Beth-El Baptist Church

05/20/2012

Greg Tomlinson


How depraved is man?


One of the hotly debated questions within Christianity, also a major dividing point between those leaning towards Calvinism and those leaning to Arminianism, is the issue of the depravity of man. While the Calvinist understands that all of mankind is completely and totally depraved and is therefore totally reliant upon God for salvation, the Arminian understands that all of mankind has been given prevenient grace and must in some fashion come to understand the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ without the complete aid of God.


  1. What is meant by “depraved”?

Mark 9:23-24 John 3:12; 5:43-47

Romans 10:13-15


Depravity has to do with the ability of the “natural” man to believe the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Total depravity indicates that man is completely incapable apart from a divine work of God in the live of the individual to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Limited depravity or the prevenient grace view, indicates that man is expected to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ apart from a special divine work in the life of the individual.


  1. Why would some understand man as being completely and totally depraved?

Ephesians 2:1-5 1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 21-24; 2:14-16

John 15:1-5 Romans 3:10-18

Jeremiah 17:9


The scriptures are full of descriptions of mankind, apart from a divine work of God, as being dead and unable to comprehend the message of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The natural man is so depraved that upon hearing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he thinks that it is completely foolish. Man is so naturally depraved that he does not even know that he is depraved and in need of a savior. He has no desire nor intention of seeking after God because he does not believe he is in any way needing God.


  1. Why wold some understand that man has sufficiency within himself to believe?

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Matthew 11:28-30

Romans 7:25 Acts 16:30-31

Mark 1:14-15


The scriptures are full of calls to mankind to repent and believe. Surely God would never ask mankind to believe and follow Him if he was completely incapable of doing so. God has called us to believe so we must have within ourselves the ability to actually believe.


The challenge to calls to believe is to seek to understand “how is it possible for me to believe?” This then is the question. Do I believe because I have the capacity to believe or do I believe because something or someone causes me to confront the questions related to sin and believing.


  1. Why would God call men to believe if he is incapable of believing by himself?

Romans 9:22-23 Matthew 13:41-43

Romans 10:13-17


God calls men to believe, though they do not have the ability to believe by themselves, in order that those who are saved would be more thankful for the gift of salvation. They are in a better position to understand salvation as a gift from God and not the results of their own intellect and abilities. They become more reliant upon God.


  1. What are some challenges to total depravity?

Joshua 24:15 Revelation 22:17


The greatest challenge to total depravity has to do with the idea of man having a free will. The prevenient grace view understands man as having full freedom of will and total depravity would infringe upon man's free will.


  1. What are some challenges to prevenient grace?

Romans 4:1-5 John 1:11-13


The greatest challenge to previent grace (limited depravity) is that if man has any role to play in his salvation then ultimately he has incurred a debt with God. God owes him salvation because he in some fashion has earned salvation. Furthermore, the limited depravity view has the additional challenge in that the child of God, the believer, is born of God and NOT by the desire of the flesh and NOT by the desire of a man.