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Total Depravity: Romans 3:10-18: All Have Sinned

Van Lees holds forth on this passage thusly:

 

“Romans 3:10-12 also speaks of man's dire condition in sin:” . . . as it is written, there is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one." In this passage, Paul puts together a series of Old Testament quotations that show the radical corruption of the fallen human heart. This section states that "none is righteous, not even one" and that "there is none who does good, there is not even one."

 

And also,

 

“This passage also states that "there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God." I've often heard ministers and evangelists talk about the occult or new age movement and reflectively say, "The rise of the occult in our culture demonstrates the universal desire of man to seek God." As we have just observed in Romans 1:18-25, the opposite is true. The rise of the occult and other false religious activities, stem from man's universal desire to repress the knowledge of the true God and create an idol. Closely related to this idea is the statement in Romans 3:10-12 that fallen man does not understand the things of God and he does not seek God.”

 

As we have just observed, Van Lees’ understanding of Romans 1:18-25 is mistaken. Man does NOT have a “…universal desire to repress the knowledge of the true God…” Some men do, AFTER exchanging the truth of God that they possess for a lie and consequently are given over to depravity.

 

This text (Rom 3:10-18) is another “locus classicus” for the doctrine of Total Depravity. The technical term for what Paul is doing here is called a florilegium – a collection of texts of scripture meant to illustrate a point – unfortunately for Calvinists, Paul’s point here is NOT that “fallen” men are so totally depraved that they cannot and will not respond to God in any way or that “fallen man does not understand the things of God and he does not seek God” - much less please Him, without God first regenerating or saving them. Paul’s point is that Jews and Gentiles both are all under sin, and that “…the righteousness of God … has been manifested THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS FOR ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE; for there is no distinction [between Jew and Greek] for all have sinned…(Rom 3:21-23). The fact that the OT scriptures that Paul quotes are poetic hyperbole and should not be taken literally as illustrating Total Depravity is easily demonstrated by reading them in the context from which Paul takes them. Most of them are from the Psalms, which by definition puts them in the category of poetry to begin with, and should automatically suggest that a literal reading may not be prudent. Once again, we see people “operating out of a system of epistemology that is deeply rooted in modernism [and] fail[ing] to see how detached from the world of the Bible they really are…[They are]…embracing A WAY OF THINKING about truth that relies heavily on modern philosophical ideas…” (Quote from John Armstrong previously given.)

 

To use Van Lees’ examples, in Rom 3:10-12 Paul quotes Psalm 14:3 – “there is no one who does good, not even one.” In verse 5 it says, “For God is with the righteous generation.” How can there be a “righteous generation” if “not even one” does good?

 

In Rom 3:18 Paul quotes Psalms 36:1 – “There is no fear of God before his eyes…” First of all, the previous line states, “Transgression speaks TO THE UNGODLY within his heart…” So this is not talking about ALL men, but about UNGODLY men. Secondly, verse 3 states of the ungodly, “He has CEASED to be wise and to do good…” How could one CEASE to be wise and do good if they were never wise and good in the first place?

 

Paul is citing a number of hyperbolic laments from Psalms – poetic license - to illustrate his point that all need the salvation of Christ because all have sinned. There is nothing here that suggests Total Inability, which is what is usually meant by Total Depravity.

 

There are many Biblical examples of “spiritually dead” humans responding to and communicating with God. Besides the example of Cain that I gave previously, consider that there was quite a lengthy communication between Adam and God after the “fall” (Gen 3:8-20) - all of which occurred before ANY implied atonement on God’s part (verse 21).

 

In Acts 11 we have Peter’s report to the apostles and brethren at Jerusalem concerning his activities among the Gentiles. In recounting the episode with Cornelius, the Roman Centurion, Peter says, “And he [Cornelius] reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, “Send to Joppa and have…Peter brought here; and he will speak words to you BY WHICH YOU WILL BE SAVED…’” (Acts:11:13-14)

 

Here we have an EXPLICIT narrative passage that tells us that at the time Cornelius saw the angel HE WAS NOT SAVED. Acts 10 gives us more information about the UNSAVED Cornelius (verse 2):

 

1) He was devout

2) He feared God

3) He gave many alms to the people (the word “Jewish” is not in the Greek.)

4) He prayed to God continually

 

Furthermore, he had no trouble SEEING and HEARING the “angel of God” who came to him with a message from God. Here is what the ANGEL FROM GOD says about the UNSAVED Cornelius,

 

“Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God” (Acts 10:4)

 

Cornelius was talking to God, and GOD WAS LISTENING! WITH APPROVAL! How could Cornelius, in a totally depraved condition and unable to even want to please God, be called devout, fear God, and have acts of charity and prayers ascend as a memorial to God, ALL BEFORE HE WAS SAVED?

 

Here’s what the Apostle Peter had to say about Cornelius’ experience: “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, BUT IN EVERY NATION ANY ONE WHO FEARS HIM AND DOES WHAT IS RIGHT IS ACCEPTABLE TO HIM” (Acts 10:34-35).

 

This conclusion of Peter’s was not ONLY the result of Cornelius’ experience. God had prepared Peter to respond to Cornelius properly by giving him the vision of the sheet with animals in it. “What God has cleansed, you must not call common.” (Acts 10:15) About this vision Peter said, “…God has shown me that I should not call ANY MAN common or unclean.” That’s ANY MAN!

 

What the scripture says about Cornelius argues powerfully against the doctrine of Total Depravity.

 

To our list of “spiritually dead” and “fallen” people (Adam, Cain, Cornelius) who seem to have no trouble hearing, responding to, and interacting with God, even pleasing God in some cases, let us add Lydia (Acts 16:14-15).

 

I know, I know, Calvinists use this text to “prove” the necessity of God monergistically causing a person to accept Christ. You know, “The Lord OPENED HER HEART TO RESPOND to the things spoken by Paul. She would have never, never, never, responded had GOD NOT OPENED HER HEART!” Such is the Calvinist line concerning this passage. Well, I’m not denying that God opened her heart. But why did He do that? Because of His sovereign choice as Calvinists would have us believe? Or was there something about Lydia that caused God to open her heart?

 

Verse 14 tells us that before Paul ever came to that riverbank, Lydia was "a worshipper of God." I have heard it argued that this phrase means nothing more than that she was a Gentile convert to Judaism. If this is true, she was already seeking God. She had come to the "place of prayer" with the other women who had gathered there. The important thing is that she was a "worshipper of God" BEFORE her heart was opened.

 

Secondly, BEFORE God opened her heart, she “was listening.”

 

“Akouo” (I listen/hear) can also be understood to mean, “obey”. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YE HIM.” (Mt 17:5.) In Lydia’s case this may be just the hearing of words, though an argument can also be made for obedience, in which case, she was already obedient, that is, faithful, because she was already a worshiper of God, and she was actively, obediently “listening”. Thus, it should be no surprise that she was “judged faithful” (verse 15).

 

Lydia was a worshipper of God and was actively, obediently listening – all BEFORE God opened her heart, and all before she was baptized, which is to say, before she became a believer in Christ.

 

Contrary to the Calvinist use of this verse, Acts 16:14 does NOT illustrate Total Depravity - it actually illustrates the opposite.

 

Consider the Syrophoenician woman in Mathew 15:21-28. Jesus refused to heal her daughter and as much as called her a dog (verse 26). But the woman, by her persistence and her answer to Him, changed His mind. Jesus said, “O woman, YOUR faith is great; it shall be done for you AS YOU WISH.” This was a pagan woman that Jesus at first called a dog. The woman did not deny it, “…even the dogs feed on the crumbs…” and yet Jesus Himself said that this woman had GREAT FAITH.

 

Let us also add to this list those many nameless Gentiles spoken of in Romans 2:14-15: “When Gentiles who lack the Law do NATURALLY practice it, they are for themselves a law, though they have none. They show that what the Law requires is written on their hearts…” (Revised Berkeley Version).

 

KJV – “…do BY NATURE the things contained in the law…”

RSV – “…do BY NATURE what the law requires…”

NEB – “…carry out its [the law] precepts BY THE LIGHT OF NATURE…”

Phillips – “…act in accordance with it [the law] BY THE LIGHT OF NATURE …”

Jerusalem Bible – “…are LED BY REASON to do what the law commands…”

NASB – “…do INSTINCTIVELY the things of the Law…”

 

Let me take this a little further.

 

John 1:9 – “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” Alternative translation: “There was the true Light which enlightens every person coming into the world.”

 

EVERY PERSON has been enlightened. What God has cleansed you must not call common or unclean. As the following verses in John indicate, some did not receive Him. Even though they were enlightened, even though they “knew God” as Romans 1:21 says, they did not receive Him and so were darkened and hardened and given over to depravity. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

 

Calvinists use verse 13 out of context to support the idea of monergistic regeneration. Indeed, those to whom are given the right to become children of God ARE born not of the will of man, but of God. On what basis do they obtain the right to become children of God, and so are born of the will of God? On the basis of their RECEIVING HIM! – That is, Jesus. See verse 12.

 

John 12:32 – [Jesus said] “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL MEN to Myself.”

 

Jesus WAS lifted up from the earth was He not? Therefore, unless He was lying or mistaken, ALL MEN are drawn to Him.

 

That does NOT mean all men are saved. It means what it says - all men are drawn. In order to be saved one must BELIEVE. (John 1:12, 3:15, 3:16, 5:24, 6:40, 6:47, 7:38, 11:25, 11:26, 12:45, 14:1, 16:9, Acts 8:37, 10:43, 13:39, 16:31, etc, etc, etc.)

 

NEXT: Conclusion

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