Total Depravity and Radical Corruption
As taught in the Reformed / Presbyterian tradition
The condition of man after the Fall, being dead in sin and unable to save himself.
The doctrine of Total Depravity, often called "Radical Corruption" by contemporary Reformed theologians, serves as the foundation for the entire Reformed understanding of the Gospel. It is the first point of the famous "TULIP" acronym, though its historical and theological weight far exceeds its place in a mnemonic device. Within the Reformed tradition, this doctrine answers a fundamental question: How deep is the chasm between a holy God and fallen humanity? The answer provided by the Reformed fathers—and, they argued, by the Scriptures themselves—is that the Fall of Adam did not merely leave humanity "injured" or "spiritually weakened," but rather "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). To understand Total Depravity is to understand the "Radical" (from the Latin radix, meaning "root") nature of human sin.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the distinction between "Total Depravity" and "Utter Depravity" within Reformed thought.
- **Distinguish** between the Reformed view of human spiritual deadness and the Arminian/Roman Catholic views of spiritual "sickness" or "weakness."
- **Explain** how the Fall of Adam in Genesis 3 resulted in the "Radical Corruption" of the entire human person, including the mind, will, and emotions.
- **Articulate** the relationship between the doctrine of Total Depravity and the necessity of monergistic regeneration (the New Birth).
- **Trace** the biblical development of the doctrine from the pre-flood narrative of Genesis to the apostolic indictments in Romans and Ephesians.
- **Defend** the Reformed reading of the "will" as being free from external coercion but in bondage to its own sinful nature.
- **Apply** the doctrine of Total Depravity to the Christian’s life of prayer, evangelism, and humility before God.
- **Compare** the Canons of Dort’s articulation of human corruption with the contemporary "Seeker-Sensitive" or "Self-Help" approaches to the human condition.
Scripture
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