A Biblical Debate : Total Depravity (CALVINISM)

Definition of Total Depravity : “Total depravity (also called total inability or total corruption) is a biblical doctrine closely linked with the doctrine of original sin as formalized by Augustine and advocated in many Protestant confessions of faith and catechisms, especially in Calvinism. The doctrine understands the Bible to teach that, as a consequence of the the Fall of man, every person born into the world is morally corrupt, enslaved to sin and is, apart from the grace of God, utterly unable to choose to follow God or choose to turn to Christ in faith for salvation.”http://www.theopedia.com...The Key Points : 1. Every person born into the world is morally corrupt and enslaved to sin (Before Regenerated)2. Apart from the grace of God, utterly unable to choose to follow God or choose to turn to Christ for salvationTotal Depravity, foundationally, actually doesn’t deal with non believers doing good. It rather deals with the ability to choose God through our own strength or solely through God. The “good” argument is just a tag along debate that goes with Total Depravity.Let us define Partial Depravity now : “Humanity is depraved but still able to seek God. We are fallen and tainted by sin but not to the extent that we cannot chose to come to God and accept salvation, with the help of prevenient grace from God. Given such grace, human will is free and has the power to yield to the influence of the Spirit.”http://www.gotquestions.org...The Key Points :1. Humanity is depraved but is still able to seek God2. Fallen and tainted by sin but not enough to prevent us to come to Christ3. Human will is free and has the power to yield the influence of the SpiritSCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE FOR TOTAL DEPRAVITY1. Every person born into the world is morally corrupt and enslaved to sin (Before Regenerated)Mark 7:21-23 - "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (c.f. Matthew 15:19)Titus 1:15-16 - ...to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.Ecclesiastes 9:3 - Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.We see that within the heart of man comes evil and Titus explains that all who are not believers, nothing is pure within them and their minds are defiled. Ecclesiastes furthers my point and states that the children of man are full of evil, man being the unregenerated man. So to say that one could choose God with his own will without any divine intervention would be faulty due to what we have seen about man when unregenerated.(Dealing with the "Sub - Subject) Can Man Do Good Without God?Matthew 7:18 - "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." (c.f. Luke 6:43)Matthew 12:34-35 - "How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil."Romans 8:7 - For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please [God]http://www.traviscarden.com...2. Apart from the grace of God, utterly unable to choose to follow God or choose to turn to Christ for salvationJohn 1:9-13 : 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,[b] and his own people[c] did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.Romans 9:15-19 : For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” (Spoiler for Irresistible Grace)Ephesians 2:1-5 : And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—The fleshly mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:7, 8).Men in the flesh cannot please God, and yet those who believe in "partial depravity" believe that we can. Funny… We see according to these verses that man does not seek God on his own, rather, God, in His own mercy, brings us to himself.ConclusionRead these verses again and again and you’ll slowly come to realize that it is not from our own will that we become followers of Christ, because before coming to Christ, God has shown what man is like.You may say, “I agree. My view is that God draws us to himself and then we make the decision to choose him.” Even if… You’re still admitting that we need an intervention of God’s grace in our life to “help” us choose.