Total Depravity
Free will is defined as “the ability to make choices according to our desires.”
Humanity’s radical corruption
When Calvinists speak of man as being totally depraved, they mean that man’s nature is corrupt, perverse, and sinful throughout. The adjective “total” does not mean that each sinner is as totally or completely corrupt in his actions and thoughts as it is possible for him to be. Instead, the word “total” is used to indicate that the whole of man’s being has been affected by sin. The corruption extends to every part of man, his body and soul; sin has affected all (the totality) of man’s faculties - his mind, his will, etc.
As a result of this inborn corruption, the natural man is totally unable to do anything spiritually good; thus, Calvinists speak of man’s “total inability.” The inability intended by this terminology is spiritual inability; it means that the sinner is so spiritually bankrupt that he can do nothing pertaining to his salvation. The natural man is enslaved to sin; he is a child of Satan, rebellious toward God, blind to truth, corrupt, and unable to save himself or to prepare himself for salvation.
Historical Arminianism
It may surprise some modern Arminians to learn that the Remonstrance asserted that “man has no saving faith of himself, nor from the strength of his own free will, since in the state of apostasy and sin he is not able to think, will, or do anything good.”1 However, the early Arminians made this important qualification: “apart from or preceding that prevenient . . . grace.”2 Classic Arminians teach that God gives prevenient grace to all mankind so that every human being is sufficiently restored to spiritual freedom to seek more grace.3 In this view, the depravity of fallen man is mitigated, and no longer total.
Biblical Support
A. As the result of Adam’s transgression, men are born in sin and by nature are spiritually dead; therefore, if they are to become God’s children and enter His kingdom, they must be born anew of the Spirit.
1. When Adam was placed in the garden of Eden, he was warned not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil on the threat of immediate spiritual death.
Genesis 2:16-17 - LSB
16 And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may surely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
2. Adam disobeyed and ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1–7); consequently, he brought spiritual death upon himself and upon the race.
Romans 5:12 - LSB
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
Ephesians 2:1-3 - LSB
1 And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
Colossians 2:13 - LSB
13 And you being dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions.
3. David confessed that he, as well as all other men, was born in sin.
Psalm 51:5 - LSB
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Psalm 58:3 - LSB
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
These who speak falsehood wander in error from birth.
4. Because men are born in sin and are by nature spiritually dead, Jesus taught that men must be born anew if they are to enter God’s kingdom.
John 3:5-7 - LSB
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
(Compare John 1:12, 13.)
B. As the result of the fall, men are blind and deaf to spiritual truth. Their minds are darkened by sin; their hearts are corrupt and evil.
1 Corinthians 2:14 - LSB
14 But a natural man does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined.
Genesis 6:5 - LSB
5 Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 8:21 - LSB
21 …for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth…
Ecclesiastes 9:3 - LSB
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
Jeremiah 17:9 - LSB
9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can know it?
Mark 7:21-23 - LSB
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
John 3:19 - ESV
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Romans 8:7-8 - LSB
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.
Ephesians 4:17-19 - LSB
17 Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their mind, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart. 19 And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
Ephesians 5:8 - LSB
8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light
Titus 1:15 - LSB
15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
C. Before sinners are born into God’s kingdom through the regenerating power of the Spirit, they are children of the devil and under his control; they are slaves to sin.
John 8:44 - LSB
44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father….
Ephesians 2:1-2 - LSB
1 And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,
2 Timothy 2:25-26 - LSB
25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may give them repentance leading to the full knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
1 John 3:10 - LSB
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifested: everyone who does not do righteousness is not of God, as well as the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 5:19 - ESV 19 - We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
John 8:34 - LSB
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
Romans 6:20 - LSB
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Titus 3:3 - LSB
3 For we ourselves also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.
D. The reign of sin is universal; all men are under its power; consequently, none is righteous—not even one!
2 Chronicles 6:36 - LSB
36 “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to a land far off or near,
Job 15:14-16 - LSB
14 What is man, that he should be pure,
Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, He puts no faith in His holy ones,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is abominable and corrupt,
Man, who drinks unrighteousness like water!
Psalm 130:3 - ESV
3 - If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
Psalm 143:2 - ESV
2 - Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
Proverbs 20:9 - LSB
9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure,
I am clean from my sin”?
Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29 - LSB
20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. 29 See, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”
Isaiah 53:6 - LSB
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
Isaiah 64:6 - LSB
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.
Romans 3:9-12 - LSB
9 What then? Are we better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
James 3:2, 8 - LSB
2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the entire body as well. 8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
1 John 1:8-10 - LSB
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
E. Men left in their dead state are unable of themselves to repent, to believe the gospel, or to come to Christ. They have no power within themselves to change their natures or to prepare themselves for salvation.
Job 14:4 - LSB
4 Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!
Matthew 7:16-18 - LSB
16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
1 Corinthians 2:14 - LSB
14 But a natural man does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined.
John 6:44 - LSB
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
Jeremiah 13:23 - LSB
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you also can do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
Matthew 12:33 - LSB
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
Romans 11:35-36 - LSB
35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be repaid to him? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 4:7 - LSB
7 For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
2 Corinthians 3:5 - LSB
5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
Footnotes
The Remonstrance (Art. 3), in Reformed Confessions, 4:43. We say it may surprise them because, sadly, many who claim the name of Arminian today are actually Pelagians, thinking that we can believe apart from grace. ↩︎
The Remonstrance (Art. 4), in Reformed Confessions, 4:43. ↩︎
Arminius, Apology, art. 17, in Works, 2:20; and Certain Articles, 17.5, 12, in Works, 2:721–22. ↩︎