Why Does Total Depravity Make a Difference?

My theology class recently read an “Introduction to Christian Theology” by Bradley Hanson, a Lutheran minister. While I found it an interesting read, I disagreed with Hanson vehemently on several issues, most prominently the nature of man. I know I often return to the nature of man in my theological blog posts, and I am sure this becomes tedious for the reader. However, I find this point crucial in understanding Christianity as laid out in the Bible. If man is not inherently sinful, man can save himself. And isn’t that what every religion except Christianity suggests in the first place? For example, in my ongoing debates with Muslim friends, we recently had this discussion.

Friend: “Our religions aren’t very different. It all comes down to being a good person, and both Islam and Christianity require that.”
Me: “No, there is one crucial difference. Islam suggests that you as a human being must choose to follow Allah and be a good person within your own autonomy. The Bible, however, does not propose it is even possible for us as human beings to be good people. Of our own volition through Adam and Eve, we are completely sinful from birth. Our very nature is sinful, and we cannot do anything about it on our own. That’s why we need a Savior, Jesus.”
Friend: “But doesn’t the Bible say you should do good deeds and be a good person?”
Me: “The point is that we cannot be a good person on our own, without the saving work of Jesus. Yes, our purpose is to glorify God, but it is God who works in us to make this possible (Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 1). “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand” (Eph. 2:10). Our good works are a result of the work of God within us, not our own flawed human capabilities.”

OK, I know you are wondering what this conversation has to do with Hanson’s theology book. When Hanson discusses whether human beings are inherently good or evil, he says, “It is impossible for sound Christian theology to choose only one of these alternatives over the other” (Hanson 117) . After reflecting on this statement, I believe it is impossible for sound Christian theology not to affirm the total depravity of man. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, not even one…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23). This quote does not even question the depravity of man but states it in a decided manner. In the words of the Westminster Catechism, “The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him” (Q. 22).

Furthermore, I am convinced that if mankind was not inherently sinful, the work of Jesus Christ on the cross would be severely demeaned if not pointless. Actually, this is considered in Galatians which says, “If righteousness comes through the Law [our own goodness], then Christ died needlessly” (Gal. 2:21). As Paul points out, “For as through one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). Clearly, the Bible indicates that man is fallen, desperately in need of a Savior, and Hanson’s refusal to affirm this is highly offensive and contrary to scripture.

Besides, the nature of God suggests the total depravity of man. If humans are not inherently sinful, how can God hold us accountable for sin? If we claim that society causes us to be sinful, then the sin is not our fault. Would a completely Just God punish us for sin which we are not responsible? Herein is the confusion, for the Bible states that, “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6). The only way that this wrath and punishment could be within the nature of a perfectly just God is if humans are inherently sinful.

The Heidelberg Catechism states this issue well when it asks, “Are we then so corrupt that we are wholly incapable of doing any good, and inclined to all wickedness?” (Q. 8). The reply claims, “Indeed we are; except [when] we are regenerated by the Spirit of God” (A. 8). Therein lays the beauty of the Gospel, the fact that we are completely helpless and “inclined to all wickedness” yet we are “regenerated by the Spirit of God.”

I love to dwell on and think about the first question and answer in the Heidelberg Catechism:

Q) What is thy only comfort in life and death?
A) That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

Hanson, Bradley. “Introduction to Christian Theology”. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997.
Holy Bible: New American Standard Version. World Publishing Inc., 1995.
Westminster Larger Catechism. 1647
Heidelberg Catechism