How Depraved Is Depravity--Part 1

Man needs to see himself as he is in the sight of God by whom he exists. However, he is incapable of understanding himself intuitively. Such knowledge comes by revelation in the sense of Matthew 16:17: “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (NASB). The term “flesh and blood” signifies a human person. However, this person’s mind is depraved (II Tim. 3:8); the heart is darkened (Rom. 1:21); and the will is enslaved (John 5:40). This proves the revelation comes from without rather than within the chosen sinner.

Solomon wrote, “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices” (Eccl. 7:29 NASB). Original uprightness was mutable. This superior principle was the means of controlling the desires of the inferior principle called human nature. Adam could not have been pronounced “very good” without the superior principle of original uprightness. “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good...” (Gen. 1:31 NASB).

Adam could not be unchangeably upright. Unchangeable uprightness is proper to God alone and could never be attributed to any of His creatures. Adam’s uprightness was created. Creation is the instantaneous activity of God. Therefore, we owe our existence not to dead and unintelligent laws, but to the will and purpose of the living God. The Bible condemns deism either in creation or regeneration. Deism is the belief in God’s existence on the evidence of reason rather than revelation. The whole modern thought is in direct contradiction to the Bible. All things were at first created in their essential completion (Gen. 1:21-28). The Psalmist gave praise to the Creator and Preserver. “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9 NASB).

Theistic evolution is the theory that evolution was God’s way of effecting creation. This theory starts man as far down in the scale of minute things as is conceivably possible. On the other hand, specific creation starts man higher than he is now. Many theistic evolutionists accept the neo-orthodox approach to Genesis 1-11 as allegorical and mythological. The problem, however, is theological rather than scientific. If God used evolution as a means of creation, He would owe man redemption, because He would have created him as a sinner. The Biblical fact is God created man in the likeness of Himself. “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule…” (Gen. 1:26 NASB). “…In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God” (Gen. 5:1 NASB).

God did not create man as a savage. He was the highlight of God’s creation. Man was made in God’s image, and in his uprightness he had communion with God (Gen. 3). Uprightness consisted in positive qualities. Adam not only had fellowship with God, but he had been given the knowledge and ability to govern the lower world.

On the sixth day, man was created to inhabit the earth God had reconstructed for him (Gen. 1:26-2:7). Adam’s original uprightness consisted in his being made in God’s image. Man must never presume to be original, because original and image are opposites. Therefore, he that becomes image is nothing in himself, but he exhibits all that he is in absolute dependence upon God whose image he bears. Uprightness was not essential to man’s being. Thus, man did not lose his being as a man in the fall.

Original uprightness was mutable. Unchangeable uprightness is proper only to God and cannot be communicated to any of His creatures. Since uprightness was by gift, no wrong was done to Adam in withholding that which was not his in the beginning. Created uprightness was finite, and whatever God creates must be inferior to Himself.

Adam possessed a free will before the fall. His power to act was in agreement to what his will chose. Freedom in this sense is opposed to that which is compelled or controlled by some external control. Adam had the ability to determine his own actions. Adam, in a state of uprightness, sought out many devices (Eccl. 7:29). Among these devices, Adam sought a superior way of happiness by kicking off the restraint of eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam took of the forbidden fruit; and by that one act of disobedience, he broke all Ten Commandments. We are under the Ten Commandments but not for salvation. They were never given for that purpose. They were given to manifest sin in one’s life. Paul said, “…I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, YOU SHALL NOT COVET” (Rom. 7:7 NASB). (Study all of Romans 7.) The following list shows how the whole moral law of God (the Ten Commandments) was broken by Adam’s one act of transgression. 1. Adam chose a false god—“There is no God but one” (I Cor. 8:4 NASB). 2. Adam made a god out of his stomach by eating the forbidden fruit. 3. Adam took the Lord’s name in vain because he failed to believe God’s warning. 4. Adam broke the sinless rest in which he had been placed. 5. Adam dishonored his Creator-Father. He disobeyed Him. 6. Murder was committed when Adam brought death to himself, spiritual death. 7. Spiritual adultery was committed when Adam preferred the creature above the Creator. 8. Adam was guilty of stealing when he took that to which he had no right. God told him not to eat that fruit. 9. In accepting the devil’s false witness, Adam broke the ninth commandment—“You shall not bear false witness.” 10. The tenth commandment was broken when Adam coveted that which God had not given him.

Adam’s eating of the forbidden fruit was his own fault. God had made a covenant of friendship with him to demonstrate His sovereignty over all His creatures. God dealt with Adam in the same manner that Pharaoh did with Joseph. Pharaoh made Joseph chief ruler of the kingdom, but he said, “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you” (Gen. 41:40 NASB). God knew that Adam would aspire after omniscience, but that was no reason for not giving the law. Laws will not cease to be made because men will break them.

The extent of man’s fall is total corruption, but man remains man in the fall. Corruption is evident throughout life and comes up from the depths of the depraved heart. Lost man is alienated from the life of God (Eph. 2:12; Col. 1:21). Life outside of Christ is a life of sin and guilt under the wrath of God.

The adjective “total” added to depravity does not mean that the sinner is as totally or completely corrupt in his thoughts and actions as is possible for him. The adjective is used to indicate that the whole of man’s being has been affected by sin. The corruption extends to every part of man including his will (Rom. 1:24-32; John 5:40).

Depravity is not total inability, but it is total spiritual inability. The totality has reference to man’s motive, not to his works. Adam was free to do good or evil, but his descendents are free to do only evil. Redeemed and regenerated men are free to do good, but there is some freedom to do evil. Finally, redeemed men in heaven are free only to do good.

Fallen men are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1), darkened in understanding (Eph. 4:18; I Cor. 2:14), and physically mortal (Heb. 9:27). On the other hand, regenerated men are spiritually alive (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:4-10), renewed in mind (Eph. 1:18; Rom. 12:2), and promised a glorified body (I Cor. 15; I John 3:1-3; II Cor. 5:1-9).

Depraved men may do good on a horizontal anthropological plane. Christ said, “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same thing” (Luke 6:33 NASB). Depravity does not mean that every man is as bad as he could be, but it does mean that man’s nature is corrupted and disabled in every part and aspect. This includes his motive when he does good. There is no difference between depraved persons in their potential for wickedness. The difference is only in opportunities for sinful activity. Coveting is stealing but for lack of opportunity. Hatred is murder but for lack of opportunity. Lust is adultery but for lack of opportunity.

Shakespeare’s famous phrase reads as follows: “In a real sense man’s inhumanity to man is no worse than his humanity to man. Both are fundamentally self-serving, though the one has all the appearance of evil and the other all the appearance of good.”

The regenerated person alone can do good on a vertical plane. Faith is given by the Father, channeled through the Son, and made effective by the Holy Spirit.

Questions— 1. How can man be held responsible for doing what he cannot do? 2. Why does God command man to do something impossible for him? 3. What is the correct balance between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? 4. How does depraved man try to cover his sins?