Total Depravity

Definition and Meaning

Total depravity is the doctrine that since the Fall, every part of human nature—the intellect, the will, the emotions, and the body—has been corrupted by sin. According to this doctrine, people cannot by their own power turn to God or attain salvation. The word "total" here does not mean that every person is as evil as he or she could possibly be. Rather, it is understood to mean that the effects of sin extend to the whole of human existence. Total depravity is the first point of TULIP, the acronym that summarizes the five central doctrines of Calvinism.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages commonly cited in support include Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10-12, and Ephesians 2:1-3. The doctrine is closely connected to the understanding of original sin, which holds that the sin that began with the eating of the forbidden fruit has extended to all people.

In the early fifth century, Pelagius argued that human beings can choose the good even without grace. Augustine refuted this view, teaching that the human will is bound by sin. During the Reformation, John Calvin and other Reformers took up this understanding. It was later given official confessional expression in the Canons of Dort (1618–1619) and the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Arminianism and John Wesley likewise hold that human beings cannot attain salvation on their own. However, they maintain that God grants prevenient grace (grace that goes before any human response) to all people, and that through this grace people regain the ability to respond to the gospel. The Roman Catholic Church taught at the Council of Trent that free will was weakened by original sin but not extinguished.

Practice in the Korean Church

• Most Presbyterian denominations adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter Catechism as their doctrinal standards. In seminary education and catechesis, total depravity is taught together with predestination.
• Denominations in the Wesleyan tradition, such as the Korean Methodist Church and the Holiness Church, also emphasize human sinfulness, but they explain it together with prevenient grace and the human response to it.
• Within Baptist and Pentecostal denominations, both Calvinist and Arminian positions are represented, so the emphasis varies from church to church and from seminary to seminary.

In preaching, the doctrine is frequently invoked when calling for repentance or emphasizing salvation received by grace alone. A common question is whether the doctrine means that "people can do no good at all." The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterians, answers this question with the concept of common grace: because of the common grace that God extends to all people, even unbelievers are able to do social and moral good.