they can realize it in time.Reply by InNeedOfGrace on 2015-06-18 12:12:29
Calvin was a child of his time qspf. He and others as himself really rebelled against human glorification and wanted to make everything more God centered. Having given biblestudy to a Calvinistic preacher and a guy who went to church in a Calvin based church, I can attest that these people definitely do not preach this view to keep members in line.
In fact, a lot of them are very kind, have a very humble attitude, and have a immense love for God, as the teaching of depravity reinforces the idea with them how much they need salvation, and how it makes them fall in love with Jesus more and more.
There are however also other reformists, who wear this "knowledge" as a badge, and are very elitist, thinking that unless you agree with their views, you cannot be saved.
Comment by InNeedOfGrace on 2015-06-18 11:59:35
Alex
I think you oversimplified Calvin's view on the Imago Dei.
For Calvin, Humans, men and women both are God’s children, already at creation.At the fall, humans lost that image.
He challenges & wants to stress the devastating effects of thefall, thereby closing the door to synergism, while at the same time acknowledging the lingering
remnants, so as to head off the charge of fatalistic determinism”.
Roman Catholics had identified Calvin with radical Protestants who embraced determinism as a proof that humans hadno moral freedom, and thus could be held responsible for nothing. Calvin responded that fallen humans still have “the conscience, the light of nature, the sense of justice, the appreciation of beauty, and the desire for stability”. These hint at past, created perfection. Nevertheless
in continuity with the Augustinian tradition of thinking about the imago Dei
Calvin repeatedthat these hints of former perfection are not enough to merit salvation.
A good book to read on this is: Jason Van Vliet, Children of God: The Imago Dei
in John Calvin and His Context. Reformed HistoricalTheology, 11 (Goetingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2009).Reply by Alex Rover on 2015-06-18 12:08:57
Thank you for elaborating on Calvin's view of man created in God's image and how it relates to Total Depravity.
If you look at the opening quote from Calvin in my article, it appears nothing is left of the Imago Dei in totally depraved humans. Consequently i wrote in the closing paragraph:
Evidence of the power of this “reflection of God” in each of us is that even among those who deny there is a god, we see the kindness and mercy of God demonstrated toward others in acts of altruism.
I chose the word altruism carefully here, since Calvin's view is that any good deeds whereby the origen Imago Dei can be gleaned from in depraved humans has to be in some way self-serving. I believe this is quite obviously false, although I have no way to look into another person's heart and scientifically prove that they served others with pure intentions.
I will elaborate on the image of God in part 2.
Comment by InNeedOfGrace on 2015-06-18 12:07:35
The wickedness, the depravity which they highlight is in comparison with God, not with other men. That is the mindset of the reformers. In comparison with God, we have all fallen short of his glory. The reformer believes BY FAR. The debates have usually revolved around HOW FAR, rather then the fact that we have fallen short.
The good reformist thinking does is put the focus on God, and our utter dependance on him for salvation, not of our own works. For those who are legalistically inclined, Calvin's message might just be what we need to hear.
However, I agree, if you balance all scripture, it's hard to believe that we are "totally depraved", as God does seem to interact with his creation, despite our fallings, and delights when we do things in accord with his will.
I look forward to seeing how you approach the depravity article next. I'm excited we are delving into these topics here, it's really refreshing!
Comment by SinkingPeter on 2015-06-18 14:38:29
Perhaps total depravity is not a good framework to view reality, but a useful default position when viewing ourselves. Viewing ourselves this way could help keep us from becoming too confident in our own abilities. It 1) keeps the focus on God for giving us power to walk straight and 2) keeps us from leaning on our own strength rather than our Father. Just a thought.
Reply by Alex Rover on 2015-06-18 14:52:27
Depravity sure, but total depravity is hopeless.
And if we are in God's grace .. nothing can stop us from succeeding. Then why do we need to lean on the Father at all?Reply by qspf on 2015-06-18 17:12:58
Alex. we lean on the Father because we have to. Being in God's "grace" or "undeserved kindness" is not unconditional. Otherwise, once in that position, a person could presumptuously act contrary to God's will and think that He wouldn't do anything about it. We cannot imagine that God would allow Himself to be obligated to be of benefit to those who act against him; that would put Him in an untenable position, and surely He has the good sense not to allow that to happen.
I find this whole topic of "depravity" to be very off-putting and demoralizing. Who ever said that every last person on earth was totally devoid of anything good? In 1 Kings, it was said that something good was found in the son of Jeroboam, even though Jeroboam himself pretty much fit the bill for being "depraved".
The concept that all (or nearly all?) people are depraved may have been Calvin's idea, but it is not God's idea. Otherwise, why would He have kept entreating the nation of Israel to turn around and do good, if He already "wrote them off as a loss" because of their inherent "depravity"?
To me, Calvin's doctrine simply doesn't hold water.Reply by Alex Rover on 2015-06-18 17:34:49
hi qspf,
just wondering if u read the whole article. i concluded the same as you that Calvinism is not true.
Reply by InNeedOfGrace on 2015-06-18 18:09:38
That's the danger of debating these things without fully reading the works of these reformers. It's a gross misrepresentation to say that Calvin thought that anyone was devoid of any good.
The question is more like, what is the standard we are using. If it's a human standard,
I might be more righteous then a habitual thief, but maybe less righteous then mother Theresa or Ghandi. Yet all of us, including the thief, can have good in us, or are capable of doing good.
If the standard of righteous is God, the ballgame changes. We are so sinful, we sin every day. We have fallen deep, and no matter how much good deeds we accumulate, they still are not enough to save us. That's why we need our redeemer Christ.
Now I come to the same conclusion as you that I feel Calvin's position went too far into
some of these aspects, but we have to be careful not to misrepresent their position.
Reply by qspf on 2015-06-18 20:20:39
I feel that Calvin's position is too extreme and I don't agree with. But yes, I did read Alex's whole article. As I mentioned earlier, I Know little about Calvin, so take with a grain of salt anything I said that's off base from not having a background in Calvinism. I understand Alex does agree with that Calvinism. My objection is with Calvin, not with Alex of course.
Reply by Alex Rover on 2015-06-21 09:28:45
Sorry qspf, I don't agree with Calvin. What makes you think that from the article?
I spend some effort in the article breaking down why I disagree with him. That's why I asked if you read the full article.
I am only examining his point of view and that of reformed churches, just like we examine watchtowers and show from Scripture where it lacks.Reply by qspf on 2015-06-21 09:35:41
Sorry, Alex. I did note on another reply that I know you don't agree with him. I did read the whole article. My only point was that the doctrines of Calvin, as I took them, were very depressing and demoralizing to me. But, it's pretty clear I know so little about it, I should have let it go at that, to avoid any misunderstandings. I do hope you will, at some point, explain the relevance of incorporating this article and the others you have planned, relative to the context they appear in within the Beroean Pickets. Why are these matters important to a rank and file JW, for instance? I look forward to your further articles.
Reply by Alex Rover on 2015-06-21 09:48:21
Hi qspf,
I encountered a few Calvinists and learned that any church name with the word reformed in it (for example reformed Baptist Church), subscribes to the views of Calvin.
How do we respond to them?
This blog is about search for truth. When I weighed the arguments in favor of Calvinism I could see how he could arrive at that viewpoint. I just felt like its not the whole picture.
Kind of like you can actually believe there is a FDS today from just Matthew 24, but reading the whole Scripture invalidates the JW interpretation.
For part 2, I will propose another way of looking at depravity in light of Scripture. There are many ideas I've developed on this topic that I'm looking forward to share.
Comment by Skye on 2015-06-19 05:28:09
Total depravity would mean that sinful humans would be unable to believe in Christ or the Gospel, would it not? We know that when a person is born again it is as a "result" of belief.
John 1:12,13 "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God ......."
John 3:16 thus provides the answer to this false teaching of Calvinism.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Comment by AFRICAINE on 2015-06-21 00:34:23
Is Gods Word ...Truth or not? Would it really be outside the realm of spirituality to even posit that God would / could ensure that the essential communications He desires for humankind are safely available in His Word and with the operation of Holy Spirit ? Even though we may have to get there via groping and searching.
I do find your thoughts here rather awkward to come to terms with on this occasion Alex. - Thanks all the same for the efforts and energy you bring to this increasingly popular place of solace !Reply by Alex Rover on 2015-06-21 09:21:50
Hi africaine,
Thank you for your comment. Sadly, I don't understand what you try to say, so please help me out.
1. Gods word is truth, absolutely. Do I make any suggestion otherwise? Please point it out to me so I can review my words.
2. What thoughts are hard to come to terms with? I was evaluating a doctrine which has many believers and show the problems with it, concluding I don't agree with Calvin.
Comment by menrov on 2015-06-22 07:51:52
Never realized that Calvin and Rutherford have a couple of things (slightly) in common. Calvin was lawyer and became pastor. Rutherford was (part time) judge and became sort of pastor. Calvin like strict rules and strong governance over the church(es). Rutherford as well as he was known to be inflexible with views from others, and setup a centralized control over the JW churches (congregations). Calvin believed in 2 groups, one selected to be saved and for whom Jesus died. And the other destined for destruction.
Rutherford introduced also a 2 group doctrine:anointed and non-anointed. The first are called / selected and Jesus died for them. The non-anointed can survive but it will depend on how obedient they are toward the anointed.
Anyway, I believe Calvin's doctrine (T.U.L.I.P) is most demotivating to all those believers that are not part of the predestined group that will go to heaven. I have spoken many time with people attending reformist churches. Most of the are very nice and God fearing. They do not really believe in the black and white (saved/not saved) doctrine. NOwadays there are many -re-reformed churches that somehow have some foundation in Calvin but have introduced many other, softer doctrines.
I always asked them: if you are not predestined to be saved, then why are you still attending the services / church? If your destiny is already set and there is nothing you can do to change that, then why continue? Well, they still hope that God will change their destiny by grace, not because of their acts or works. Again I would ask, if that is true, you can also sit at home and hope to receive that grace. And then very often they start to see some of the inconsistency in their faith.On the one hand, they believe they cannot anything to please God but at the same time they continue to worship because .....well you never know. In many cases I felt very sorry for the person I spoke with as they are sometimes very devout and have a strong sense of loyalty and responsibility.
It just shows what happens if people stop to use their given talents to develop their own understanding of Gods word, and instead blindly listen to the interpretation from their pastors and religious leaders.
Comment by Skye on 2015-06-22 09:26:36
Unfortunately, many who follow Calvinistic teachings seem unaware of the history of this thoroughly unpleasant character. His involvement in the slow, tortured death by burning at the stake of Michael Servetus and others. It really brings home to us how important it is to always investigate thoroughly before associating with any religion.
Reply by Christian on 2015-06-23 11:40:46
Having just finished reading Foxes Book of Martyrs I thoroughly agree with you Skye.
Calvin was a depraved SELF righteous pig who inflicted his perverse view of scripture on all. His religio-political dealings with the Catholic church were simply satanic.
Like all of these types of religious leaders they betray God by adopting Lucifer's behaviour while claiming enlightenment by Christ.
Comment by Susan on 2015-08-13 21:02:30
This is an ongoing study of mine as well. Total Depravity does not mean we are as bad as we can possibly be, but that sin affects the TOTALITY of our being - minds, will, and emotions. As R.C Sproul puts it, we are not "utterly depraved", but sin permeates our being. Not too hard to believe.
So, actually Calvinists AND Classical Arminians both believe in Total Depravity. Prevenient/Preceding Grace of God is then necessary in order to comprehend and respond to His offer of love and forgiveness. Whether this Grace merely enables, or, ensures, then becomes the question.
Comment by Susan on 2015-08-13 21:55:05
Oh, and forgot to mention that you might need to believe in Total Depravity in order to avoid the heresy of Semi-Pelagianism - a belief that we have the ability to exercise a good will toward God APART from His assistance. It's complicated, isn't it?
Comment by awakening on 2015-12-15 23:07:49
Dear Alex Rover, I am very new to this site and decided to start at the top and go through the articles. I am a very skeptical person by nature, but I was willing to open my mind and heart to clearer understanding. I thought I may find a point here or there that would clear up some little point I was having trouble with, but this article struck me to the core.I started a word search of sin and started reading the context.Suddenly, all the complicated mumbo jumbo melted away and all that was left was clear bright truth. Everything it touched changed and became clear.My whole family has felt the pleasant ripples. thank you from the bottom of our hearts and please write a follow up. once again thank you
Comment by Calvinism – Total Depravity Part 2 | Beroean Pickets on 2015-12-17 09:33:46
[…] part 1 of this article, we have examined the Calvinistic teaching of Total Depravity. Total Depravity is […]
Comment by webblog@email.com on 2022-05-01 23:09:00
"But Calvin’s world view of total depravity is entirely too pessimistic. He overlooks that we are made in God's image, a fact that does not fit with his doctrine."
Too pessimistic? Hitler was "made in the image of God." How does that fit with your “optimistic” doctrine?
Truly, the above article on sin and Calvin is as erroneous as the Watchtower's "overlapping generations." It simply does not understand the gospel. This is to be expected, because the Watchtower doesn’t teach or understand the gospel.
What is the gospel?
“through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12)
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10)
.
“We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
“It is our deep conviction that the vital question most requiring to be raised today is this: Is man a totally and thoroughly depraved creature by nature? Does he enter the world completely ruined and helpless, spiritually blind and dead in trespasses and sins? According as is our answer to that question, so will be our views on many other doctrines. It is on the basis of this dark background that the whole Bible proceeds. Any attempt to modify or abate, repudiate or tone down the teaching of Scripture on the matter is fatal.”
-Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952), The Total Depravity of Man:
https://www.gracegems.org/Pink/doctrine_of_mans_total_depravity.htm
Comment by Ralf on 2022-05-13 18:56:29
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 6:Hebrews 11